Berlyn0963

iTrader: (4)

im in MD and i took my 2nd test after work today, i failed again
im taking it in to Midas to get 300 bucks taken out my wallet just to have a cat installed
the state standard for Hydrocarbons is 1.1 GPM
mine was 3.3 GPM

state Standard on Carbon Monoxide is 20.0000 GPM
mine is 40.3613 GPM
Oxides of Nitrogen Passed
Carbon Dioxide is 313.9401

i have until SEpt to get it fixed
or i can pay 450 and show reciepts to show that i Tried to pass and still cant with the work done and get a waiver.
i swear this is such

the cars got 235 on the odometer (engine was rebuilt but i never changed the odometer,but im not telling them that anywayz)

any other ideas on how to pass without spending massive amounts of money i dont have please let me know
thank U
im going to get it it tested as soon as i get the cat installed just to see if that works> if not i will have to spend a few hundred more dollars to get the the $450 limit for the waiver
tests are 15 dollars everytime too Smog ***** can bite me !!! i'd kill the SOB who thought of this system. it should be based upon income cuz not everyone is a lawyer or a doctor and im barely making it as it is with bills and insurance. i hope they rot in enternal hell for the hard times and money wasted on needless crap like this. **** like this brings out the worst in me

Lee7

why not just install the cat yourself?

its very easy.

KED85

Give the car a decent tune up & change to fresh motor oil.
Then go for a smog retest to observe progress.
If all works right, your car should run better & stronger with better gas milage also.

camaro_junkie

Cheap ways to cheat emissions:
retard your timing: free and easy
raise your idle speed: free and easy (make sure you don't go over the maximum idle speed they allow)
change air filters: $20-$70 depending on the brand, but all will be good when they're new, and it only takes 12.5s to change them
change O2 sensor: $50-$75 and easy if you can remove the old one
as KED85 (Karl?) said, tune-up and oil change: $100-infinite depending on the brands, pretty easy
Also make sure all the emissions sensors are working properly. My MAF wasn't working for a long time due to a bad connection. Good luck on the test. I have to do emissions as well, but my car has a mind of its own and fools the test every time (I don't do anything and it just passes).

JoshDT91

iTrader: (1)

Here is my opinion on emissions, they suck. I think unless your car is chugging oil clouds out the back and shooting crap on the road you pass. Be thankful that you do not live out in California, their standards out there would throw you for a loop. Heaven forbid you touch anything out there to add performance cause unless it has a CARB number you're hosed. But anyways I would check or replace things like plugs, wires, cap, rotor, replace that cat, and replace the O2 sensor.

JoshDT91

iTrader: (1)

Interesting how MD does it in GPM, here is what my emissions from last July looked:

KED85

I designed my 3.4 swap as an emission beater.
And I pass with flying colors.
One part of test, I registered zero emissions.
DON'T BLANTLY KNOCK EMISSION TESTING
I know it can be hard on some, but I've lived with testing for 20 plus years & just have to play the rules.
Why ya think I'm trying to get us made street legal CARB certified headers?
A great tune up buring all unburnt gasoline in cylinders & fresh motor oil change will probably do wonders.
And I bet the ride will be stronger, also.
Try again!

TomP

Well, we can go from that information as to what's wrong...

HC = unburnt fuel. Can be caused by running rich OR running lean.

CO = lack of oxygen to change CO into CO2.

High HC + High CO usually means that you're running rich! Be glad you passed NOx- that's usually the bitch.

Diagnostic:

#1. Replace your air filters with new cheap ones. Immediately after the test, put them back in their box, and put them under your bed for next year.

#2. Remove your distributor cap, check for carbon tracking on the contacts inside- if there's tracking, remove the marks with a small file (for metal, not wood), and try not to file the contacts at an angle. Medium grit paper (150-220) also works.

#3. Remove, clean, and re-gap your spark plugs to stock (0.045" spec).

#4. Check the timing and set it to stock spec (10 degrees advanced).

#5. If you haven't replaced the wires in a while, replace them. If you have replaced them recently, beg/borrow/steal a multimeter. Set it to ohms (will look like Ù symbol). Remove one spark plug wire. Put a probe at each end and record the resistance. Do this for all the wires (again, removing and testing and reinstalling only one at a time). If one is -way- off spec, replace it. Make sure there's no corrosion inside the ends of the plug wires. Don't forget to check your coil wire, too. (Resistance goes up as the plug wire gets longer; keep that in mind.)

#6. Spray some "throttle body and intake cleaner for fuel injected engines" into your throttle body.

Reasoning:

#1: Will drop your CO, and might drop your HC's. Like I said, you're probably running rich. More oxygen will drop your CO and give you more even combustion (to reduce HC).

#2/3/4/5: One misfiring cylinder can put as much emissions as 2 or three "sniffer-friendly" cars. By giving the ignition system the once-over, you're making sure that a misfire can't happen.

#6: Just a good overall idea

Hope that helps! And replacing the cat sure couldn't hurt either; but don't forget, you can buy a bolt-in high-flow cat for only $100. Replacing the oxy sensor is another great idea, especially if you don't know when it was changed last. The Bosch part # is 12014, should cost $20 at a Pep Boys.

[edit 8/4/2003]: My poor attempt at reproducing the Omega "ohms" symbol failed... so I'm not going to bother again, but it looks like an upside-down "U" with feet.