Stupid Smog Tests

Bummer... 🙁

With EFI, usually it's an easy fix. Good thing you tested first!



If needed are you going to buy a new cat, or wrecking yard one? I've heard they are dirt cheap from the internet salvage sites.

"BKGM Jeepers" wrote: With EFI, usually it's an easy fix. Good thing you tested first!

If needed are you going to buy a new cat, or wrecking yard one? I've heard they are dirt cheap from the internet salvage sites.

I believe its illegal to sell used cats. Have to buy new.



Heck its a Toyota. Just have someone steal you one since they are all the rage.

i would run some "HEET" in the gas tank. here is a link to check out. id watch the timimg tho it seems they recomend to much change. i have used this in the past and seemed to work. also my timming was off and the tech tweeked it and the emissions went way down.

http://www.g2ic.com/forums/printthread.php?t=38911

I think you have to buy a new cat as well.



It sounds like it has a kind of intermittent miss in the 2500 rpm range so that's not good, but the real problem is at idle. I recently ran some fuel injector cleaner through it and the guy thought that could screw up the numbers too. He said with stuff like that it could go either way. I'll do the quick "tune up" burn some fuel in it and have it tested again. Good thing I've still got some time before it's due. I'd rather not try fuel additives and what not. I'd like to actually get it running clean. My gut tells me it's the cat - my exhaust has really started to smell funky over the last couple months. Isn't that one of the symptoms?



The shop didn't charge me for the test since it was my second smog check of the day. The old corolla passed no problem. It should be against the law to have registration for two cars due in the same month. 😀

40 inch tires and a green sticker 😀 😀 😀 😀 😀

"Bender" wrote: I think you have to buy a new cat as well.



It sounds like it has a kind of intermittent miss in the 2500 rpm range so that's not good, but the real problem is at idle. I recently ran some fuel injector cleaner through it and the guy thought that could screw up the numbers too. He said with stuff like that it could go either way. I'll do the quick "tune up" burn some fuel in it and have it tested again. Good thing I've still got some time before it's due. I'd rather not try fuel additives and what not. I'd like to actually get it running clean. My gut tells me it's the cat - my exhaust has really started to smell funky over the last couple months. Isn't that one of the symptoms?



The shop didn't charge me for the test since it was my second smog check of the day. The old corolla passed no problem. It should be against the law to have registration for two cars due in the same month. 😀

"RobD" wrote: 40 inch tires and a green sticker 😀 😀 😀 😀 😀

I don't know. I could buy a whole lot of catalytic converters for a set of 40s. 😀

have you checked the codes in the computer? valve guide seals be bad? if it has a mass air flow sensor that could also mess things up. or o2 sensor. pull the codes to make sure everything is in order. and before you buy a cat do a compression check , it doesnt cost anything! if your low on a cylinder i dont know if a cat will help.

My check engine light isn't on. Will it still show a code without the light?

im not sure about toys, but i have done head gasget jobs on 4 taurus's and 2 had codes and no light on. i think its called kept alive memory. one did flash once in a while.what year is it?

It's an 87 with a 22re. Oddly enough mine does flash every once and a while. Usually after running at low rpms for a while. I usually just give it a quick rev and it goes away.

I have a compression tester if you want to check it.

"GonZo" wrote: I have a compression tester if you want to check it.

x2

I'm not really seeing a tie between compression and NOx. Sounds like the compression would go up, but I'm not sure that would show on a tester. What about an O2 sensor? It idles rough and I've never been able to figure out why it wouldn't run up at Dusy (high elevation).

"Bender" wrote: I'm not really seeing a tie between compression and NOx. Sounds like the compression would go up, but I'm not sure that would show on a tester. What about an O2 sensor? It idles rough and I've never been able to figure out why it wouldn't run up at Dusy (high elevation).

i think your rite, i did a little search and found this:



NOx are caused by excess heat and pressure during combustion. At

excess pressure-temperatures, the oxygen will combine with nitrogen,

forming oxides of nitrogen (NOx; NO1, NO2, etc). EGR problems are a

leading cause of high nox. EGR reduces cylinder temperature by

displacing some incoming oxygen with recirculated (non-combustible;

inert)

Timing that's too advanced

means that the mixture is igniting while the piston is still

compressing, and this causes high pressure and temperature (high NOx)

as the expanding gas is compressed.





since low compression wouldnt cause high temps ,it isnt your problem.



here is a chart that should help,







after some more reading i found that high combustion temps are caused by:

timing

vac leak

low fuel pressure cuasing lean condition

high carbon build up on piston and valves

knock sensor{changing timming}

egr valve or plug egr ports



if the cat was bad wouldnt the ohter readings be bad as well?

the merc im working on now was running hot and cracked the head, i think i found out why...



it was probably putting out high nox numbers as well! you can see that electrolysis can do a lot of damage. if you keep the antifreeze fresh this is less likely to happen. it has something to do with ph i think.

Geez...mine better not look like that. It's only about 2 years old. 😀

I PASSED! WooooooHooooooo!



I changed the cap, rotor, plugs, wires, and O2 sensor. The plugs looked ok. I have the feeling it was the O2 sensor. It had obviously been in there for a while. My numbers are 25% of what they were and the truck is running way better. I guess smog tests aren't stupid. 😳