Originally Posted by Toruki

I would think that you do want the air going to the cat, to help burn up any residual fuel. Can you set the ACV to always send air to the cat? I'm just throwing out ideas but with no experience

Originally Posted by LongDuck

I'm in AZ, but we still have emissions testing in my county u less you go Historic Plates, but then your insurance watches mileage, so I swap my original 84SE cats and manifold onto the car every 2 years for testing - and have never failed emissions.

If you want the best possible outcome with the least amount of worry;
1. Change your oil - if your OMP is pumping old, contaminated oil into your intake, it's going to show up on emissions output. Change your oil filter while you're at it. It's cheap insurance, and at least you'll be sure clean oil is being burned.
2. Plugs - BR8EQ14 is the standard for our engines. Running anything else isn't helping. New plugs ensure as clean a burn as possible, and make sure everything is tight and grounded well, while you're at it.
3. Plug Wires - simple to replace in this set of items, if you can't remember the last time you replaced them, just spring for a new set.
4. Distributor Cap & Rotor - basic maintenance around ignition, and necessary to ensure clean, proper spark on these old, low-powered systems. Don't mess with the coils - the stock Mitsu components are the best you can find and almost never fail. They're designed to work with this system and give plenty of ZAP!
5. Air Filter - clean air coming in, and as much volume as possible will help with both idle emissions and the rolling dyno test. A new filer helps a lot with road performance, too, and they're comparatively cheap and easy to replace.
6. Exhaust System Gaskets - often overlooked, any air leaks in your exhaust, from the manifold to the pipes and the muffler, allows oxygen into the system, which reacts with any unburned components to create HC and CO above normal. New gaskets are cheap, time to swap them is well-spent.
7. Fuel - avoid adding anything to the fuel, and stay away from high-test (aka high octane), as rotary engines have a short ignition and power stroke, any the octane additives delay ignition specifically for piston engines - which exactly what you DON'T want in a rotary. Run a can of Seafoam through it if you want, but it's not likely to change the results.

With these things done - which is just good PM on any car every few years, you have the best shot at passing on your first attempt using stock components, and remember that emissions testing standards are based on when the car rolled off the production line. They are also compared to past years readings for your car in some states (*like AZ), so think of it as setting a baseline if you plan to keep the car in that state. Good luck,

Originally Posted by triwankular

When I first bought my SE I had trouble with smog, I finally caved and got a new main cat and now it passes with insanely low numbers. I just throw the cats on every 2 years for smog because I have the RB headers. I recommend this route as it'll save you the headache in 2 years.

Originally Posted by Toruki

Some folks install their inspection passing exhaust systems when the time is right and keep them off car otherwise. I don't know if that's an option in CA, but now that you've got the recipe down to passing, might be worth the hassle.

Originally Posted by Slow_sevens

I hear you Mr Frogman. I am old and have seen a metric crap ton of life. Experience has taught me the value of the serenity prayer (although I omit the Lord bit and am not an addict) especially the 'grant me serenity to accept the things I cannot change' part. As a working class northern Englishman with a chip on his shoulder I spent a few decades raging against the machine, but California sunshine and some bloody good luck has mellowed me. Nothing I can do about the smog laws, but am blessed enough to have the resources to pay my way through the issues the smog laws cause, and have the skills and support to create workarounds for the future.
Where the smog laws really hurt is for the younger and less affluent folks on this message board who are trying to run RX7s on pocket money and zip ties, for whom failing smog is a car ending event. I will post a guide to applying for the BAR smog repair assistance program (as soon as I have my bathroom floor fixed!) as $900 in government assistance would be huge to those scratching by.

Originally Posted by Holdfast

I'm not old enough to remember the air quality before they started the smog laws here in California. But what my older sister and dad /mom said it was pretty bad. I personally think they are laws for the better good. And health of everyone. Are cars are a little harder to up keep because they no longer make any parts for the smog equipment..I recently traveled to Seattle this passed summer. I was kinda shocked at the air quality there. In traffic on the freeway the smog was horrible. Couldn't roll your windows down. Worse than anything I ever experienced in California. When I googled the smog laws in Washington state. I was surprised that in 2019 they repealed all the smog laws. It definitely showed.

Originally Posted by Seniorchief

Sooner or later Carb comes for everyone Frogman!

Starting Jan. 1, diesel trucks with engine model years older than 2010 and weighing at least 14,000 pounds can't be registered with the Department of Motor Vehicles, according to a California Air Resources Board rule (Feb 1, 2023.)