Ok i failed emissions and really need some help. I faield in HC and CO%. My HC was 618 @ 15mph with a limit of only 147 and 668 @ 25mph with a limit of only 157. My co% was around 2.5 with a limit of only .1xxx something. Anyone have ANY idea what can cause readings like that? I have no idea where to start!!! HELP!!! Stupid emissions........they have targeted a broke *** college student........who uses his old car as a daily driver but because it has "TOO MANY HYDROCARBONS!!!" is not allowed to drive to class. I HATE FAIRFAX COUNTY!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

I'm down here in Hampton, Va and we don't have to do Emissons testing. Hint, hint if you want to do an afternoon drive.

Try a new Catalyic Converter.

 

Hey

other standard opperating smog procedures include....

1. make sure car is down to about 1/4 full on the gas tank.

2. add a carb cleaner for a 12a or fuel ing cleaner for 13b.......

3. drive car for about 20 minutes to get nice and warm and burn everything off......

4.take it in and get it smogged.......rx7's run cleaner when warm......

 

-sigh- I did all that except the carb cleaner. I even changed the plugs and wires and air cleaner before i brought it in. Its almost 5 times over the limit. I dont know what to do. The shop is going to diagnose it for $100. I hope they know what there doing

 

Haha i wish i had no emissions. I need to pass to get new plates. They expire next month. A cat is rather expensive. Before i do that i think ill pay the shop to tell me whats wrong. THat way if they say its the cat and for some reason it turns out not to be i probably can get them to look at it again or something.

 

dude, MY CAR BLOWS 3500 hydrocarbons! WOOT!

 

I got a similar problem, my HC is 667 at idle and 150 is the limit.

A carb tuneup brought my HC down from 2000+ to 667.

I put a quart of methanol from Ace Hardware into the tank and then 2.5 gallons of gas to get about a 10% mixture. I'm going to run that thru, and then maybe I'll try some carb cleaner before I go for another $40 test.

B

 

Too bad a guy can't get an HC tester of his own so you can tune to pass emissions.

B

 

id put my money on a bad ACV.... it route air from the airpump into the cat so it burns all the nastys ... mazda didnt think to hard on this item its got 2 nice 2" rubber diaphrams in it and it sits RIGHT on top of the exh man. BAD IDEA plan on about 300+ to get a new 1.
Its easy to check 3 nuts/bolts and remove 2 lines and its off then remove the 3 screws from each diaphram. they should be nice and soft and flexable with no cracks or rips. but the bottom is ALLWAYS hard as a rock and has cracks.... and the dont sell just the diaphrams.

 

Better than buying new, get one from one of the folks who killed their emissions and who might be willing to part with a spare, functional one.

 

It could be the cat. It would make sense because i just checked the car and its basically pertectley in tune timing is right car b mixture is right new plugs wires cap and rotor new air filter. Pelit cats suck *** too. I heard the go bad like every 4 years mine is the stock one with 130k miles. I could pay the place $99 to diagnose or just spend that $99 on a new honeycomb cat and have it welded in. MY car ONLY failed HC and CO%..............it passed everything else. OPINIONS!?!?!?!?!?!?!

 

CHECK THE ACV!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
if you have a bad acv no fresh air gets to the cat so its cant do its job...burn the raw fuel. a aftermarket cat will crap out fast unless its made specificlly for a rotary. and you would never know a bad acv when you were driving the car... other than bad smog. and the chances of finding a good used acv are SLIM but if you do GREAT. I have been playing with 1st gens for over 10 years... i rebuild all rotary motors and i run my own shop.... im not saying i cant be wrong, but i know the hell outa a fb's smog failures

 

put some gasline antifreeze in it! it makes it burn hotter and cleaner and helps it to pass.

 

There is a pipe that runs from the air pump to the cat via the ACV. When the car idles, the ACV is supposed to pump air to the first cat and when the rpms go up, the air goes to the exhaust manifold to help it stay cooler. Pull the pipe off the cat and see if it has air coming in when idling. If not, temporarily reroute the air from the line that goes to the exhaust manifold to the front cat, this should get you through the sniff test. Then return it afterwards if you care to. I drove my 12A like that for several years and never had a problem.

The whole system is a rather complicated affair, either your ACV could be bad or one of the relays on the drivers side of the engine near your oil cooler could be bad (the color coded ones) or a vacuum hose. The reroute is the cheap, easy and relatively harmless fix...

 

I would check the ACV but i dont know where it is. Im new to this car. How would i check it? My haynes manual is in the mail on its way to me

 

gasline antiofreeze with high octane fuel man, it'll walk thru it, or drive i guess...

 

Im lost. I see no pipe running from the cat. ALos i dont understand how a vacum line could withstand the heat.

 

the acv is on the passenger side of the engine compartment, below the carb

 

the acv is on the passenger side of the engine compartment, below the carb

 

ok i have been doing emissions testing for a while now...and here are the causes for failing in hydrocarbons:
Ignition Problems
Low Compression
Bad Apex Seals/O Rings
Lean Misfire
Vaccum Leak
Fuel System

 

and here are the causes for failing in CO:

Restricted Air Cleaner
Carb Related Problems
Cat convertor
Port Timing
Faulty Fuel Pressure Regulator
High Fuel Pressure

 

Mr Big G knows what he's talking about...my GSL failed for high hydrocarbons a few months ago. It was all due to a simple vacuum leak.

 

Mr big G,

Mine fails HC at idle (667) but is OK at roadspeed. Does that pinpoint the problem a little?
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"
ok i have been doing emissions testing for a while now...and here are the causes for failing in hydrocarbons:
Ignition Problems
Low Compression
Bad Apex Seals/O Rings
Lean Misfire
Vaccum Leak
Fuel System
"
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B

 

bliffle.....is it the gsl or the gs?

 

car has no visible smoke even when cold. Car does smell like unburned fuel after flooring it. New plugs wires and air cleaner. New cap and rotor for distributer just changed oil and ran guarnted to pass brand carb cleaner stuff. Adjusted carb mixture screw about a full turn it was turned all the way up (tuned it acording to haynes manual) I hope the carb isnt bad. Car really runs well and pulls pretty strong (for what it is at least). It DOES hesitate when floored but pulls after that. Dont know what else to do other than pay the place $100 to diagnose and tell me whats wrong. I hate emissions.