So how do I get a 85 GSl to pass CA smog? I just took it in and it got 300 on the hydrocarbon scale... I have a 3" exhaust with a cat and a magnaflow muffler... Do you think I would pass if I put the stock setup back on? Or is there something else wrong? Maybe i need to lean out the carb a little? hm

Oh yeah that was idle HC.. at 2500 RPM is was baerly failing like i think 153 out of 125 or somethin?

 

put the AIR CONTROL VALVE back on... and make sure your cat is working well...

 

Wheres the ACV? And whats it look like? Any pics? thanks...

 

you need 3 things to pass smog
1. good airpump
2. WORKING air control valve
3. main cat

mike

 

It's a valve that bolts onto the intake manifold. faces the passenger front strut. has some hoses on it...

give the car a good tune up too. new plugs, cap and rotor, test ignition wires and coils, spray gumout carb cleaner down the carb, new air filter could only help....

 

Change your motoroil, and 500 miles which you can reuse later. Oil in Rx-7 pick up a lot of raw fuel and good flushing will help.


John

 

From what I've collected on threads about this:

As DriveFast7 said, a good tune up so:
Carb Cleaner
Air Filter
Change Oil (this is a BIG one for e-tests) and filter
rotor, cap, wires, plugs

The most important of the above being the oil change and a clean air filter. Next, you need the stock multi-cat system back in, along with an air pump and an ACV. To find a pic of the ACV and the Air pump, I suggest looking at Rx7Carl and Pratch's "Emissions Removal Tutorial".. yeah, I know, it's the reverse of what you wanna do.

Edit: You can find the tutorial here:
http://maz_tutorials.totalimmage.com/
/Edit

So once you make sure your cats are getting fresh air to combust with, and that your car is tuned, you might want to run it slightly leaner (some people say this is good) and find some good, QUALITY, low octane gas to run for the test. I know around here we have McEwans which pimps it's blended (ethanol or methanol, I can never remember) gas as being able to "reduce your emissions".... If you have that, get that.

The Air pump pumps air to the ACV which routes it to two of your cats. This air helps finish the combustion process.

Then... Take your car out for a good spin on the highway, to clear all the GUNK out of your engine. Do some mixed revs, and some good high-speed stuff to blow all that e-clogging gunk out.

Best of luck to ya!

Jon

 

Why is this so important?

 

Ok... Ive done most of that so-far.. I did the oil a few days before taking it into the smog place, the air filter is spotless I just did the spark plugs last night the wires, rotor and cap all look to be in good condition still. I am going to have my friend who knows these cars really well tune it. Im pretty sure its just the carb running super rich but anytime I tried to tune it the car would just idle like crud and wouldnt start when it was cold. I think the new spark plugs will help with that, the old ones were horrible looking. As far as gas in CA... We get shitty and shittier gas.. So ill just run the shitty gas.... lol.

Oh my friend said to lean it out till it shoots flames.. lol im sure the smog ref would love that. "hey what happened to my hair!!"

 

first the acv puts air into the exhaust ports, during the test and b with a cat you want it to be richer. if you have a working acv, air pump and main cat you dont have to do anythign fancy to pass.

mike

 

I just went through all that crap,,, First. your reg. says
'test only' right ?DON'T go to test only !! again !!
you pay to test and if no pass free retest right ? ok.
the tech's @ test only by ca. law can't tell you what you need to do to pass. it's bullshit !! Go to a repair/gross
station. same money cost wise. bite the bullet. i know
you've spent the $ at the test only. it's gone !!
at a repair/gross station the tech's can tell you how to pass. for to high of hydrocarbons on a 12a you need
to pass the visual, all cats. working, air pump, I my case
i had too high hydrocarbons Too. it's the carb. float that needs to be tweeked. And i'm all stock 12a, a bonez hi-flow cat. is all i've changed too, and installed. works fine.
Ca. targets older cars such as ares, and sends us to a test only station knowing we won't pass and knowing the tech's can't say anything, so we dump money into the state/ station. it's a pure ripoff/ burn plan,,,,******* !! before you go to any smog test, always run the car or make sure it's as hot as it can get
without burning up the engine. thats it !

 

When my car was running around 300 on the HC scale the main cat was completely burnt out- I was basically running a straight pipe and didn't know it! Putting on a good cat dropped it down to about 40.

Check the cat! Especially if you have a lot of miles.