help. bought car for $600 but without registration. the guy says that smogging should be easy. anyway, i have put in about $700 just to get the thing smogged, and still no luck. already bought new universal cat, stock intake. any ideas? already tried to smog twice, and both times the emissions were too high. i live in so. california. any advice would be appreciated.

 

well you didnt really get ripped off for the price you paid for the car, but the seller is supposed to smog the car before they sell it!

"The seller is required to provide the buyer with a valid smog inspection certification at the time of the sale or transfer. Smog certifications are good for 90 days from the date of issuance."

 

Yea same **** happen to me, i bought mines for 1300, so the guy didn't smog it for me, and my **** don't pass smog but im too lazy to fix it. I went to the DMV and they said its temporaly registered under me, until i come back wiht a smog, im not going to smog it til i need new sticker, but i ahen't got pulled over yet so i don't know if its my car is illegal

 

yep, make sure your air pump is sending air to your cat.

gotta pass smog too.

 

do they not do temp stickers there? some places they give stickers if you spend a certain amount.
smog (emissions) has been covered numerous times. i hate to be a search-****, but you should be able to find plenty.
first off, post your emissions numbers. all of them. i like to see HC, CO, CO2, NOx, and O2 if possible.
if you serach "emissions," maybe specifically in the 2nd gen forum, you'll find results. let me know what you find and what you learn and then ask further questions if certain ones go unanswered. also, check the Haynes manual (if you have one) for properly working emissions systems. i also imagine the FSM has info.

 

same boat here, i paid 700 for my 87 NA, i passed ,u gotta have the engine all warmed up before u smog, i also changed my ignition wires, spark plugs, new air filter, **** load of that fuel cleaner, 1 bottle of carb cleaner, and of course an oil change, get it real hot , i ran it twice on the smog test, 3rd one i passed, so GET IT HOT!

 

you should drive around around first, say half an hour, then go and let it idle until they're ready. both the cat and O2 sensor (maybe other things, i'm not sure) work at certain temps. not only that, the complete combustion cycle. (wish i knew more on the subject).

nonetheless, a car not running properly will fail. you can argue tricks, but thats all they are -- tricks, not solutions.