god damnit, i just tried to post a picture and my whole post got deleted, what i was basically gona say is that i live in vancouver, i just bought a 1988 rx7 with an intake and dual exhaust, i tried to pass the emissions test today but i failed horribly while idling but passed when driving. stats are : hydrocarbons (HC): 1569 for my car, avg reading is 17. carbon monoxide for my car was 3.72 while the avg was 0.11. please tell me your opinions. i think i need to get a catalytic converter or replace the one(s) i have now. im not sure how many i need for a fc s4 1988 rx7. im also looking for good pics of sound system layouts for 2nd gen rx7s. i also wana know what things i can do as a car n00b to maintain my rx7. i would also really appreciate your reccommendations for my car such as what type of fuel/oil to put in, and what parts are the best for my car such as spark plugs, alternators, and whatever else i might need to purchase sooner or later. the car came with FAT wheels not as in sexy fat or anything, but as in really wide. email me at obi__wan__jabroni@hotmail.com if you want pictures. o yea also, its not a stock color, i bought it from a body shop so i got a real good deal for it. please pm me for any questions about my car. even make offers for it once you see the pictures!
i'd really appreciate your comments

 

wow, you failed real bad. you can search "emissions" and you'll find reasons you may have failed. there's also a cheating procedure. i believe its in the FAQ for FC at the top.
post all your numbers; HC, CO, CO2, NOx and also specify which ones were idle and which were driving. also post the max for each. you failed real badly to have passed driving, so i'm surious to what all your numbers are.

 

DRIVING TEST

hydrocarbons (HC) ppm
max allowed : 98
vehicle reading : 84
avg passing reading : 27 PASS

carbon monoxide (CO) %
max allowed : 0.82
vehicle reading : 0.06
avg passing reading : 0.26 PASS

oxides of nitrogen (NOx) ppm
max allowed : 1200
vehicle reading : 75
avg passing reading : 113.00 PASS

IDLE TEST

hydrocarbons (HC) ppm
max allowed : 126
vehicle reading : 1569
avg passing reading : 17 FAIL

carbon monoxide (CO) %
max allowed : 1.04
vehicle reading : 3.72
avg passing reading: 0.11 FAIL

 

i guess you can start off with changing the fluids in the car, i.e.: oil, coolant, etc. castrol gtx is what my ride is circulating

how many miles are on the car / engine?

the rest of you guys can take it from here. . .

 

First thing you do when you buy a new car is a total tune up... Plugs, wires, air and fuel filter, etc. Don't trust anybody to have "just done it." Make sure yourself.

 

whats the NOx for your idle? high NOx means leaner, lower means richer. it seems as though something isn't right. with me guessing, not being an expert, i want to say you're running a little rich (not uncommon), but your cat is doing a good job. but on your idle, it almost appears as though your air pump isn't on.
when you took, the test, did they do idle first or driving? if they did idle first (which seems to make sense), how long was the car run before taking the test? was the car turned off between driving and doing the emissions? the catalytic has to be a certain temperature before it can function properly.

 

well first off, i was told to heat the engine up prior to testing, so while i was in line to be tested, i kept my rpms at around 4500 for about 5-10 mins. once the test began they tested driving, then idling.

and yes i agree that i should replace all the essentials such as fluids and small parts such as oil and fuel filters, can anyone reccommend any other small parts such as fuel and oil filters that i should probably replace due to time? o yea.. belts too. and what exactly are all the fluids that i have to replace, all i can think of is power steering, radiator, oil... and thats pretty much it.

as you can all see i have ALOT to learn, but i am willing to learn as much as i can for i have fallen in love with the rotary engine.. THATS RIGHT.

i was also told to NEVER put synthetic oil into rotaries, and about the mileage, its 196,000 miles and no blue smoke yet. ive no idea if its a rebuild or not. also, should my alternator belt be a little bit loose at all? cause it seems to be as far up as it can go.

and there are no (NOx) results for idling, im not sure why

 

fuel pumps have a small filter / "sock" at the bottom. that's another thing to look into changing.

check the condition of the belt. any signs of cracks or galzing then it's time to change. your belt may just be stretched out or is longer than it needs to be.

how are the pics coming along?

congratulations on the car

 

oh, and this is going to be useful

click here

 

ok never mind. someone please find me an image hosting site and i will post some pics up, thanks

 

photobucket.com

 

right now we're focusing on emissions, not the all around works. unless youre curious about all that.
i'm still wondering how you failed so horribly. i'm not sure when the air pump comes on, but thats one thing. is your cat stock or has it been replaced? does it look as new as the rest of the system?
honestly, it looks as though your idle is dumping in way too much fuel. your low CO makes me think your cat is good, and your almost failed HC makes me think youre rich. so why fail so horribly at idle?

as for "how many cats." a cat tends to be 2-part; oxidizing reduction and oxidizing. you can search those words and come up with other threads i've been in involving emissions. a cat first removes all the "O" (oxygen) from the (molecular structures?), and then puts the "O" back in. this creates H2O (very little), CO2, CO (should be CO2, ideally), and NOx. so what would a second cat do? the same thing again. i'm not exactly sure how they work or what the "thermal reactors" (pre-cats) do, nor do i know exactly what mufflers do. i only have a basic understanding of catalytic converters.