Almost got my FD passing CA smog. Need help on final items.
 

Hi Guys,
I've been trying to get my FD to pass CA smog. What a nightmare. It has a lot of mods when I purchased it, so my mechanic Stanley at ProInspections has done a lot to get it almost passable.

I need it to drive around now so I need to do what's necessary to get it registered.

So far he's put in 2 new Catalytic converters and an O2 sensor which made a huge difference but still not there yet. He also removed the Remapped ECU and bypassed/disconnected the Air/Fuel controller and put a stock ECU in. This also helped and it is very close now but still needs more.

He is looking to put in a stock fuel pump which I thought was already stock but can't be certain. Could dirty injectors be an issue? If so, how would he test for this? What other items would you suggest we look at?

A list of mods that were given to me when I purchased it are below.

Thanks for any help/suggestions you can give.

Mods:
Steering Column Mounted Pettit Racing Boost Gauge
Apexi Dual Intake
GReddy FMIC with custom piping
GReddy Elbow
JDM Efini Y -Pipe
Apexi Air/Fuel Controller (bypassed)
GReddy Boost Controller
Profec Type S Remanned Stock Twins Non-Sequential Remapped ECU by Rotary Performance (bypassed)
PWR Racing Radiator
Pettit Racing AST
Custom Enlarged Tail Pipe

air pump functioning?

I would assume it fails visual either way though.

have you taken it to a smog place yet or is your mechanic just running a pretest and seeing what results show up but i agree with above visual might stop you before you get to hook up to sniffer and i would check air pump

I wonder if draining the gas thank and using ethanol would do the trick.

Contact smog-guy707 he's from CA, drives an FD and may be able to give you some tips.

A faulty air pump could be the problem.

Man am I glad we don't have to go through this stuff in Florida. Even back when we did $20 was enough to pass, lol.

My FD just passed Colorado Emissions (not sure how the limits vary) with just an OEM main cat, functioning air pump, and stock ECU/fuel system. I also lowered the boost by removing the pills in the w/g actuator lines.

Mods were Pettit 3" dp (no pre-cat), Blitz NUR spec catback, GReddy intakes, and Pettit Charge Cool II SMIC. I actually passed pretty easily. I also drove the car on the highway for about 35 miles to make sure the main cat was good and hot. Hope this helps.

are you guys checking your readings on a cold start? go drive it around for about an hour!

good advice, drive it around, warm it up real good, make sure you get it up to at least 6 - 6.5 thousand.

some other things to do: change the spark plugs, oil, and clean your air filters. run no or less premix.

The only other thing that concerns me is that you have the apexi intake and I know that shouldn't pass visual.

If you are having problems with your air pump or air control valve, you should read the service highlights. tons of info there. also arghx had a good post on them.

good luck and check your egr valve.

Very true, also OP. Do you still have the air pump??? if not you could install a temp one like i did, i got mine from a s10 pick up (GM) and ran a line to the cat plus Ethanol and mine passed with flying colors, even lower that what its required

He doesnt need to drain the thank to add it, he can do it by just having 1/4 of gas left and as soon as he passes go fill the thank with new gas, thats what i did and it worked fine.

You guys dont have emissions in florida????? fuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu!!!! no wonder why so many 20b swaps there lol. The only way to get away with that here is by having your car registered and insuranced as classic/collector witch im doing :egrin:

No emissions in nc either...20b with a 4" exhaust and a resonator passed. Only has to look like a cat lol

Wow, I just did one a couple months back. It failed 8 tries mainly because I was hardheaded and wanted it to pass with the PFC but I could never get the tune exactly right for both 15MPH and 25MPH. It would get it for one or the other. It passed on the 9th when I finally gave up and put the stock ECU back and undid the fuel pump mod. By then I had:

>New coil wires (NGK sold at Rotary Performance)
>New plugs (7L/9T)
>Checked air pump output pressure according to manual
>New bonez OEM cat (not the high flow; 400 dollars from Rotary Performance)
>New split air check valve (at the cat; mine was missing it but passed in the past without it)
>New port air check valve (circular diaphragm behind ACV)
>New O2 sensor (generic Bosch bought on Amazon)
>Capped the purge solenoid (I always do this for the test)
>Pulled the vacuum leading to the ACV vent (farthest on the right side of the ACV; not sure it will affect anything but just in case that guy was venting unnecessarily during the test somehow-disclaimer: do not drive above 3000 RPM when this is pulled!)
>Cleaned out the EGR valve (physically with a pick tool and with brake cleaner)
>Check every emissions related solenoid with 12V power supply for switching
>Check every one way check valve in the rats nest that could affect an emissions component.
>Check ACV operation when provided vacuum (requires removal of ACV to be sure the plungers move)
>Changed the oil
>Check the EGR operation
>Ran some Guaranteed to Pass
>Steam cleaned the engine

I would attribute passing to all the new gear (wires, plugs, cat) and maybe the cleaning of the EGR, though I'm told you should be able to pass with it removed completely.

I did not end up having to put anything odd in the gas tank. This is a street ported engine with DP, RB dual, on 99 twins, twin power, HKS intake, GReddy SMIC, stock injectors. This is how well it did:

http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g1...2011Passed.png

I'm not certain it needs a stock fuel pump but at 33 bucks a smog test, it wouldn't hurt to NOT have to find out a few tests down the line since those tests might have paid for it. :)

Double check that airpump as everyone else has stated. Make sure it is actually pushing split air at the correct RPM and has the correct pressure at idle. You can't check for port air operation but you can check for split. I ran the hose into the cabin through the shifter well to physically check with my hands as I drove the car. A loose ACV nut cost me 2 smog tests because all the airpump air was vented. I did not figure this out until I tested with the split air hose running into the cabin.

As always, keep the car running at the station. You don't need to run anything other than our shitty CA 91 octane. Good luck!

This is one of the reasons I love Florida, I hated inspections in CA when I lived there.

Im starting to hate you Florida people now... lol

this is the key right here. i had to plug the vent on a friends FC, and once it hit like 3000 it popped the plug right out! we had to go back and clamp it in, and drive slow....

You guys rock!
 

Thanks for your help guys.

We'll definitely try all the above.

If anyone else has any idea's please don't hesitate to add your thoughts. It's greatly appreciated.

Sebastian

worse comes to worse, add in about 1 gallon of denatured alcohol($15 per gallon at home depot or any hardware store) per 5 gallons in the fuel tank then run the test, be sure to top off the tank after you finish the test.

^^^^^ Do that!!! that will bring your numbers waaaaaaay down

can denatured alcohol cause damage to the engine?

Nop, just make sure to do it as karack said, when i did it i only had 1/4 of gas in my thank and right after i passed went straight to the gas station and filled the thank

or u can play safe and fill E85 "ethanol" at a local station.

What is the gas your car is failing for? Is it a dyno or idle test? Do you have any failed tests so you can post up some numbers?

Stanley at Pro Inspections is doing the work and the tests. I'll see if I can get him to post them up.

Can you scan a copy of the dyno test results? Would help to narrow down the problem. I went thru this almost 2 years ago. I passed with a Power FC, 20+k mile street port rebuilt motor (used housings, irons, etc.), stock cat, NO precat, non-seq twins, 3" M2 exhaust, stock mount IC, 91 oct, supra fuel pump, 1300 cc secondary injectors, m2 airbox, 7 leading, 9 trailing plugs, fresh oil, PCV valve intact, purge control intact, ACV new gaskets, ACV plumbing and solenoids verified to work (at room temperature), air pump working and plumbed, check valve @ air pump was fine, blah blah. I leaned out the fuel on the PFC to about 15-16:1 and my CO was literally 0. NOx was pretty high however. HC was well below limit.

If your air/fuel ratios are off of stoich (14.7:1) it will affect your results quite a bit. See chart below. Do you have a wideband on your car?

http://www.stealth316.com/images/fic-af-emissions.gif

huh, the pic does't come out in my browser. i attached it here.

https://www.rx7club.com/attachment.p...1&d=1301671571

It seems the is too much fuel being pumped in. Stanley is checking out the air control valve to see if it isn't working properly. The car has been running very rich over the last few years and carbon build up could be causing the valve to not function properly. Unfortunately, it means removing the manifold to get it to it but its our best bet right now.

Stanley should be posting the smog result hopefully sometime this week but he's a bit bogged down with work right now.

If it comes down to it, we may try the denatured alcohol trick but I'm skeptic on it working and what damage it could cause. But also I kind of just want to figure this one out after the money I've put into it.

I appreciate everyone's input and help.

take the cats off and steam clean the engine to remove carbon in the motor. put the cats back on and change the oil. drive the car , get it hot and take it for smog. while your waiting for the test let the car idle dont lt cool down you should pass. !

i am no expert but this should lower you enough to pass the test!

Jeff

adding the HKS ignition with stock 7 & 9 plugs seems to help me pass smog! just a thought hope it helps... good luck!

Jeff

still ongoing
 

The latest reading from most recent repairs are:
HC 129ppm limit is 61 for 15mph 37 for 25mph,
CO 0.18% limit is 0.36% for 15mph 0.35 for 25mph,
NOX 0 and limit is 102 for 15mph 239 for 25mph

So my problem right now is the HC only. The CO & NOX are good to go.

Does anyone know if I try the ethanol e85 would work or where to even find it? does the ECU need any changes for e85?

Does anyone have any thoughts on what repairs I should look at to help with the above HC numbers?

Any help in removing this ongoing nightmare from my life would be great. I miss driving my FD. :(

Thanks guys.

Try the e85. It should bing your HC's down.

Typically you would need to tune for this, but in this situation just try to put a couple gallons in to complete the test. Then fill your tank and take it easy until you can further dilute the fuel mixture with gasoline.

The 2010 results for our '94 are posted here, FYI. All mods are shown in my signature, car is stock otherwise; cat is a Mazda OEM. Note that the EGR system is deleted. Original engine, 101861 miles, about 30K miles on the (replaced) Mazda cat. The test was done at a test-only smog station in Huntington Beach, CA.

IMHO the only way to go with a CA FD is with an OEM cat. Tried a new Bonez hi-flow, and failed. Looks like the Mazda cat has a better internal air distribution than some aftermarket types. The injected air has to get to all the gases flowing through in order to burn all the HC.

If denatured alcohol = isopropyl alcohol then don't waste your money - don't ask me how I know. You have to run methanol 1 gallon to 5 ratio.

Thanks for everyone help but we figured out the problem. The Air Control valve was the culprit. It had some blockage due to air pump not being connected properly and so the valve wasn't closing properly. Unfortunately Pro Inspections had to open the manifold to figure that out but mad props for doing so. Stanley at Pro Inspections knows his stuff. If your in the bay area I highly recommend him.