Cant pass emissions.
 

I am getting frusterated now after 4 failed attempts at getting through emissions.
First off my car has:
down pipe, high flow, cat back, Pettit intake, Power FC (base map)

My first attempt I just went in to the PFC Commander and went to the injector menue and changed the % down to 85. The readings I got were
hydrocarbons in grams/mile 1.01 / 1.0 (what I got / allowed)
CO in grams / mile 10.5 / 12
NOx in grams / mile 2.3 / 2.5


second attempt I added a little alcohol and left the PFC settings the same. Emissions went up to:
HC 2.5
CO 5
NOx 2.0

Third attempt I decided that maybe the last time was too lean and too much alcohol so I diluted the alcohol with more gas and once again left the PFC settings the same. This time my readings were:
HC 1.66
CO 10.87
NOx 2.45

Last night I turned down the boost as low as it will go with my mods and popped in the stock ECU and about 20 ounces of alcohol in 8 gallons of gas. I probably had about 20 miles on it by the time I went today to the emissions station and had readings of:
HC 1.28
CO 25.61
NOx 2.58


2 years ago my stock ECU passed with about 1/2 the max allowable on each and every reading. Now my PFC comes closer to passing than the stock ECU? I know the EGR is disabled because the wires were cut for the PFC, but even if that made a huge difference the PFC wouldnt have been that much closer to passing than the stock ECU, right?

What should I do next to try and get it running cleaner? I am running out of ideas and my tags are due here in a couple weeks.
thanks

Reinstall your stock cat.

AP?

Or take the one that had the lowest emissions (PFC) and get someone with a Datalogit to lean it out ever so slightly, then don't get on the gas hard (No Boost) as you drive it to the test station, test, and restore the values back to what they were...

I hear doing some Hard runs before testing also could help...before I test my Jeep (180k mi), I run it real hard...weird colored smoke always spits out the exhaust, but I always pass. <- And I'm amazed that it passes :D

I have a datalogit, just havent tuned it yet. Problem is that when I lean it HC goes up. HC is a result of misfire which was caused by running lean. As for stock cat, I dont have one. The car had this HF on when I got it but that has never been a problem before. What are the effects on emissions when a cat is going out?



I guess an option could be to get off my ass and figure out what is up with my wide band and learn to tune the damn thing. Problem with that is my time crunch, I only have a week before the FD goes in for paint and tags will be expired before I get it back.

Do you have an Air pump with that HF?

Yup, when I got my FD the air pump was not hooked up and I failed emissions miserably. Hooked it up and passed with flying colors.

i think you should only install your stock main cat. Run it for like 20-30 min so that the cat get's hot and starts working probably, then take it to the station. You should pass.

Yes, the hi-flow may be getting old.

If you have any local FD owners or shops nearby, perhaps you could borrow a stock cat and/or pre-cat for testing purposes.

I will echo others by saying you are better off putting the stock ecu back on, keeping the boost at 10 psi, and drive the car HARD to get the cat as hot as possible. Then pull into the smog station and get it tested as soon as you can.

Another thing that I suggested Tom try is removing the airpump relay and installing a jump wire in its place. That way the airpump runs full time throughout the rpm range. My car failed two years ago and by adding this jump wire in place of the relay and blocking off my fuel catch tank under the throttle body my numbers dropped significantly! You just don't want to over rev the car with the airpump running full time, and you want to make sure and remove the jump wire and reinstall the relay as soon as you return from the emissions station.

Just a thought... Has anyone else tried this with success?

Hey Tim, do you by chance remember how close to passing you were when you failed? Or what it was that failed?
thanks

i dont know why you guys just dont find shops that pass you for a certain price , i never worried about emissions i always just buy from a shop

I didn't know there are shops now that do the same tests. How can i know which shops do this?

Amel

Ask !
(Not @ the shop)

There are no shops in Phoenix. They are all state (maybe county?) run facilities that do nothing but emissions. Believe me, I would have tried a "good" shop if that option were available.

Hey,

Look over this page if you haven't seen it before.

http://www.zeroglabs.com/rx7/emissions.htm

I wish our standards were more like those that were listed on that link for HC and CO, I would have passed on the first try!

Tom,

I was failing horrendously my first time with the Power FC. I went back to my stock computer, hardwired the airpump to run full time, blocked off my catch tank, and that's about all. The second time I cleared by a pretty healthy margin. You might want to sit a couple of blocks away from the testing facility and let the car idle for 15 or 20 minutes before testing so the cat gets good and HOT. Try and go during the warmest time of the day. Mine was definitely warmer on my second attempt. I'm pretty sure that this helped!

dude offer them $50 bucks as a bribe. thats what friends of mine do

Well I got a stock cat on there. Going to try again tomorrow. I dont know what I will do now if it fails again. I hear water injection helps with emissions. The cooler charge reduces NOx and I dont remember what it is supposed to do for CO and HC. Maybe I will turn down the pressure my water injection comes on, have it firing up at 2-3 PSI or something. That damn road simulation test they do is boosting my car up to like 6-7 PSI.

Forgot to ask, anybody know how long it takes the stock ECU to relearn whatever it may need to relearn? Last time I tried emissions the stock ECU put out about 2x the emissions of my PFC. But the ECU only had about 20 miles on it since it was re-installed. It definately has learned anything it needs to by now, probably has 100 miles.

i cant pass either. rotaries are not made to follow somg laws!!!

That is why you are failing. Get a competent tester who will get the car up to "speed" without boosting. The car has plenty of power to get there without boosting, it just takes a more patient and skilled tester.

50 dosent cut it anymore. try 200-300 in cali.

what if he takes one of the ic couplers or makes some kind of turbo leak? That way he'll probably be boosting around 1-3 psi and probably pass.

Amel

Getting up to speed isnt all there is to it. They have a dyno that simulates driving. It forces them to do some hard acceleration, hight speeds, and tells when they need to shift. Honestly I dont think there is any way to possibly test withouth boosting. I think I may loosen the IC coupler in an effort to keep boost down, I already put the stock cat on and that keeps it down some. All that along with wiring the airpump to be on at all times I thing should do it. Hopefully in an hour or 2 I will be all through with this crap.

How important is the EGR? Having the wires snipped for the PFC, will that make a huge impact?
I just failed again. Everything was better than the previous run with the stock cat but still not enough to pass HC or CO.

I thought if you have a ten year old car you could just spend a certain amount of money trying to get it to pass and they would give you a waiver. Atleast that is how it works in MO. I had to spend 200$ and they had to pass me.

My problem is that I havent spent hardly any money on getting it to pass, only thing I have had to pay for is spark plugs. Everything else was either mine or loaned to me. I guess I could have people write me up receipts saything they sold me the cat and ECU etc. But if I do that it is only good for a year then the car can never get a waiver again as long as I own it.

I just changed my oil, the old stuff with about 2500 miles on it was pretty strong smelling of gas. I wonder if that will make any difference?

Bumping thread for a little help. Can anyone tell me how to "block" off the charcoal canister under the throttle body (as referenced several times in this thread).... the tester looked for it, so I don't want to remove.

Thanks!

Methanol trick......

Believe all you need to do is pinch the line running from the catch tank to the UIM (att). Of course if they are looking, they'll see the pinch (but i doubt they're going to pull off the intake tube to see that

Also see Passing Emmissions

I go to the BP off Lee hiway and pass no problems, but then i'm stock

Tom

put something in the hose.

I'm curious...why would you want to block the charcoal canister? doesn't it feed evaporating fuel into the intake manifold?

I USED to too... they burned/melted my bumper by not installing the exhaust vent right, and then told me to get lost when I brought it to the manager's attention.

Good gouge. Sounds like Lowest common denomintor at play. Probably too late, but you couldd complain to the state that certifies and regulates the testers

Already have my insurance company on it, emailed BP, the BBB, and VA/DMV is next stop.

Anyone have a part number for the the pipe/check valve that goes to the cat (from air pump)?

I'm parting out a '93 and you are welcome to it if you want to pick it up