Hey there...I have a modified FD which I unfortunately need to make pass emissions in Colorado. Here are the numbers I have to meet:

CO - 15.0
HC - 1.5
NOx - 3.5

Here's the thing: it has no air pump, the ACV and related solenoids are gone, and the EGR system has been removed and blocked off. I'm running a PFC with stock twins converted to non-sequential, with a decent tune. I do have a high-flow cat from rx7store at least, but that won't do much good without an air pump---the car isn't registered (since it can't pass emissions), so I can't drive it to warm the cat up.

Has anyone passed under similar conditions? Do I have any chance at all of passing it like it is, maybe by running an E85 blend? I'm looking for experiences from other people who have failed emissions with similar mods, as well as what you had to add back on (if anything) to get your car to pass.

Also, could I reinstall an air pump and plumb it directly to the cat (without going through the ACV system)? Will it damage the cat if I do so? Would it even help? I really want to get this car back on the road, it deserves to be driven. Thanks!

 

You need an air pump.

On a stock FD, the pump in on continuously under 3k rpm so you will not damage the cat if you plumb one up directly.

You can also buy a stock one cheaply in the classifieds and hook it up for the test.

Not sure how strict the visual inspection is in your state, which will obviously matter.

Also, if the test includes a check of the CEL light, then you will fail with the PFC. You could swap in a stock ECU for the test (assuming your injectors are stock and you limit the boost).

 

Good to know, thanks! I actually have an air pump so I'm going to take a look tonight. Visual inspection is a mixed bag out here, depending on who you get as a tester. The one time I tried to test, they failed me for having a disconnected O2 sensor (I'm running a wideband behind it instead of the factory O2). But I can pretty much guarantee they won't know if the air pump is hooked up correctly, or if the solenoids are gone...FDs are incredibly rare in CO. They might say something about the EGR, though. Figure I can just fake the O2 sensor. They don't test for CEL on OBD1 cars thankfully...just the sniffer.

 

Another example of why removing and/or pitching the emissions equipment is [usually] a bad idea for a street driven car.

 

The FD is particularly afflicted by users making pointless 'modifications': deleting emissions, and AC, removing double throttles, hacking factory harnesses, bypassing throttle body cooling, disabling OMPs, etc.

The only actual effect of these modifications is a reduction in the market value of the car.

 

if you live in an inspection state, why bother with all the mods etc. if you might have to get it inspected?

 

Unfortunately, I didn't know this car had all those emissions mods when I bought it. I knew it had the air pump removed, but didn't realize the ACV, rat's nest and EGR was gone, nor did I know enough about FDs to tell. So that statement could be more like "another example of an ignorant buyer who learned things the hard way"

 

WOW. You read my mind moconner, and I couldn't agree more. Hmmmm. I wonder how many FD's couldn't be sold/registered and have been subsequently parked or parted out because of this phenomenon?


You can do many meaningful mods and still retain a functional emissions system; however, this is lost on many that just rip it out or otherwise remove the components to clean up the engine bay. It is wise to consider the eventual consequences when you strip emissions out of car in a state where inspections are required or want to potentially sell the car into an area where they required.


Fortunately, there are enough parts around that you can reconstitute emissions at a reasonable cost. You'll need an air pump, ACV, and partial rats-nest, etc., if you want/need to get the AIR to function as intended. A good main cat is a foregone conclusion. The part you can usually skip is EGR. It's not required to pass the sniffer tests, and hard to detect its presence (or lack thereof) in a visual. I wouldn't bother with the AWS either.

Hope this helps.

 

Throttle body cooling?
Do you mean the thermowax system?
It definitely doesn't cool anything.

The AWS is a liability, at best.
The double throttle is a useless intake obstruction.

Unless you like to dog your car while it's stone cold, none of those things are remotely important or necessary, or even noticeable.

The EGR, PCV, smog pump, ACV, and ABS, power steering, and AC should all stay on everything that's not a dedicated track car. Those are things that smog techs and potential owners will notice.

 

That's half of what I was going to say. I'm a little biased because I live in a semi-tropical climate. The AWS is useless here. It's like having a windshield ice scraper in my glovebox. It simply isn't going to be needed, ever.

I've done most of the things that some of the other folks say is pointless. Air pump, gone. ACV gone. Double throttle, gone. Etc etc. I kept abs due to the coral dust in the pavement here. Why did I remove all those things? Because it simplified the car, and made me learn about it. It stripped some negligible weight too. When I was low on cash (which is most of the time, haha) it allowed me so satisfy my wrench turning addiction while i saved cash for more costly mods. It gave me some satisfaction after each job was done.

Most importantly, I did it because it's my damn car and I wanted to. That should be reason enough, you'd think.

Ok disclaimer, inspections in Japan are objectively less stringent than the states. There isn't one "delete" that I can't reverse in an hour, or a couple at most.

Sorry, but this post struck a nerve. Do what you want with your car. I'll do what I want with mine. No disrespect intended for the purists honestly. Not everyone is like you though.

Cheers.

Edit: to help the original poster, you can try installing some hotter plugs just before the sniff. Swap them back out when you're done and keep them for future inspections. Not sure how much it will impact the results, but the rotary guru here in oki swears by it.