ok, i officially hate my car (ok not hate.... but lets just say we're on the rocks ). anyway, after not being able to register my car (in CA) for 8 months now cause it wont pass smog i have had enough and dont know what to do. here is the story..ill try and keep it brief!


8months ago i was due for a smog check. it failed because the idle was too high (1800-2000 jumping idle)... they could have told me that it wasnt gonna pass before they ran it and charged me but thats another story. anyway, i did the vacuum lines and put it back together. still had the problem. i narrowed it down to the intake gasket... so i just got done w/ all that last week. the idle is down to 1400 and every once in a while will rev up and down but its fairly steady. ive adjusted all the idle screws as low as they can go to try and get the idle down even further but the lowest is 1400. i also replaced the precat w/ a DP while i was in there. i took it in to the smog place yesterday (now they use a dyno) and i failed because A) my idle was too high.... B) hydrocarbon levels were too high.... and C) co2 levels were too high.


what do i do now?? what can i do to lower my co2, and HC levels... and how do i get my idle down even further? please help me trouble shoot because i really really really want to drive my freakin car again. thanks heath

 

do you have still have the air pump? put the precat back on next time and you should get a better score i think.

 

yup.... air pump is there

precat eh? people claim to have no probs passing CA emissions w/ a DP

 

Incorrect, the precats only function is to allow the car to pass on a cold start smog test. As soon as the car is up to temperature you car will pass fine with a downpipe.

Check the service manuel for the high idle (if I was at home I would research this for you).

As for the hydrocarbons content and co2, try the denatured alcohol trick. It worked for me when I needed to be smoged.

 

I passed my smog with a DP. The numbers were very low. You don't need a precat to pass the sniff test.

I suggest that you take it to a rotary shop that knows what they are doing. I like Mostly Mazda in Concord. It shouldn't cost too much for them to take a look.

 

https://www.rx7club.com/showthread.p...=emission+test

alcohol will work, just dont get on it when its in your tank. also make sure your car is fully warmed up before getting it tested.

 

id like to fix whatever problem is causing the poor emissions and high idle... ill take a look in the manual for cures to high idle (one thing that just popped into my mind is the TPS)

could the cat be bad?? i may take it in to mostly mazda... i havent bugged kyle in a while... im damn overdue

any other suggestions anyone?

 

Yep, I just passed the dyno smog test with a DP, everything else put back to stock. With the high idle, it sounds like you have a vacuum leak somewhere. Have you looked over everything thoroughly? And by chance, have you cleaned your throttle body recently? Doing so will allow more air into your system resulting in the high idle. If you can't figure it out, as Adam mentions, try taking the car to a rotary shop. Since you're in the Bay Area, try Ricks. He has a smog station in Pleasanton that he sends everybody to for their tests. I don't know about the alcohol "trick". If your car is running properly, there should be no need for that.

 

Well, let's say that it's safe to assume that his car *isn't* running properly, so every little bit will help, including the alcohol deal.

First things first though...your idle needs to be fixed. If it's at 1400, you're at least 700rpm too high, so you should figure out the cause of your high idle, and it's possible that whatever the problem with that is could be the same that's causing all of your high counts for smog.

Also, change your oil, your air filter, and verify that your plugs aren't fouled or otherwise in bad shape. What are you running ECU-wise? If it's a PFC, then running rich could be part of your problem. If you're stock, then what other intake/exhaust mods do you have?

DP should be no problem, I smogged and passed with one (and that was my only mod at the time) with absolutely no problem.

 

Just a thought... Have you adjusted your throttle cable? Maybe its not letting the throttle body close like it should.

 

Has anyone tried those additives, that guarentee you pass smog? I know this won't help his idle problem, but maybe his hydrocarbon, and c02 levels will be lower.

 

I think those additives are just a fancy bottle with alcohol in it. Next time you're at the parts store, pick one up and read the fine print on the bottle. It pretty much says that in order for the guarantee to be valid, your cars emissions equipment MUST BE fully operational and in good working order. If your emissions equipment is in good working order, why would you need an 8 dollar additive to pass? I rather fix the problem the right way instead of covering it up with snake oils.

 

Try a bottle of Dr. Tommy Chong's Urine Luck.

Have you tried sprying carb cleaner/starting fluid around you intake hoses to help rule out an intake leak?

 

did you test the acv while you did the hoses? that is the root of many smog problems. it won't pass without that and the airpump working properly. that would be the next step.

 

ok i sent it to a rotary shop in the bay area (C2 automotive... they left a message on my machine saying that they fixed the problem and it passed a smog test as well)... when i call them back ill let everyone know what was the source for future reference. they said that all the work i did was good so at least i know that i aided in fixing the problem hahahaha. -heath

 

ok so i called the shop today to find out what was the problem. they said all the work i did was good and needed to be done (vacuum lines, intake gasket... which was the original paper one by the way and was completely disintegrated!!). basically nothing was broken..... all they did was adjust the throttle cabels/linkages, and adjust the idle screws. also they said that they disconnected the battery to clear the computers memory.

so if some rx7 guru can tell me what the proper way to adjust the throttle linkages and idle screws that would be so helpfull for the whole forum! i tryed just backing some of the idle screws out but it only lowered the rpm to 1300. basically whatever they did caused me to pass smog with flying colors, and also lowered my rpm from 1300 to a VERY HEALTHY 750 RPM!!!! it cost me $250 for their labor by the way.

does anyone know if there is a writeup on this? or can someone explain the process? id like to start a thread which contains symptoms and fixes to idle problems, since it seems like we all tend to grapple with them. i see tons of posts asking for idle help, and i think it would be nice to have everyone describe problems they have expierienced and the process to fix it... we need a sticky thread like this

 

TPS play the part here.. search the TPS and u will find the answer u need

 

um.... i dont think they adjusted the TPS. i can call and double check but i think they only played w/ the throttle linkages and screws

any one know the adjustment procedure... or what exactly they could have done?

 

bro I dont know what ur doing trying to pass the inspection legit, it isn't going to happen so might as well pay the guy to pass you. I removed my emissions and air pump since it never passes anway.

 

no...it passed! after the shop was done working on it! im just wondering the procedure of acomplishing what they did (how to adjust the throttle linkages and screws)

 

I have the idel problem to. But i live in a part of the country were we dont have any kinda smog or emision testing. I run basicly stait pipes with a strait throu muffler.We dont even have noise level restrictions at all. I guess thats the one benifits from living in NorthDakota. But I would still like to know how to fix the idle problem.

 

250 to turn a screw, ouch. Well I hope they atleast got any other problems they saw.

Basically if you look in the factory service manual the ones you should be concerned with are the AAS (air adjustment screw), TAS (throttle adjustment screw) and the FIC (fast-idle cam). All of these use standard threaded set screws to affect the idle in some form or fashion.

IF you don't have the FSM:

http://www.rx7city.com/93manual.htm