I just got my TEST ONLY yesterday.

Today I failed bad......... as in a gross pollutor.

I do have 250k miles on my main cat.

Engine has only 10k miles on it. Street ported, smooth idle.

PFC with stock maps.

Would a new hi-flow cat do the trick?

 

my smog is due this july. Im crossing my fingers that I dont have test only.

carlo

 

a new cat would definitely help but if it would clean it up enough i don't know.

 

Hey Karack, you think I can pass with my S5 setup?

Rebuilt engine with all emissions stuff on it... I have to fix a few problems first, like my water thermosensor is shorted somewhere so I need to replace whatever is causing that to flag in the ECU because it's running the engine horribly rich (or so I hear the ECU does that when that sensor is shorted, and I don't see any other reason for the car to be backfiring on decel and stuff)...
I might have a vaccum leak somewhere but I can't tell yet because it's running so rich... the idle is very solid but it doesn't idle on its own until it's warm (again, it sounds like it's just flooding out).

I have the stock headers and downpipe, probably get a used pre-cat from someone but I might have to use a gutted one... then a high-flow cat with about 10k miles on it... not sure on how bad those 10k were though... out to a corksport high flow single exhaust.

Any of those exhaust components set off a flag for failing?

--Gary

 

no clue, my engine runs perfect and smooth but it fails. my precat is gutted, im tossing a used precat on it this weekend, i'll let you know the results. previously it failed at 200 HC at idle, max is 120. ran clean on the top end, most cars usually do, failures are almost always at idle.

 

I was thinking of just taking off everything but the headers and driving it on in as a joke. ;D

"Look, just smog it!"

"There's nowhere to put the sniffer!!!"

"Yeah there is... look it's right here behind the right front tire..."

--Gary

 

Why suffer X-ing the fingers. The truth is,
you will get a TEST ONLY

 

How about "ONLY TEST"

 

i also had to go to test only.

i posted this in another thread, but it might help some of you:


hey guys,

i forgot to post this last month but this is what i had to do:

first time I went to the TEST ONLY center, I got labeled as a gross polluter.

Engine is stock, with downpipe and no air pump, fairly new plugs.

failed big time, my hydrocarbons were over 3 times the max limit ~300

so, a few days later I went for a retest with the following mods:

1. air pump back on with the greddy pulley kit, used a longer 54.5 inch belt that fits the greddy pulleys as well as the air pump, pm me if you need the spec number for this belt

2. disable turbos, by putting the blow off valve into always open mode

3. alcohol in the tank, pure ethanol from OSH hardware store
note: do not put more than 1 gallon for half tank of gas, as it causes the rpms to rise and if your idle rpms are above 1250 rpm, you fail

4. disable catch tank, pull off the hose coing to the intake manifold and plug it. make sure you plug it.

results: passed like a champ, HC's were down to 40!!!! less than 20% of what it was before

 

scratch got test only today

 

My 1 owner '81, never failed a SMOG test, is tagged as TEST ONLY.
My ~stock '93, low miles, bought in '99, always trouble passing the 2 speed idle test, is tagged as TEST ONLY. I dread testing this one 1st time on the rollers this week...

How about a real Poll to see the percentage? https://www.rx7club.com/west-rx-7-forum-193/poll-your-rotary-vehicle-tagged-test-only-california-smog-test-410894/

 

Yes. Three in a row, every other year. Never flagged as a gross polluter, but like skanks at your favorite bar, they just keep coming back.

 

Damn

 

scratchjunkie here to report his test only smog..

first place i went to was in richmond called smog check express and upon looking under the hood. they immediately raised the red flag for my m2 intake. bastards were looking for carb numbers for it. do not go here, its located right under i80 on san pablo ave.

second place i went to was a shop called guys smog. its located in martinez on the corner of alhambra and green. this place didnt question my intake, but he was staring at my downpipe wondering why i have no cat. i had to direct him that it was further down. well ne how as expected it passed the sniffer pretty well i may say.

HC at 15mph were 57 (max 88)
HC at 25mph were 29 (max 53)
CO at 15 were 0.08 (max 0.52)
CO at 25mph were 0.04 (max 0.50)
NO at 15mph 157 (max 704)
NO at 25mph 227 (max 738)

the mods i had for this test were intake, dp, exhaust, and a m2 ecu. now that i have 2 free years of worry, its time to put in my m2 large ic thats just been sitting in my friends garage for months. also if your in the east bay and your hit with a smog only and your worried about passing visual like i was. hit up guys smog in martinez (925)229-3800

 

Good info. Thanks Scratch!

 

Any intake piping & IC between the turbo and the throttle plates is not a problem for visual inspection as long as the turbo is stock and all stock smog equipment is retained. This info is from a CA smog referee and 2 of my local smog testing shops...

On our '93 I have the Efini Y pipe, aluminum hard pipe kit, Mazda comp IC and Greddy intake elbow. I added a nipple for a factory hose on the Greddy part... With the exception of one ignorant shop, I have never had a problem with visual

 

hmm, those guys must have just been ******** then.

 

GOD DAYAM IT! TEST ONLY AGAIN!

i hope my m2 ic will pass visual.....

 

Holy Thread Resurrection Batman!!!!

 

so what does this mean?? what's the big deal about test only? I don't understand why so many ppl are getting worked up about it. please explain to me what is going on. I've never had any issues with smogging my 7s so I can't fully comprehend your dilemma and I miss Batty and his twisted sense of Humor.

 

shiney pipes and intakes and all that good stuff. most test only centers will not even let you do a smog.

 

If you think it wont pass, DONT WASTE YOUR TIME!!!! PM DJDINO IMMEDIATELY FOR SMOG HOOK-UP.

 

There is no big deal about test only... I'd rather go to a test only, it eliminates having to worry about a crooked shop trying to make extra money. Likely the ones crying the loudest about test only, have blatantly illegal cars.


If all you have is hard pipes, conservative IC and polished intakes and the test only refuses, find a different test only center, they haven't read their own book!

 

you guys are way too intense with this "PM the other person"

i bet you guys take turns hanging out at eachothers houses...get wasted and read all the PM's you guys get..lol

i live in LA too. hook me up with a smog!!!

Wacky PM me for a sweet recording hookup!!!

i can get you any program for 20 bucks! pro tools, nuendo, reason...LMK