[APOCALYPSEof87]

Hey guys,
Im having some trouble here with my Passing Smog. I live in LA, CA. I got the mustang last year, and since I didnt pass smog in December 08, its been sitting while i researched what to fix to make it pass smog.

So i got it resmogged on Oct. 20th, 2009, after i put in a few stuff to try an make it pass.

I installed.....

New Fuel Evaporator Filter
New Gas Cap
New Oxygen Sensors (2)
Autolite Iridium XP spark plugs

It failed and have my test score on the attatchment below.

But basically, I failed in Hydrocarbons and Nitrogen Oxide.
Hydrocarbons (PPM)
At 15 mph
Max = 121
Measured = 223

At 25 mph
Max = 96
Measured = 197

Nitrogen Oxide (PPM)
At 15 mph
Max = 807
Measured = 2157

At 25 mph
Max = 746
Measured = 1717

I put in a bottle of Guarantee to Pass in the tank before the test and drove it hard to get the catalytic converters hot.

I put in IsoHeet, Guarantee to Pass, and 97 octane in the tank when i took the test in december. I still failed...

I believe I might have been running 97 octane in this last test too.

I just need to pass in those two areas, so if anyone has any tips on how to lower HC's an NOx, im all open ears.

Thanks....

[EagleAutosports]

First, the high octane isn't helping you, that's part of the problem unless you have high compression. The unburned fuel is going out and being read.

Need more info about the car. Is it stock? Modified? If modified, what parts are on it?

[2oo5GT]

+1 if your car isn't tuned for that high of octane, the unburnt fuel is going out the exhaust, which will damage your cats.

[APOCALYPSEof87]

The only modifications are BBK Shorty Headers and a KnN Cone Filter. Everything else is stock, and the timing is set to 12* BTDC.....

Everything is functional and passes, so next time i should use regular 87 octane right?

[jraftb]

well the nox being hight leads me to belive that your egr system isnt working right, the egr helps bring down combustion temps, and nox is produced from high heats during combustion, that would be the first thing i checked on a customers car at our shop, also pull the pout connector befoe the test that usually does the trick for us here in ct,

[aceckel]

Good grief. Won't a $20 bill to the smog tech solve this problem?

[APOCALYPSEof87]

Funny thing about the egr.
I bought a new one, installed it in, an the Check Engine Light came on.

I put on the old one, and it turned off.
Is ir the egr depressor?
And wont unplugging the egr depressor make the Check engine light come on?

[jraftb]

i would get a vac. pump and start the car, use the pump where the vac. line goes into the top of the valve, if the car stubles and wants to die, then you know the egr is working, if it dosnt, try running an intake cleaner by a company like BG, or run some seafoam through it to clean the intake passages out, and then replace the valve, if it does stumble then check vac, lines to the valve.

[5.0kidd]

one way to most likely solve the problem is to use lower octane fuel and replace all 4 catalytic converters(which will be very expensive) if i were you i would go and look for a smog technician that will "magically" make your car pass... i mean u liv in la, how hard can it be to find a technician to do that. you will hav to pay him extra, probably a lot extra since hes risking his job and license but itll be cheaper then fixing all of the cats...

[Brutal Metal]

You don't need to replace the Cats, do this one thing and thank me when you get your "Passed" slip!
Right before you pull into the testing place pop your hood and pull the spare vacuum plug off the plastic T-fitting on the drivers side firewall and watch those emission numbers plummet! The sound of your exhuast should be able to mask the vacuum hissing sound that's very faint with the hood closed, this method worked for me Many times!

[lxarlo]

Originally Posted by aceckel

Good grief. Won't a $20 bill to the smog tech solve this problem?

lol 20 bucks is not near enough to risk losing your license, 10k of fines and possible jail time, not to mention being blacklisted by the state.

Ok, so if this were my car, i would make sure all my contacts in the cap and rotor are somewhat clean, assure plug wires are good, clean your maf with some electrical cleaner, use 87 octane, bump your timing back down to 10 or as low as 8 is still legal, change the oil, put a new fuel filter (not sure if you were referring to that by fuel evaporator filter.) assure you have a clean air filter installed, and some seafoam or transmission fluid through the fuel system and run the tank through before you go. Its kinda hard to see the readings on the thumbnail you posted, but If you have high oxygen levels like higher than 2 % then you have incomplete combustion going on. My EEC IV vehicles pass with flying colors and i salute the state with my middle finger for classifying them as gross polluters.

[BoardingBilly]

I smogged mine about a month ago and before he ran the test he heated the cats up for a good 5-10 minutes at about 2500-3000 rpms. It passed ON-THE-DOT on both carbons and hydrocarbons! Might be worth it to try and heat the cats up before you take it in.

[APOCALYPSEof87]

Originally Posted by Brutal Metal

You don't need to replace the Cats, do this one thing and thank me when you get your "Passed" slip!
Right before you pull into the testing place pop your hood and pull the spare vacuum plug off the plastic T-fitting on the drivers side firewall and watch those emission numbers plummet! The sound of your exhuast should be able to mask the vacuum hissing sound that's very faint with the hood closed, this method worked for me Many times!

This is the info i was looking for. My mother took it to get tested two years ago, and the referee was a high school friend. My mother said the ref did something that wasnt legal. But she didnt remember what it was.

Also I put that I used 97 octane, i actually put 91 octane...



But imma do the following.....

• Knock the timing from 12* BTDC to 10* or 8* BTDC
• Clean the MAF an upper intake with MAF spray cleaner
• Do a compression test
• Do a leak down test
• Put in a new fuel filter
• Put in some Fuel injector cleaner/seafoam/trans. fluid
• Clean my K&N Filter
• Clean/Replace Cap, Rotor, spark plug wires
• Clean the EGR Valve
• Test the EGR Valve using the vaccumm pump
• Use 87 octane

Imma try that trick that BRUTAL METAL said with the vaccumm line when i go for my test. But im kinna worried theyll see it an reconnect it. Ill get another vaccumm like set an rig it so it looks like its attatched.

Ill let you know if i run into any problems doing these, but unlikely...

[lxarlo]

Originally Posted by APOCALYPSEof87

This is the info i was looking for. My mother took it to get tested two years ago, and the referee was a high school friend. My mother said the ref did something that wasnt legal. But she didnt remember what it was.

Also I put that I used 97 octane, i actually put 91 octane...



But imma do the following.....

• Knock the timing from 12* BTDC to 10* or 8* BTDC
• Clean the MAF an upper intake with MAF spray cleaner
• Do a compression test
• Do a leak down test
• Put in a new fuel filter
• Put in some Fuel injector cleaner/seafoam/trans. fluid
• Clean my K&N Filter
• Clean/Replace Cap, Rotor, spark plug wires
• Clean the EGR Valve
• Test the EGR Valve using the vaccumm pump
• Use 87 octane

Imma try that trick that BRUTAL METAL said with the vaccumm line when i go for my test. But im kinna worried theyll see it an reconnect it. Ill get another vaccumm like set an rig it so it looks like its attatched.

Ill let you know if i run into any problems doing these, but unlikely...

another thing i do with my k&n filters after i clean them, is that i only spray the oil on one side. This way it will not be so saturated and take longer for the maf to get dirty.

[Brutal Metal]

Originally Posted by APOCALYPSEof87

This is the info i was looking for. My mother took it to get tested two years ago, and the referee was a high school friend. My mother said the ref did something that wasnt legal. But she didnt remember what it was.

Also I put that I used 97 octane, i actually put 91 octane...





But imma do the following.....

• Knock the timing from 12* BTDC to 10* or 8* BTDC
• Clean the MAF an upper intake with MAF spray cleaner
• Do a compression test
• Do a leak down test
• Put in a new fuel filter
• Put in some Fuel injector cleaner/seafoam/trans. fluid
• Clean my K&N Filter
• Clean/Replace Cap, Rotor, spark plug wires
• Clean the EGR Valve
• Test the EGR Valve using the vaccumm pump
• Use 87 octane

Imma try that trick that BRUTAL METAL said with the vaccumm line when i go for my test. But im kinna worried theyll see it an reconnect it. Ill get another vaccumm like set an rig it so it looks like its attatched.

Ill let you know if i run into any problems doing these, but unlikely...

Oh do the testers pop the hood and look in the engine compartment when the car is running? if so search your motor for a stealth vacuum source to open up, in Florida they didn't open the hood when I used to bring in my 89GT!
+1 on the Seafoam, get a bottle at Walmart and put it in your tank with 8 gallons of fuel so the mixture is quite strong!