Harbinger Posted September 6, 2005 Share Posted September 6, 2005 It finally happend, my truck is registered in a non-emissions-law county, but my county is still requiring one on my truck. So, any tips on getting these beasts to pass? My truck has 270,000ish miles on it, and the previous owner informed me that it was a PITA to get it to pass. One of those situations where your slipping the emissions attendant a $50. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Precise1 Posted September 6, 2005 Share Posted September 6, 2005 Hmm, bribery doesn't work well with the Cali system, and can get you in deep doodoo ! Unless it has been done recently, do a tune up... Plugs, cap, rotor, wires. 2 biggest influences (other than O2 sensor) on smog issues is fresh oil change and make sure your EGR valve/system is working correctly. So tuneup, oil change and EGR and it should pass. If not, you will know what you failed on and that should help identify what system is not working correctly. Oh, use some injector cleaner if you haven't recently, I recommend Red Line. The good side effect of all of this is that the truck will run well and get better gas milage... I've been dealing with Cali smog laws for 20 years so I'm used to the routine. I generally time my tuneups for just before the required testing. B Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
k9sar Posted September 6, 2005 Share Posted September 6, 2005 (edited) in PA you are required to spend a certain amount of $$ to try to get it to pass. If it still fails, you can provide proof that you tried and get a waiver. Haven't needed to but it's nice to know that it's out there Edited September 6, 2005 by k9sar Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harbinger Posted September 6, 2005 Author Share Posted September 6, 2005 (edited) Thanks for the tips guys, I'll have to do the tune up/oil change/ 02 sensor once I have some spare $$ for parts. Any hints for dealing with the EGR system? I'm not very familiar with it. I might just list the truck as being in storage, park it at my house and work on it at my leisure untill gas prices go down or snowboarding season starts, might be easier that way, I have the cannondale and the VW to get me around in its absense. Edited September 6, 2005 by Harbinger Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Precise1 Posted September 6, 2005 Share Posted September 6, 2005 Ahh, the EGR system is pretty simple, and is listed in your manual... B Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harbinger Posted September 6, 2005 Author Share Posted September 6, 2005 Ahh, the EGR system is pretty simple, and is listed in your manual... B My hayne's manual is at home, I'm @ work, so give me a break already Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wheel366 Posted September 6, 2005 Share Posted September 6, 2005 (edited) If you dump 2 bottles of isopropyl gas line anti-freeze along with 2 bottles of methynol gas line anti-freeze on a tank that is low, you should be able to pass emissions without a problem. However, once you pass you should go and immediately fill your tank since that stuff is hard on your seals. I work with a guy who is a chemist and drives an old mini-van who has done this many times. Edited September 6, 2005 by wheel366 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mws Posted September 6, 2005 Share Posted September 6, 2005 Yup, the TBI versions are rather iffy on passing smog... Everything needs to be working pretty well for high mileage rigs to pass. Other things that haven't been mentioned but must be working properly are the catalytic converter and the auxiliary air injection doohabobber (the thing behind the drivers side headlight). Cleaning the IAC will help the idle sniffer test. Also, turn up the idle to about 950 rpm... Mine will not pass at 800 rpm, but passes easily at 950. Yeah, the technician is supposed to do the test at 800, but most are too lazy to turn it down if only a scosche too high... And as others said, there is a good side to all this - once everything is working right, your fuel economy WILL improve. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pezzy Posted September 6, 2005 Share Posted September 6, 2005 My hayne's manual is at home, I'm @ work, so give me a break already It SHOULD be in your pathy mister!! I think the only reason my old "puttputt" passed, besides a few well placed horseshoes was the fact that I let the truck warm up before I took it in for a test - as it was horrible on start up - smoke city... but it always passed if I took it for a rip on the highway first. They also have some miracle in a can here called "Guaranteed to pass" God only knows if it works... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harbinger Posted September 6, 2005 Author Share Posted September 6, 2005 It SHOULD be in your pathy mister!! It IS! But my pathy's at home too It was suggested on the little summons card that you have a better chance of passing with the engine at operating temp. I'll have to look more in the secondary air thing, I know what your talking about, but up untill now it had only be described as "this here thing that rattles" by the previous owner. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Casey.T Posted September 6, 2005 Share Posted September 6, 2005 Take it in, have it tested, if it passes Great if it does not it will tell you what is failing. Then the tune up, egr and oil change cost go toward the $$$ limit placed on Emissions Compliance. Once you have reached that $$$ limit and it still does not pass. You typically get a "BYE"/ Waiver on the Emissions requirements. Most re-tests are free. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
k9sar Posted September 6, 2005 Share Posted September 6, 2005 My hayne's manual is at home, I'm @ work, so give me a break already problems number 1 and 2.... It's a Haynes manual and it's at home. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Precise1 Posted September 6, 2005 Share Posted September 6, 2005 Absolutely about having it at operating temp ! The hotter the better. When you take it in for the test, try to have a specific apointment time. drive it good and hard for 10-15 minutes, then pull in and have them test it immediately. MWS's idle trick helps also, my old 720 was like that... B Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
XPLORx4 Posted September 6, 2005 Share Posted September 6, 2005 In California, you only have to spend up to $450 in attempts to pass the emissions tests. If, after $450, it still will not pass, you are granted a 2-year waiver during which time you must make the necessary repairs (or retire the vehicle). Only $$ spent at licensed "official" smog-check stations qualify towards the waiver. Any DIY work or $$ spent at non-official smog stations do not count toward the amount. If you're really concerned about it, go to a place that is not only qualified to test, but also repair emissions-related issues. And also find a place that will retest for free if it doesn't pass. Once you have the emissions readings, it will help to know what's going on. When a vehicle fails an emissions test, the motorist usually receives a printout that show the test results of the vehicle’s emissions as well as the applicable cut points. From this, you can determine if too much HC and/or CO caused the vehicle to fail. Hydrocarbon failures mean unburned gasoline is passing through the engine and entering the exhaust. The three most common causes include ignition misfire, lean misfire and low compression (typically a burned exhaust valve). Ignition misfire can be caused by worn or fouled spark plugs, bad plug wires or a weak coil. Lean misfire results where there’s too much air and not enough fuel, so check for vacuum leaks, dirty injectors or a fuel delivery problem. In addition to these, hydrocarbon failures can also be caused by oil burning due to worn valve guides, valve guide seals and/or rings. Carbon monoxide failures indicate an overly rich fuel mixture. On older carbureted engines without electronic feedback controls, look for things like a stuck choke, misadjusted or fuel saturated float or a rich idle mixture adjustment. On newer vehicles with electronic carburetors or fuel injection, the system may not be going into closed loop because of a bad coolant or oxygen sensor. If both HC and CO are high, the vehicle may have a bad catalytic converter or an air pump problem. NOX failures are usually EGR-related, since the EGR system is primarily responsible for reducing oxides of nitrogen. But NOX emissions can also be caused by a bad three-way converter or a computer control system that remains in open loop. I recently spent over $2000 to get my truck to pass smog. First test failed (high hydrocarbons). I replaced the major ignition components myself, and also ran a bottle of SeaFoam engine cleaner into the intake. ($50) Second test failed (high hydrocarbons). Paid Nissan dealer (not a licensed SMOG station) to replace cracked exhaust manifold and diagnose misfire that seemed to be caused by excessive EGR. Also replaced EGR valve. ($800) Third test failed (still high hydrocarbons). Tried to get a waiver, but was denied since I didn't use an official smog station. Finally took it to a licensed smog repair station, who spent a week and a half trying to figure out what was wrong. They replaced the distributor, whose built-in coil had gone bad, making a weak spark, which was the cause of the misfire. ($450) It turns out the misfire (which had apparently been going on for quite some time) had let too much fuel enter the exhaust and melted the cats, so they also had to be replaced. ($700) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Precise1 Posted September 7, 2005 Share Posted September 7, 2005 OUCH !!! You know the system well from the nasty learning curve. Thankfully, thats not the norm, but still scary. I've been lucky that 1/2 the time my vehicles pass, and the other 1/2 I'm able to replace a few things and pass the second time. Yes about finding a place that does free retest. I always hang out and get to know the tech. They'll usually do an 'unofficial' retest if it fails and you tell them you'll work on it and bring it back. They usually charge you a second time for the 'official' test, but at a discount and will tell you if they think it will pass or not. B Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FLApathy Posted September 7, 2005 Share Posted September 7, 2005 man im glad there is no testing in florida, at least i think theres not, all well Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
derogate Posted September 7, 2005 Share Posted September 7, 2005 I've heard of people using shims or something on their throttles, so that person running the test can't give it more than 1/4 throttle. It was for a diesel though, but apparently it helped a ton. food for thought. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lgranch Posted September 8, 2005 Share Posted September 8, 2005 There is an additive called RXP. 2.5 oz will cost about $6.Add this to a tank of fuel, run it till 1/2 is gone, get the engine as hot as possible and the Pathy will pass. They pass even without cat converters. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MaritimeMan Posted September 8, 2005 Share Posted September 8, 2005 Yeah what B mentioned earlier, take it for a good hard drive, preferably a freeway or something. Also, after you tune it up and do this, don't turn your motor off if in a waiting line, just let it run. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. Pickles Posted September 9, 2005 Share Posted September 9, 2005 Yeah what B mentioned earlier, take it for a good hard drive, preferably a freeway or something. Also, after you tune it up and do this, don't turn your motor off if in a waiting line, just let it run. Yep, if all systems are working even mostly, you should pass no problem. I've passed with some serious P.O.S's in my day just trying to tune them and get them good and hot. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SC88Pathy Posted September 10, 2005 Share Posted September 10, 2005 When I was waiting at the mechanics for my egr to get cleaned (read my post in the garage if you're interested) this guy brought in a really old tr5 toyota truck to get smogged. It sounded like crap (and looked like crap too). Anyway they took it over to smog, but when the mechanic popped the hood he found that most of the vacum tubes had been disconnected and plugged! They shut the truck off called the guy up and basically said we're not touching this with a ten foot pole. As long as the egr and cats are working you shouldn't have any problem. Maybe run higher octane gas? Not sure if that would affect emisions but I think it would. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
XPLORx4 Posted September 12, 2005 Share Posted September 12, 2005 While trying to repair my truck to pass the smog check, I read all sorts of articles about emissions testing and tips. One article mentioned that you shouldn't put high-octane fuel in your tank if the engine wasn't designed for it. High-octane fuel is harder to burn and could increase hydrocarbon emissions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Precise1 Posted September 12, 2005 Share Posted September 12, 2005 Yes, exactly. You should run the lowest octane gas that doesn't make the motor ping. Assuming all the vehicle systems are in order, the most important items are clean oil, good 'hot' spark, and a hot motor. B Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
02silverpathy Posted September 14, 2005 Share Posted September 14, 2005 WHEEL366 is exactly correct!! I had an old Saturn DOHC and it had a dead cyinder in it...well the plug was covered in wet oil anyhow...so whatever that equates too fine, but, that ole' alchol trick made her pass EVERY time!!! It burns extra hot and extra extra clean so nothing other than the mixture of gasoline is there to corrupt.....truth be told fill up fast afterwards..my old saturn would get crazy hot driving to the station with this mixture in the tank!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harbinger Posted December 8, 2005 Author Share Posted December 8, 2005 (edited) WOOOOOO!!!! I finally got around to getting the ole girl tested, and she PASSED! Just took her in with a full tank of 87 and a good warm engine from driving down from the local snow hill. Didn't do a tune up or replace O2 sensors or anything. Guy about did a double take when I told him there was 270,000 miles on her. God I love this truck. Edited December 8, 2005 by Harbinger Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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