Lonely Raven

First off, yes, I already did a search on this, but all I saw were tips
for how to pass after you fail (IE what to fix), or were for other
countries.

I'm in a Suburb of Chicago, and I just got the note telling me I need to
take the 924S in for emissions.

I've heard tips like run the car for 20 minutes before you test or something.
I don't remember them all, so anyone have a good idea of what things
will help me pass?

By the way, I can't afford a "tune up" right now, so I'm just looking for
run it for 20 minutes with a full tank of gas and maybe use this $5 fuel
additive type stuff.

In advance, thanx!

sweanders

Changing the oil sometimes help, if it fit's in your budget it could be a good thing to do. Run it hard for a while to heat up the cat, if you have one...

Jim @ EuroWerks

what were the ras readings?

Jim @ EuroWerks

Excuse me I meant gas readings

Skip

If they do a dyno test, you may try this:

http://www.tech-session.com/kb/index...x_v2&id=109&c=

Good Luck!

Lonely Raven

I've not done the test yet, I'm prepairing for the test. Which is why
the aftermath threads don't help me now.


Thanx for the link Skip. I'm always worried about how they run these
tests...I don't like the idea of someone who's not responsable for any
damage to the car jumping on the gas to test it...

89magic98

I just read Skip's post.

On the CA dyno test, the technician who checked my car did what the article suggested was the succesful gear selection:

"We reran the tests at 15 mph in first gear and at 25 mph in second gear."

I think that the RPMs were around 2900 in both cases.

Check for no vacuum leaks. Some people say that an oil change helps. Make sure all your spark plug wires are properly seated on the cap/plugs. Make sure the car is nice and warmed up.

Lonely Raven

Thanx, that's exactly what I was looking for.

Except for a rough idle, the car runs fine. The exhaust smells fine.
I'm going to do an oil change if I can afford to. I just went for a job
interview today...so hopefully I won't have to pinch penny's so hard
soon.

89magic98

I had a lean condition.

Means lower than normal HC/C02, higher than normal NOx. But I passed.

I have an occasion rough idle problem.

Others told me it could be a vacuum leak, which is free/low cost to fix assuming you can find the leak.

Awoir

I say you get your lisence to do it yourself, then just pass your own car for free!

RMills944

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!THE 5 MINUTE SOLUTION!!!!!!!!!!!!!

pull an injector wire, then go get it tested. After the emissions test, put the wire back on! This takes no money at all. IT will DRASTICALLY lower emissions scores across the board., Your car will obviously be slow when the wire is off, but it will be enough to get you there and home, and they won't know the difference. (I was 6x the CO limit at one point and it worked for me till I could get that fixed)

jeeper31

I too failed the emission portion of the test when I just bouthg my car. Mechanic suggested that the Bosch Spark plugs were wrong and sold me a set of NGK's for about $12. I changed them ,yself with no problem and car passed with flying colors.

wwboater

Its simple to pass Emissions. If your car is running correctly them it will pass. The cut off values do not change from year to year. They are established when the car is new.

I see a lot of post telling people to do all kinds of stupid things. The gas treatments do not work! Get a clue. If it was that easy to pass a failing car the EPA would make it illegal. I also see tons of shops that have no idea about emissions trying to fix cars and they fail. If you have a good shop That has Emission repair expirence then they can usually get it done right the first time.

As far as changing the oil...that does nothing... Changing the plugs will do very little unless they are totally thrashed. Now 95% of the time if your HC is high your cat is bad or you have something in your car causeing you to run rich. ie chips, bad injector dumping fuel. If your NOX is high you are running lean, caused by air leaks, cloged fuel filter, clogged injector, etc. If the CO is high your air fuel mixture is off. Many CO problems can be fixed by adjusting the air flow meter. There is an adjustment screw there for a reason. It is usually covered with a metal plug so not many people know that it is there.

Also do nothing before the test !!! Most states will give you a waver if you spend a certain amount of $$$ and improve. An improvement is 1 ppm. any $$ spent before the first test does not go toward this waver. So basiclly the cheapest way to fix emission failures to to have a good shop take care of it. Unless you have a 5 gas analyzer at your house there is no way you can see what your doing is have a neg or pos effect on you remissions.

BTW I own several emission stations in GA and I am a member of the EPD advisory board for GA.

Good luck
Craig

Flight_951

Virginia includes an oil change on the official list of repairs that can be completed to apply for an emissions waiver. It wouldn't be on the list if it did nothing to improve the results. Our older cars with looser engine tolerances and high miles are more impacted by the acids and unburned fuel collected in the oil. And we are running 6-7 quarts instead of 4-5.

The bottles of the emissions "potions" clearly state that if the car has a mechanical problem, there is no guarantee to pass. Filling your car with a higher quality fuel instead would probably produce a similar result.

If money is so tight, take the test to establish a baseline. If you fail, come back to the board. Very few certified emissions shops can diagnose these cars properly, and earning a waiver without actually fixing anything is a hollow victory since your car is still broken. Good luck.

Lonely Raven

Great Info, thanx Craig!

I've never failed emissions on a car before. Even my 300,000 mile SAAB
900 Turbo passed easily. It's just that I see so many guys in the forums
here complaining about not passing emissions, that I was starting to
worry about my 924S that I've only had for about a two months now.

Thank you all for the info.