Stiletto

Moved to CA from a state that doesn't even do inspections let alone smog. Looks like I need to chuck that "sport cat" and get a decent one.

Anyone have any recommendations for a cat that will fit a Lindsey 3" exhaust and actually let me pass CA smog?

15mph: HC: 145 (115 max) CO: 0.85 (0.57 max) NO 1700 (1069 max)

25mph: HC: 45 (75 max) CO: 0.27 (0.43 max) NO 1621 (669 max)

Rogue_Ant

Doesn't look like your that far off... How old is your O2 sensor? What are your FQS settings available?

Stiletto

O2 sensor is 4 years old with 20,000 miles on it.

I've got a Vitesse AFM chip with whatever FQS settings it supports (haven't monkeyed with the selector since I installed the chip).

Stock injectors.

I run at 3 bar fuel pressure (to match what the chip calls for), but I have an adjustable regulator so I thought I'd turn it down a bit for the test--clearly didn't help.

Looks like I did "almost pass" the HC and CO tests, but the NO test is pretty bad. Doesn't that almost always mean you need a new cat?

Rogue_Ant

No, not always. Dig up the FQS settings. If you can pull timing, that will lower your NOX. And pulling fuel should help out with the HC.

docwyte

I passed smog here in Colorado with the lindsey exhaust and cat and that's with 83lb injectors and Vitesse stage 2. If I can, you can.

How many miles are on the cat?

ibkevin

Apologies Doc.. you pass CA smog here and I'll believe it -- you'd fail visual right off the bat!
Within 10 days of a second testing, CA dropped numbers for the 951!

I'm living this nightmare, my car is virtually garage-bound in stock condition with a new cat and new O2!

Ryan, contact Tim at Speed Force Racing for a 3" cat. CA just passed a law that requires you to have a platform specific cat, and I think that's about a $1500 part from Porsche... I just replaced my 3" for about $300.

KuHL 951

Kevin,
Can you elaborate on what that means. Are you saying Cali lowered the passable emissions? If so, how long ago was this? My last 951 test was September and the pass numbers were the same as my 2003 test.


Also unless he has one of the newer approved list cats he will never pass smog here with his generic cat that's good for about 1 year only. I ran into this on 2 cars last year and it was a bitch.

Thanks

docwyte

We have a dyno load test here, passing it isn't all that much fun. We don't have a visual inspection because as long as the car has the necessary emissions equipment and passes, they could care less whether it has a MAF, etc.

That's the way it should be. There's no reason to fail a car "visually" if it has a cat, O2 sensor, etc and passes the test.

ibkevin

You bet Steve.

It's called Vehicle Specific Cutpoints Activation dated April 5, 2010 implemented by BAR.

Old max @15 mph - HC 116, CO .74, NO 791
New max is HC 81, CO .52, NO 689

Old max @ 25mph - HC 91, CO .62, NO 730
New max is HC 63, CO .43, NO 730

KuHL 951

Unbelievable...they take a 20+ year old vehicle and expect it to run even cleaner than when it left the factory? WTF ? The drop in HC especially will be a problem based on most 951's I've tested over the years. That's the straw that broke the camels back for me. I'll be selling my Sapphire Metallic as a roller w/o the engine. I doubt even a fresh rebuild can meet HC with our funky AFM systems. Thanks for the update Kevin.

Stiletto

Thanks for the info, guys! I'll try some stuff and report what works. Luckily, the car's Florida registration has another month on it. This seems solvable. Got to go find the FQS sheet that came with that chip...

ibkevin

Yep, just another reason to StrekStrekStrekStrek this state every chance I get.

ibkevin

Keep the car registered in FL at damn near any expense, guessing you're military Ryan, keep your FL plates.

warbird

E85 is your friend for this one. Mix some E85 with your gas. Ethanol burns super clean. Run your car till the gas light goes on. That will mean there is about 2 or 3 gals left in the tank. Pour in 1 gallon of E85 and go to test. Don't get on the throttle. It may go lean at wide open throttle. Partial throttle will be fine. Your doing this just to pass test. When test is over, just fill tank to dilute ethanol. The extra ethanol is negligible. Here are my numbers with 70% ethanol for California test on an 83 N/A with shaved, ported head and FQS set to +4% and higher fuel pressure.

15mph: HC: 67 (138 max) CO: 0.18 (0.98 max) NO 66 (1136 max)

25mph: HC: 27 (110 max) CO: 0.19 (0.78 max) NO 126 (966 max)

Those are not typos gentleman. Got the paper to prove it. E85 burns clean. Been running mix of it for 4 years.

KuHL 951

I've done a similar method with xylene with good results. Does the E85 cause any issues with seals or fuel components or is the short term methanol exposure negligible?