Having now owned my '96 993 for the second year, I was feeling nervous about getting it smogged. Everyone knows the OBDII nightmares that can come up around this time.

When I first bought my 993 it initially failed the pre-sale smog test and was even tagged as a gross polluter. I got the issues fixed and got it to pass (barely) though at the time. This time around I was expecting to have some of the same finicky problems as last time, but was pleasantly surprised at my smog results for this year. No ODBII faults, no readiness issues, and it passed the sniffer test with amazingly low emissions numbers.



It's nice to know that good maintenance and regular driving can keep this car healthy! I thought it would be a good idea to post up my positive experience on the forum, since we usually only hear about the problems people face.

 

Good for you!

 

Good Job! I'm about to do this myself (smog). Was wondering if you did anything unusual to get good results?

 

I think all 993's are tagged as "gross polluters" in CA.

 

Just drove it for a couple hours beforehand to ensure it was hot enough to test. I did leave the A/C on to kick up the idle RPMs just a bit and make the car idle smoother.

 

I'm jealous. Of course the cars hardly pollute- the state just loves making life hell

 

Oy! Have I got problem stories for you!

 

When you are measuring pollutants in parts per million are you really testing the car or simply testing the calibration or minimum sensitivity of the testing equipment?

 

Gas Anylyzers are required to be accurate to the following levels (there are some formulas involved at getting to these numbers, but this is pretty much the result):
HC +/- 5ppm
CO +/- .03%
CO2 +/- .4%
NO +/- 27ppm
O2 +/- 0.2%

You can read all about how smog machines are calibrated here:
http://www.bar.ca.gov/80_BARResource...pecs-part5.pdf

 

Passed my CA smog test yesterday and did nothing unusual to do so - just drove the car there. BUT I do have a question: what's so special about the test that they have to charge more to test our cars?

 

It's a Porsche.

 

I passed smog as well 2 months ago and paid $45 in Harbor City. Isn't pricing based on model year?

 

Just for fun, next time you sidle up to a Prius in traffic roll down your window and inform the Prius occupants that your 993 when made qualified as an ultra low emission vehicle. This seems to reliably elicite a sour look in return.

 

Passed mine in Santa Clarita a few weeks ago. Always a huge relief when the smog test dude says, "It passed". Before the test, I just drive long enough to make sure the cats are nice and hot and take it in on a week day when it's not busy so it doesn't sit and cool off. After the test, I go home and celebrate with a few cold ones!

 

I see everybody who is part of this thread is from CA. Shocking