failed CA emissions test :(

[teambeechstreet]

Took in my "new" beater car today for a smog test, an 88 dodge colt w/ 1.5 carb. was labeled a gross polluter due to being 12 points/units over on the HCs.

Here are the numbers:

I had just changed the oil, oil filter, and air filter yesterday and added 8ozs of Marvel Mystery Oil to the tank. Drove it 30 miles to the smog inspection station.

The tech told me that since the car had been sitting for the previous two years, I should drive it for about 3-4 weeks and maybe the HCs will drop a bit.

After the test, I replaced the spark plugs, wires, and PCV valve. Want to replace the o2 sensor as well, but i cant get the darn thing out of the exhaust manifold (broke a craftsman wrench trying to do so).

Anyone have some suggestions on what else I can change or do to drop the HCs just a lil? I've read a ton of articles online and from posts referred on this site. I'm so close to passing

thanks all in advance

 

[teambeechstreet]

well i scrolled down and saw another thread about failed emissions. im gonna try the o2 sensor if I can get the darn thing out. any tips on removing it? maybe heating it up? dont want to damage the wires though

 

[ChrisW]

heat heat heat. get a torch. heat it. candle wax if need be. it has a harness, no? then just disco it while you work on it.

 

[rpn453]

Try warming up the engine to get the manifold hot before trying to remove the O2 sensor. Put some high-temp anti-seize on the threads of the new one when installing.

I've heard ethanol-blended fuel can help pass emissions. I have no experience though, since there is no emissions testing here.

 

[porcupine73]

There was a recent thread about O2 sensor removal here .

Maybe some FP60 would help chop down the emissions?

 

[m2200b]

Sensor and converter - you aren't close.

Isn't this the seller's cost in CA - In CA he can't sell a car that doesn't pass smog. He'd have had to title the colt - "parts" to avoid the cost. There isn't an as is sale even if you or the buyer wrote it. Of course if this is "I bought a friend or relatives car" that remedy won't help.

You should be able to get your money back or do the repairs needed and recover those costs in small claims court.

You don't have mileage listed - is this just high miles and worn or stuck rings.

 

[m2200b]

What am I missing here? You're trying to just get under gross polluter but still be miles from passing CO and HC?

I do have a strategy that works for several months even when you fail miserably in CA. Just keep going in at the last day or two of the month with a few receipts and/or whatever test you've had and ask for an extension. When DMV is busy they keep giving you 2 months extensions at the intake desk to get you out of their month end lines.

 

[PandaBear]

You are FAR FROM PASSING, you need to get it below MAX instead of just G Pollute. You have to replace the O2 for sure but probably the Cat as well. If you plan to keep it for long, throw in some new plugs, cap, rotor, and wires won't hurt for sure.

Isn't there a law in CA that if you fail but spent more than $500 on repairs, then you are allowed to drive it without passing?

 

[m2200b]

Actually maybe you'll get by without the cat. Change and probably not rings.
Usually if you fail HC at idle -its all the stuff you did wires , plugs.
When it fails at the low speed test its a dead cat or not running in closed loop but your's gets better.
I misread CO. What condition were the wires and plugs ? Did you do cap and rotor and look for the arching on the old one. Usually little lines inside. I don't have an explanation on how the wires, and plugs could get better at the higher rpm of the low speed test.

 

[m2200b]

See recarbco.com which has a list of what's wrong with what HC bad rest ok at idel all ok at low speed http://www.recarbco.com/technical/index.html#smog

Leaking vacuum or air at carb base plate. Vacuum leak.
Bad PCV valve.
Bad or leaking Brake-Booster Diaphram.
Dirt in idle jet.
Carb base warped by installer,Base gasket missing or wrong one or installed incorrectly.
Altitude compensator malfunction.
Mixture set too lean.
Engine problems such as leaky valves, carbon build-up on valves, broken valve spring.

Ignition (electrical) problems:
Bad condenser.
Bad points.
Plugs dirty, shorted, worn out or fouled.
Plug wires bad, mixed up, or crossed.
Distributor cap cracked.
Bad rotor.
Bad coil.
Ignition timing advanced too far.

 

[m2200b]

My best quess - 1 or more vacuum leaks meaning fix or inspect all the hoses including pcv hose and grommet.

 

[GoldenRod]

teambeachstreet,

How much is that car worth to you? Now that you have successfully failed your smog check, you can now apply for the voluntary vehicle retirement program (VVR).

You can request an application, fill it out, and then send it in with a copy of your smog test results. If you are approved, the state of California will cut you a check for $1000 if you allow them to crush your car.

This is what I did with my 1978 Cadillac Sedan Deville, but I couldn't watch them crush it.

Here is a direct link:

http://www.smogcheck.ca.gov/ftp/pdffacts/consumer_assistance_program.pdf

 

[teambeechstreet]

thanks m2200b and others for your time and help. i feel pretty dumb since I was just going off what the smog tech told me. guess he read the smog results wrong when he told me I just needed to drop the HCs 12 units to pass.

As for the car, I got it free from a company about an hour away. Saw it on craigslist. They wanted $500 for it but just gave it to me for nothing. I'd feel pretty bad going after them for the smog repair fees since they gave me the car. I gave myself a limit of $700 to spend on this car to get it on the road. So far I've spent about $350, which includes smog fee, registration fees, and parts. The car has 110K miles on it. Thing that makes me wonder is on the carfax report, the car passed smog two years ago at 106K miles. So sometime in the last 2 years and the 4000 miles it was driven during that time, it went from passing to a gross polluter...

Now I'm told I have to take the car in to a Gold Shield smog station for them to smog it, so if it fails then, what the heck am I supposed to do with the car?

I guess my friends were right that I was gonna dig myself into a hole with this car...

btw, just yesterday, the car started having a rough idle and hesitated on acceleration.

 

[m2200b]

Just take it one step at a time on the fix and a recent pass is good news. An 18 year old car that sat in CA usually has bad hoses with vacuum leaks with age and heat damage. Other than visual checks - a smoke test where the shop uses a small smoke making machine spots leaks the quickest.

Try some 15-40 chevron delo in the oil change to thicken your oil and seal up the rings some more to cut HC blowby into exhaust.

Your budget is about $270 left counting the Gold shield test only station. Since you have a sensor put it in ( I'd swap it for a cat if you can return it). If you shop you've got enough for an aftermarket cat but try and get a aftermarket cat at around 100- 130 that is the same length as your OEM or you'll need another $40 to get a muffler shop to weld it on with some added or cut.

Still sounds promising and worth maybe another $200 on top of your budget for the overall effort since if you pass you can recover the amount spent with a low mile gas saver.

Also worth the time and effort is to try a few smog shops for recommendations of who in your area specializes in fixing gross polluters since there usually are one or two that do. By now you know how interrelated some of this is.

I went down the same road a year ago with a truck just leaking oil and failing the same test. I put in a used Japanese import engine for the oil as cheaper than redoing the top end. I still failed but just by a bit and then spent 135 on a cat to pass with plenty of room. A shop can heat up the old cat to burn off oil or tell you if its toast. Try pushing on your cat as a rattle test.If it sounds like marbles, its done. If you are using lots of oil that toasts the cat.

In hindsight I could have passed with just the cat but I'm happy with 28 mpg , a really refreshed motor. The car was free, I spent 1200 and had around 6 months of extensions from DMV showing them some of the recipts along the way.

A gross polluter test also means annual tests rather than biannual so take into account the costs of quick fixes every year over spending more this time to pass 12 months later too.

Last chance to also budget all the costs for the rest of the car's systems for soon repairs bills - eg tires, shocks, clutch, brakes , cooling system in your decision to pass smog. My truck was like new but its pretty easy to add another $1000 for first year repairs on neglected stuff but at least you can do them over the first year. Even if your budget for smog and the rest hits 1200 to 1800 its only $100-150 car payments for a year, low insurance and dmv costs and the colt is a pretty cool civic wannabe.

 

[teambeechstreet]

thank you very much again m2200b for your time and help. I'm gonna call around to some shops to see if any of them do the smoke vacuum test and I also found that autozone carries a direct fit OEM replacement cat for the car for $72.

thank you again

 

[GoldenRod]

m2200b,

I really don't know what the heck you are talking about. Did you even bother looking at the link I posted? If your car is at least 15 years older than the date of manufacture, and it fails CA smog, you have the option to sell it to the state for $1000. Simple as that.

 

[m2200b]

You can't buy a CA car , not pass smog after the sale and sell it to CA. The seller who can't pass smog can sell it to the state though which is another reason to stick it on the seller and get your money back.

Otherwise the CA charities would just sell all their donated junk to CA for $1000 each. You are right though in CA it is better to sell your junker to CA then give it away now that tax law limits your tax deduction to the $100 the charity resells it for.

 

[chas3]

its typically harder for cars to pass the idle test. the testing stations here in va were amused when they replaced the idle with the dynanometer testing (at 25mph and 45mph)--more cars started passing.

make sure the engine is nice and warm for that idle test.

 

[got boost?]

*

 

[m2200b]

I looked at the link, the law and the application. To be qualified you must have been the owner of the vehicle and have it registered for two year before you can sell it to CA.

Take a look at the application and show me how a new purchaser can be "qualified" for either the $1000 sale to CA or the $500 repair assistance.