failed smog

[glockworks21]

Yes, you do.

Check out post #7 in this thread for possible local support on that.

I did. Thanks for your help..I will reach out to him.

[Chris 16409]

With numbers that high I would say maybe your CAT is bad. Usually these cars do very well on CO and Hydrocarbons. The NOx are usually the tough one. Since you've been labeled a Gross Polluter that can complicate things. Do you know anybody in a smog free county?

[AugustneverEnds]

Can you replace just the catalytic Converter or is a whole new exhaust the best bet?

You can replace just the catalytic converter. Unless you want a sportier sounding exhaust there is really no need for an entire new exhaust, the stock muffler is stainless steel so corrosion is not an issue.

[AugustneverEnds]

I cant remove o2. I may try again this weekend. Im going to take axle out to get more room. the timing is at 13deg it was 15 last time when it passed. It was fully warmed up when i got it there. I had a torch on the base of that o2 sensor when i tried removing a couple weeks ago. I wonder if that damaged it. I called 4 different muffler shops today to see if someone would break that sensor free and nobody wants to touch it. Im going to set the timing back to 15 and lean out the mixture and see if It will pass unless someone else has another suggestion.


Or im just going to move out of this state..

Yes oxygen sensors can be a serious PITA to remove but I think there is a strong chance it's what is making your car behave the way it is. How does your exhaust smell? Strong? If you rub your finger on the inside of the tail pipe is there soot like residue caked there?

Besides heating the O2 keep spraying it with penetrant. I recently tried Mechanic in a Bottle and it worked a miracle.

Well if you move to New York we don't have emissions tests on vehicles over 25 years old so that's food for thought.

[glockworks21]

I got it out.. removing axle on one side, getting car high enough for me to get under with couple different penetrants and heat i was able to get it.
thanks for all the help. for anyone having this much trouble in the future just remove the axle. I should have done that first to get better leverage.

So it seems to run fine but now dwell isnt swinging. I got the o2 sensor from dgo. frequency valve is buzzing constantly. I read an old thread that maybe it needs to be bosch unit if this happens? I did not get the bosch.. Is there something else I should check? any of the california guys think this will pass smog without it swinging? Im on the clock now to get that done.

Thanks

Dave

[Bitsyncmaster]

I got it out.. removing axle on one side, getting car high enough for me to get under with couple different penetrants and heat i was able to get it.
thanks for all the help. for anyone having this much trouble in the future just remove the axle. I should have done that first to get better leverage.

So it seems to run fine but now dwell isnt swinging. I got the o2 sensor from dgo. frequency valve is buzzing constantly. I read an old thread that maybe it needs to be bosch unit if this happens? I did not get the bosch.. Is there something else I should check? any of the california guys think this will pass smog without it swinging? Im on the clock now to get that done.

Thanks

Dave

Does it stay at 45 deg.? It would if the O2 sensor is not connected. I used a Bosch sensor bought at auto parts store. But I had to splice the wire with a 1/4" pin with Bosch 11027

[glockworks21]

Does it stay at 45 deg.? It would if the O2 sensor is not connected. I used a Bosch sensor bought at auto parts store. But I had to splice the wire with a 1/4" pin with Bosch 11027

It was just sitting at 22 idling smooth. I started to drive it around and the idle started jumping up and down about 700 rpm.. i pulled back into garage and i guess i didnt realize the fans stopped as i was hooking up the dwell meter again. Then it started to boil over quickly. .. fan fuse jumpers were melting. engine management fuse was super hot but none were blown.
such a roller coaster of emotion.
I get one thing done and then this.. I dont know wtf happened.. It cant be related to the o2 sensor.. Just my luck i guess...



I fixed the jumper and it wont kick fans on. I walked away from it for now.....

[Bitsyncmaster]

If you started getting idle hunt then the lambda probably started working (should have swinging dwell). But now you have another problem with the cooling fans. Jumper your otterstat wires and then the fans should run all the time your key is on.

[glockworks21]

thanks Dave for your help on the pm.
I got the fans going. car started fine. today. warmed up and idled fine. fans kicked in as they should.
Right now it wont swing.. it sits at 22 all the time. ive adjusted the fuel mixture screw in both directions and it never drops from 22 on the dwell meter.
What should I do next?

Thanks again

Dave.

[Ron]

Try doing the tests at D:04:15 in the Work Shop Manual.