Random CA smog saga for those entertained by such things:
PITA 1) had to pull off the massive skid plate because I’ve replaced my exhaust and you have to be able to read the numbers on the cat. This makes no sense to me since if I didn’t have the skid the cat would be scratched to hell and you wouldn’t be able to read the numbers. Went to three shops and everyone said the same thing. So I cave and pull the skid.
PITA 2) the cat I’m running is a Magnaflow 45036. I carefully bought it because it’s the CA smog legal version of the cat for my car….
….only it turns out it’s not.
The carb executive order (EO D-193-91) applies for 1996-98 and mines a 99.
www.arb.ca.gov/msprog/aftermkt/devices/eo/D-193-91.pdf
This makes no real sense to me because 00-01 had the different cylinder heads (the ones that crack sometimes). Maybe I’m wrong but I thought 99s were identical to 96-98 engine wise. Anyways, we strapped it to the rollers and turns out it’s a moot point because it failed the 15 mph test with high oxides of nitrogen. ~1200 vs. 570 allowed. Probably needed more cat anyways. Everything else looked great on the numbers.
PITA 3) I still had the stock cat so rather than run through the hoops with cat legality some more when I’m now doubting it’s a big enough cat. I bought some extra v-bands and spliced the original cat back into my fancy stainless setup. My welder buddy can’t come down so I spend a chunk practicing doing TIG butt welds on my own. Go easy on me, it's been a decade since I last did this.
There went a Sunday afternoon I didn’t have to spend on this but whatever. No pic of the finished version but you get the idea. It should be good because it passed last time with the former exhaust.
Nope. Failure #2. NOx dropped down to about 900 but the cat is still not getting it done.
PITA 4) Lots of reading about what causes high NOx. Everyone points to high combustion chamber temps. Inspect it carefully for vaccum leaks (seems good). Run a can of sea-foam through it to remove carbon deposits just in case. Change the oil. Fill it with premium gas. Refresh the K&N filter. Replace spark plugs because they look a little warn. FWIW the plugs do look like they might be little lean…
As such, I replace the 02 sensors because they’re cheaper than I thought and my license plate is about to expire so I’m getting desperate. Wipe the ECU per instructions found online:
http://www.quadratec.com/jeep_knowledgebase/article-89.htm and then carry out permutations of the OBD2 “drive cycle” until all the tests check in. It did takes a few cold starts and a mix of careful driving around town and on the freeway, but definitely not the 50 cold starts and 500 miles some folks have claimed.
Oh and I should mention that while I was messing with spark plugs the inner clip on one of the Mopar “Performance” plug wires pulls out.
Anyone know if there’s a lifetime warrantee on these things? I jam it in there as hard as I can and pray I’m good. $100 in parts and wrenching annoyances later and I take it back in feeling confident.
Nope. Failure #3. After all my changes NOx is now failing worse than test number 2 and is hovering at about 1100. WTF… I’m losing faith in my garage mechanic abilities.
There’s a saving grace though. Mechanic thinks he hears an exhaust leak. Header looks good so the only likely candidate is the junction between the stock header and where my custom exhaust starts.
PITA 5) Pull it apart and check it out. Damn, black marks all the way to the edges of the junction; that’s definitely not right…
I go digging for what I can use to seal this up since I need a smog check NOW and I’m short on time to find a new ball gasket. High temp RTV? Nope doesn’t handle enough heat. Wait, at the very bottom of the fluids and sealers box… “muffler mender”. Hmmm, I might be JB welding my exhaust to the header but worst case I can break the junction sand off the crap and redo it later. It’s worth a try.
Next day I stop by Autozone on the way to one more smog check to buy some dielectric grease just in case my spark plug wire isn’t happy. Enquire what plug wires go for and if they have them in stock. They do and it’s only $20 so I cave and figure it’s better safe than sorry. Go outside to install them in the parking lot. Don’t know what goes where so I’m going one wire at a time.
PITA 6) I’m going one wire at a time to be sure I don’t have anything mixed up. The two wires that cross each other are a little short but I figure it’s just a crappy design. I’m 4 wires in and realize I only have 1 wire left. Look everywhere to be sure I didn’t drop it. This is a 6 cylinder. The heck? Did someone open and box and pull one out? Take it back inside and claim I’m missing a wire. Nope, that’s the right kit. Anyone see where this is going?
A few minutes later “Oh, you said 4 LITER? I thought you said 4 cylinder. The kit you need is XXXX number. It comes with 7 wires including the lead but it's $30 not $20.” Change all the spark plug wires AGAIN. This is going to be a long lunch hour.
Take it to a new smog shop (better reviews for helpfulness on yelp and one free re-test if needed) and hold my breath….
PRAISE THE LORD, it passed (sent my wife that exact message as a text actually). :eeks1::eeks1::eeks1:
Passed with flying colors no less. NOx around 100 for both speed tests.
So, let that be one more check for y’all. Exhaust leaks can screw with your 02s and/or cats. Original cat was probably fine (albeit now I have the stocker so I don’t have to mess with numbers matching headache). And since just about everything I replaced was probably good at least now I have spares.
I might just have to rethink my plan about dropping the v8 in. That was the type of smog pain I haven’t had in a long long time.
-Joel