I hate emissions testing

old_man

old_man

NAXJA Forum User
Location
Loveland, Colorado
Well, Northern Colorado has gone to the dreaded dyno based emissions test on my 88 Stroker. I went to test the rig and they wouldn't due to the 35" tires. I went to Peerless Tyres and they threw a set of used tires on some old rims and loaned them to me. That is one of the reasons I have traded there for 20+ years. They believe in customer service.

I get there and wait in line, everything is running fine. They finish the test and say it fails. I start it up and try to drive away and it is running like crap. It has high HC (almost to the limit) and 3x the limit on CO.

I went home and pulled all the plugs and they were running black with fresh carbon. I glass beaded them and reinstalled. I pulled the O2 sensor to change it with a spare I had. As it turns out, my spare was for my old 2.5L and is different, so I put the sensor back in.

I found that my MAP adjuster had a busted wire and fixed it. I started it and it ran great. I headed down the interstate to go and get the tailpipe sniffed to adjust the MAP and when I pulled off the interstate after 4 miles it was running crappy. I limped it back home and pulled up in the driveway. I turned it off, went and got my SnapOn tester and now the engine won't start. Plenty of fuel pressure and it will try to fire when I put ether in the intake.

I also noticed that I have a fairly loud lifter tick.

The old red brick SnapOn 2500 says there is no communication with the ECU. I haven't used the tester since last ColoradoFest. I don't know if it is the tester or really the communications. I am going to put a new battery in the tester and give it a shot again. :firedevil
 
But a new gas cap before you go back Tom. You can run clean on the dyno, have the cap fail the leak-down test, and have to do it all again.
 
Hypoid said:
But a new gas cap before you go back Tom. You can run clean on the dyno, have the cap fail the leak-down test, and have to do it all again.
Click to expand...
Oh yeah, they flunked the gas cap too.
 
High HC, and 3x CO, I'd change out the cat. Change the oil also. Why are you adjusting the MAP? Because it's a stroker? No MAP adjustment on normal Renix engines.
 
The stroker seems to run rich with the injectors I have and has since day one. Maybe when I get some extra cash I may look for a better injector match. I put in the Map adjuster in to adjust the mixture way back when I built the stroker. When the MAP adjuster crapped out it sent it way too rich. The plugs being black won't be fixed by a new cat, but getting the mixture right will reduce both the HC and CO. When I first tested the stroker it ran really clean, so much that the state tester ran it multiple times to make sure he was reading right. Over the last few years, the mileage and power have suffered.

The no start seems to be a new thing. I need to get my needle probes to test out the cam sensor to see if it is functioning. If it is, it sounds like the ECU took a dump. It looks like I have some old fashioned troubleshooting to do tomorrow. I have been thinking about hitting Pull and Save tomorrow morning to snag a sensor. I think I have an ECU for a manual XJ that I can put in just to see if that is the problem, but standing on your head to get the ECU out is not my favorite way to spend a Saturday morning.

I could really use someone with a Renix XJ that I could test out my SnapOn scanner on to make sure it is still good. It worked on my rig at ColoradoFest last year but a lot can happen in that time.
 
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My plugs have been black forever, and passed emissions. How are you going to adjust the mixture, you have one of those adjustable MAP boxes? Being a chemist, I read HC high but passing, CO 3x limit, that is a cat. While your mixture will effect HC and ultimately the CO, it should be a one to one ratio to my chemists mind. But I can't say I've actually studied combustion chemistry.

If it runs rich with the injectors you are using, put it one's that flow less for the test. Simplist solution.
 
Thinking about it, high CO and hydrocarbons don't have to be in a one to one ratio. But still, change out the injectors.
 
Fred said:
My plugs have been black forever, and passed emissions. How are you going to adjust the mixture, you have one of those adjustable MAP boxes? Being a chemist, I read HC high but passing, CO 3x limit, that is a cat. While your mixture will effect HC and ultimately the CO, it should be a one to one ratio to my chemists mind. But I can't say I've actually studied combustion chemistry.

If it runs rich with the injectors you are using, put it one's that flow less for the test. Simplist solution.
Click to expand...

Simple for electrical engineer = MAP adjuster.....Also cheaper.

Surprisingly these are only 25lb/hour. I guess I will drop back to 21lb/hour. You would think that the ECU could compensate that much, but I guess not.
 
I have a set of OEM Renix injectors you can have. They worked when pulled.

The Renix ECU is oriented toward running, not emissions. That's why Renix is superior to HO. :)
 
Fred said:
I have a set of OEM Renix injectors you can have. They worked when pulled.

The Renix ECU is oriented toward running, not emissions. That's why Renix is superior to HO. :)
Click to expand...
I might take you up on that.
 
You CS guys can kiss my A$$.:explosion
 
Go to a different shop.

Tell 'em you converted to FT4WD years ago.

They can't put it on the dyno then, unless they've got a two-axle dyno. And those cost way too much!

That's what I did when they rolled out SCII around here, and it's worked well for me.

I don't have a problem with the idea of emissions testing - it's also a valuable source of information for engine tune & running efficiency. It's the execution that bites wind. If they were serious, they'd have done it much more simply and they'd offer a sliding discount on vehicle registration for getting below certain threshholds of emissions (as a percent of total allowable for that year/make/engine/weight class,) and they'd do away with the visual. What's important is that I've reduced emissions - not how I reduce emissions. Gimme half a chance, and I'll strip most of the stuff off and make it run cleaner in the bargain.

I've never liked how SCI/SCII is executed, it's always been a pain in the arse. Their execution tells me they're not serious about significantly reducing emissions - because there's no mechanism to allow modifications to reduce emissions (and don't even get me started on the harangue involved in engine swaps..)

Worse yet, they fixed the cutoff for exemption a few years ago - it used to be a 30-year rolling exemption from Smog Check, now it's fixed at 1974 and earlier (I think. That's about right, 1973-1975 range.)
 
All Colorado Air Car centers have the ability to test AWD vehicles - they have their own special bay with the double-dyno.
 
YELLAHEEP said:
All Colorado Air Car centers have the ability to test AWD vehicles - they have their own special bay with the double-dyno.
Click to expand...

Well, go to buggery! CA hasn't caught up to that yet, that I know of (the "Test Only" segment is bad enough. Last time I registered my 88, it cost me fifty bucks for the tags and ninety-five for the wretched "Test Only" smog. Pinheads.

(I also love how it costs you more if you pass. Like it costs $8.50 to send a batch of Pass results via MODEM at the end of the day. More like it costs about a quarter per each, you're just paying for four seconds of electricity to generate the report and ten seconds of phone time to send the thing.)
 
It turns out the ECU was shot. I replaced it with an one for a manual and everything starts and runs fine. Anybody have one for an 88 with AT or a list of number that will work?
 
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