Calhondaaaron

1990 Honda Civic hatchback.
173,XXX - or so, bought it without the speedometer working who knows how long the previous owner ran it like that for.
------- This is a California Smog Check Vehicle Inspection Report-------
Test Results - Emissions test: GROSS POLLUTER

Test @ 15mph
HC (PPM) MAX =91 MEAS =109
CO(%) MAX =0.57 MEAS=0.33
NO (PPM) MAX=835 MEAS=0

Test @ 25mph
HC (PPM) MAX =73 MEAS =16
CO(%) MAX =0.48 MEAS=0.02
NO (PPM) MAX=774 MEAS=2436

Hey guys this is officially what my second Smog check report shows. My previous one has embarrassing numbers on it but so far so good I'm closer to passing it. The only thing I've done is change my cat converter which produced me these results. So I failed on 2 different speeds ,and I failed on HC and NO PPMs. So at 15 mph I failed the HC by a few PPMs......NO(PPM) it shows 0
And at 25 mph I failed the NO(PPM) which shot up to 2,4XX!!
The smog check guy said he's never seen a case like that since he has done smog checks so he couldn't help me figure out a solution........he said usually people have high NO results at the lower speed
So my question would be.
how do I drop HC(PPM) @15mph?
And how do I drop NO(PPM) @25mph?

F22Who

Possible NO fixes http://www.smogtips.com/failed-high-...rous-oxide.cfm

Possible HC fixes http://www.smogtips.com/failed-high-hydrocarbons-HC.cfm

I would check all your emissions related parts IE, CAT (which you already did), check that no air is entering the intake past MAF sensor/vacuum lines in general (if your engine lean misfires it will shoot HC up) Ignition related parts...

There's a ton of parts in a car that regulate emissions.

Probably doesn't help your in Cali, with their high emissions

F22Who

I've also heard having a full tank of gas and maybe dumping a fuel additive in might help. Can't say from personal experience on the additive but i failed with a VW Golf I had and the tester recommended I try filling up and I went back and passed by 1PPM haha. So maybe just another thought.

24TEN

iTrader: (2)

Maybe your actual fuel injectors need to be physically cleaned and/or rebuilt to flow properly.

4drEF

What was your timing set at?
When is the last time you changed the:
- air filter
- PCV
- oxygen sensor
- spark plugs
- anything ignition system

If you have a few weeks before you have to test again, try running some fuel injector cleaner.
Then make sure you run the tank low to get as much of the cleaner additive out of the fuel as possible.
When you test, use low octane (yes... low). 87 or 89 should be fine (check your owners manual and go with what Honda recommends for your engine)
Higher than necessary octane takes more to ignite so running lower will give a more complete burn and less HC.

Take the car in to a muffler shop and have them test your catalytic converter.
The Nox is really high. From my limited personal experience and accounts from people here with smog issues, once it hits 2000 and above, it's usually a catalytic problem.

nabs.no.abs

Did you break in your cat after you changed it?

whited

Was the car warmed up? Literally, let the car idle for an hour before you test it. If you fail like that, then let it get really hot by holding the rpm at 3k for 10 minutes and try again.

That would always make the cars pass for me in PA.

Calhondaaaron

Hey thanks for all the responses and help. Actually I haven't done anything to the car other than doing the regular oil and filter change since I bought it 2 months ago. I'm in the process of doing a tune up myself and I'm pretty sure I broke it in by now. I have about 250 miles in with the new cat converter and the smog place I go to is a good 20 miles from where I live. So that is one thing I did right. My tank was nearly empty tho, with a gas treatment liquid in it.
As for the tune up I will be replacing just about the whole car...no I'm joking.
Here is what I understand needs to b changed.
Distributor Cap
Ignition Rotor
Wireset
Spark Plugs
Oxygen sensor
Coolant Temperature Sensor

Is there anything else missing that'll help out?

And if all else fails I have been advised to rebuild the cylinder head.
What do you guys think?

4drEF

Having a fuel additive in your tank did not help you.

To add t your list of parts -
PCV, fuel filter, air filter, and set ignition timing.
You need to disable the electronic advance by putting a paperclip in the service connector before setting timing.

Calhondaaaron

So I'm guessing that is why my car keeps stalling.