TerrenceDinesen

alright, i bought this super clean 92 da in immaculate shape for a steal. previous owner swapped in a obd0 b16a which im not sure why he didnt go obd1 but that is besides the point. what was a amazing deal i thought has turned into a nightmare with emission testing and im losing hope. i know my way around cars but just simple stuff, and emissions arnt my strong point. anyway, car passes everything except hc at idle ive tried two different cats even two cats together ! (faceslap) i know this doesnt fix the problem but i was just trying to get it through. here are my test scores lolz

first test i wanted to see where i was at, drove to the test centre on temporary stickers to see what the car performed like
reading (2500rpm) idle -831rpm
hc 131 -pass 595 - fail
co 1 .56 -pass .47- pass
dilution 14.58 - valid 14.32-valid

thought ok too much fuel time for a tune up plugs, wires, oil change
took it back to see what if any difference it would make

reading (2500rpm) idle -907rpm
hc 140 -pass 525 - fail
co 1 .66 -pass .5- pass
dilution 15.28 - valid 15.05-valid

as you can see not much difference here i also tried that gaurenteed to pass **** before and that did nothin all lies lol keep in mind at this point the car runs strong, no cel at all so im scratchin my head a little.
third test
after doing some digging, i figured out you could check codes at the ecu obd0 red flashy flashy didnt know that thanks ht. found i needed a new tps replaced and calibrated cleared up all codes nothing back since. so i thought better try again, except this time i put a new cat on it

reading (2500rpm) idle -930rpm
hc 52 -pass 246 - fail
co 1 .o1 -pass .0.0- pass
dilution 15.31 - valid 15.3-valid

sooooo close i was ecstatic but wondered why it hadnt made it. i know the cat is one of the most needlessly bought items but my mechanic recommended it obvi cause he makes mad cash off them lol but i was hopeful. he recommended i drive the car a bit more and do a retest again so i did this is what happened.

limit reading (2500rpm) idle -978rpm
hc 196 -pass 639 - fail
co 1 .64 -pass .63- pass
dilution 11.34 - valid 11.17-valid

wow right im like wtf as if i just did all that work and im worse off now then when i started, very discouraging day.

i know this was the wrong decision but i got desperate and bought another brand new walker cat told it was the best oem fit cat i could purchase meant for my engine. another retest later ........

limit reading (2500rpm) idle -1168rpm
hc 93 -pass 224 - fail
co 1 .07 -pass .05- pass
dilution 14.58 - valid 14.32-valid

ughhhhhh so close again, notice the idle climbing? there was a pin hole leak on the hose connected to the fast idle control valve very discouraged at this point so i took one leap further and put two new cats inline on it. fack right it has to pass this time right ?

limit reading (2500rpm) idle -953rpm
hc 148 -pass 651 - fail
co 1 .66 -pass .53- pass
dilution 12.42 - valid 12.23-valid

i think that i just need to step back a bit i really need this car on the road hence the desperate attempt throwing parts but im low on money now lol however, i get the feeling im just cooking these cats im putting on only masking the solution but not well enough to pass any info would be helpful guys im desperate. i have another engine b18c on the floor but it needs to be freshened up before i do anything with it also wanted to SAve it for my next project but ill pull the pin if i cant get this car on the road in the next month. thanks guys btw a pass for me is 200hc sorry it looks fucked up but i didnt think it would post up like that.

HondaPartsHero

Have you checked your ignition timing?

TerrenceDinesen

what should the ignition timing be set at ? mechanically the timing is good cams are lined up with the marks on the crank. do i need to go get a timing light ?

TerrenceDinesen

tonight when i get home from work i will take some pics of the plugs, and the engine bay.

TerrenceDinesen

one thing i forgot to mention is on cold start up the car idles around 2200, but sounds like its missing, but it clears up once the car is warm, also there is a little tick in the motor up until vtec engages which im guessing are my lma's can this induce a rich idle?

TerrenceDinesen

alright so i pulled off my TB today to check my iacv hoses that i found had huge holes in them fixed that but the back of the tb was black and so was the intake plenum going down to cyl 4 is total covered in carbon build up but it looks wet. is this symptoms of a leaky valve? need valve adjustment? or are my valve seats worn out? all of the above ? any input helps, all the plugs were light brown. rest of the intake was clean only number 4 on the tb side was really gross

TerrenceDinesen

plugs were all consistent nice light brown. my phone wont upload the pics right now working on that anyone have this type of problem ? why would my car pass hc at higher rpms and then fail it at idle?

Doworkson!

Hey guys and girls from ht I was helping terry this weekend with his car and we figured out the exhaust cam was out a tooth is this possible for failure of hc at idle? Im pretty sure it is but would and its idling so ****ing high 1100 rpm warm idle screw doesn't so anything for it iacv plugged? When u put your thumb over it idles down to 500 rpm please help we are ready to rip it out

hybridmiklo

ive seen a couple times for some reason that valve stays open and the car idles high as hell on start up. you can either swap the throttle body or the valve underneath it. Its kind of hard to read the numbers you posted. Im a smog tech and could help. post up the latest numbers. hc co co2 nox and o2 so i can see where you at on lambda. but an exhaust cam off can cause a huge difference.

TerrenceDinesen

alright so in ontario they arnt checking for nox theres no dyno anymore, and all it is is the probe in the tail pipe. they test at idle, and then rev and hold the rpms up around 2500
most recent test was this AT idle : HC 651 ppm, CO .53 %, dilution (not sure what that is) 12.21%
those are the only readings they test

at the second stage 2500RPM : HC 144 ppm, CO 1.66%, dilution 12.3 %
only failing hc at idle, limit is 200

hybridmiklo

2 speed idle test. your hc and co together is high. This generally point to the car running rich. You need to check for vacuum leaks. Also need to test the o2 sensor. also is this a stock ecu or chipped?

TerrenceDinesen

ok so ive been told that if you cover your throttle body and the car dies, you shouldnt have any vacuum leaks my car does this hence no vacuum leaks? aswell i know that the iacv and fitv can cause a vacuum when they arent functioning, i turned the white plastic screw back down on the fitv which somewhat lowered my idle and bled the coolant. some what holding steady at 900 rpm now, i also tried the carb cleaner trick no surging. i have a dvom and know how to use it, ill take a look for the values they should be at remember though i dont have any cel, can these single wire o2 become lazy ?

TerrenceDinesen

btw thank you very much for responding quickly this is causing me pain lol

TerrenceDinesen

the ecu is a pr3 , how can i tell if its chipped ? im guessing that its not car behaves like a normal b16a have the pr3 exhaust mani running 2 o2's

TerrenceDinesen

hey guys sorry for the slow reply, i figured out my emissions problems, my exhaust cam was out half a tooth. after i reset my mechanical timing, my smog results where next to nothing. i dont have them on hand atm but the smog tester was even surprised. thanks for your help on this matter