hmmm i dunno if im missing out on a maintanace update for ht or not... but whenevver i search for archived threads, results come up but when i click on the thread, it says "error, no posts in this topic" or something like that...

so i cant really get any info on failed smog tests... but anyway, i passed at 25 mph but failed at 15...

the max allowed hc is 118 but my car read 130... thats the only part im failin at... what can cause this and how can i fix it? all my piping is stock for all i know, i bought it from my uncle a few years back... only mods are suspension and intake... the thing is tho, my car is fairly loud, so im not too sure if he did indeed have something replaced... everything appears to be stock though

when i bought it from him a few years back, it passed smog but this was at a regular smog station... im required to take it to a test only station and thats where it failed... what can i do to fix this problem? tIa

 

Check to see if he reomved the catalytic converter, that would explain why it would be louder.

 

cat is there... if i didnt have one i wouldnt have passed anything on the smog test

 

Have you changed the plugs, wires, o2 sensor in a while? If you havn't changing them may help. Also make sure you drive the car for a while before taking the test, this way the catalytic converter will be working to its potential hopefully.

 

thanx... yah im aware of letting the cat heat up to be working to its fullest... was driving around for a good while before that... and no, havent changed any plugs, wires, or o2 sensors is this garunteed to make my hc go down? what other steps can i take? and some1 please inform me on what hc is

 

When was your last oil change? What grade of gas are you using? what are the readings for nox and co at both speeds?

 

changed oil hmmm... bout a month ago... gotta use 91 octane...



any1 else?

 

going to class bump

 

What kind of advice is all this. Pure crap...

Excessive HC's (Hydrocarbons) are formed when there is an incomplete combustion of the fuel mixture within the cylinders. Not because of dirty oil...

You have to approach this with the premise that you are not burning all the fuel that you should.

So, first thing would be to know how much mileage is on the engine?
Second, When was the last tune-up?

You may want to invest in spark plugs, wires and distributor for starters to at least restore the spark capacity of your engine.

Answer the questions please.

fs

 

the engine has about hmm... 135k for mileage and havent had a tune up (aside from regular oil changes) for maybe a year... maybe a little more, but no more then 2 years... and that was the 100k mile service from honda... something around those terms...

yes, since finally the archived posts are working, i was reading about retarding the timing, and that can help decrease the hydrocarbons... what do you think? thumbs up or thumbs down? plannin to change out sparks n o2 sensors shortly n see how that works... thanks for input

 

That would be a start but i would not change the o2 sensor. It has nothing to do with it. You see, a lean condition, not enough fuel, usually causes misfires. Even if your o2 sensor was shot to hell, if you have good spark, you should be able to ignite that mixture anyways.

THe problem with these smog tests is that you can't test the repairs by yourself. It's sort of a shot in the dark...

Again, i will say high HC's are a combustion problem. You are not burning all the fuel that is entering the cylinders. So first is change sparks, plugs and cap. Make sure your sparkies are gapped properly.

Now, engines producing high HC's will tend to destroy a perfectly working cat. So it may be that your cat is going south also. But, start with the easy stuff here and have it retested. Then take it from there.

fs

 

If you look on the sheet, i think they actually check your timing to make sure you arent to far advanced/retarted. Id go for plug, plugwire, cap, rotor, the usual tuneup stuff. i have to go to a test only station as well within the next few weeks, and i got my fingers crossed.

 

yeah, those ******* check the timing. they pretty much enjoy failing us hondas... more money for them. do your usual tune up stuff and maybe even replace your cat.
if you replace it, then drive it straight to the smog station, it might make a big enough decrease to pass this once. good luck.

my smog time is coming up too... really not to sure about my car.

 

thanx alot for all the great advice/feedback guys... appreciated... dunno where id be without ht...

hmmm it was to my knowledge that you can advance/retard timing within 2 degrees and keep it within factory specs yes? but either way i still needa get my hands on a timing light... but hmmm, yah from what you guys are saying, i might not even want to risk the 2 degrees... looks like im going for these steps i picked up from you guys here and other threads:

plugs
caps
"Garunteed To Pass" crap
burn up all my gas n put in a fresh tank
over inflate tires

and if that still dont pass me, which i hope it does since im not off by too much, looks like ill go for a last resort of getting a new oem cat... which is gonna cost $$$ ... unless someone has an extra one i can borrow

thanks again guys, if any extra tips/advice come up from anyone, please let me know...

will let you guys know how everything turns out

 

hmmm alright... so i finally received my wires/plugs/cap/rotor n finished puttin em in... about to go head back out to test only center >:[ ...

before i do though, i gotta ask if its ok to mix chevrons fuel system cleaner with iso heet?

if not, should i just go for 3 bottles of the iso heet and a half tank of gas? what do you guys reccomend the best way to handle these additives?... i sure dont want to spend another 50 bucks having to resmog >:[ this has to be the one! tia

 

welp.... after a change in spark plugs, wires, cap, rotor, and 3 bottles of iso heet in a half tank of gas.... i still failed... this time worst then the last....

my HC increased to 145 @ 15 and 103 @ 25...

this sucks badly... any ideas ???????

 

Thank god in florida they took that **** off
Anyways what I did was reach for my handy dandy wallet and take out a $50 and see that smog test pass! Thank you Jeb Bush for removing that smog ****, Thanks to him I run full 2.5 pipeing from header back, no cat only resonater.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by 92h22alude &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Thank god in florida they took that **** off
Anyways what I did was reach for my handy dandy wallet and take out a $50 and see that smog test pass! Thank you Jeb Bush for removing that smog ****, Thanks to him I run full 2.5 pipeing from header back, no cat only resonater.</TD></TR></TABLE>

um thanks ... i need suggestions/ideas, not smirky comments..

 

fail HC = need to replace catalytic converter

I have no idea where all the other 'advice' is coming from in this thread.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by sharkcohen &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">fail HC = need to replace catalytic converter

I have no idea where all the other 'advice' is coming from in this thread.</TD></TR></TABLE>

i figured since hydrocarbons form from rich air/fuel mixture... id change my spark plugs n such... when i took out my plugs, i looked at em n saw i was running rich... so i was like, this has to do the trick...

cat did pop into my mind in the beginning for a short while... but i figured id've failed all 3 instead of just hc

 

Look how far above the average you are for NOx. You barely passed that. Typically, EGR takes care of NOx, though.

 

i know they can be pricey, so i wanna try other things before i hit the cat... my nox did drop alot on my retest... 640 @ 15, 552 @ 25...

but yah guess i will start lookin in a cat soon... how much would i be lookin at for a good cheap one? n how much do they run for installing them



Modified by SNsLude at 5:24 PM 1/26/2005

 

not to veer off topic but i live in indiana and i thank god i ahve no emission tests i really feel bad for you guys.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by SNsLude &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">i know they can be pricey, so i wanna try other things before i hit the cat... </TD></TR></TABLE>
ROFL, dude, it's your cat.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by spade &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">
Hydrocarbons (HC) are essentially unburned fuel that have not been successfully burned during the combustion process or have escaped into the atmosphere through fuel evaporation. The main sources of incomplete combustion are rich air/fuel mixtures, low engine temperatures and improper spark timing. The main sources of hydrocarbon emission through fuel evaporation come from the vehicle's fuel tank and carburetor bowl (if equipped).</TD></TR></TABLE>

i came to the conclusion it could have been bad spark... sure enough when i took out my plugs it retained the color to indicate i was possibly running rich... im not gonna go straight to the cat if i coulda fixed my hc problem with cheaper tune ups and easy diy's such as changing out wires/cap/rotor/plugs... ppl have done this and was enough to solve their smog problem... but yes like i said, as a last resort i will have to go to the cat