So i got a car a few weeks ago, as is. 95' Honda Accord ex 4dr. Great price. The thing is, i went to get it smogged and it failed because the catalytic converter was weak. It was just replaced two years ago before the last smog. Can anyone help me and maybe give me some possible reasons this is happening so quickly?

 

I don't know but i installed a magnaflow race cat on my h22 14k miles ago and it is completely empty and burned out. SO do not buy a magnaflow by any means.

Some people say it is from running rich and i am getting mixed answers but i know a healthy 40k mile jdm h22 isn't in bad enough shape to do that in 14k miles.

good luck keep us updated

 

Do you have the test results?
If in Calif you will have a 5 gas test, post ALL the numbers.

 

whats going on in cali lately?

I see some eg hatches with k swaps in cali and then i see people with d16 powered civics that are scared to swap a gsr in because of regulations??? how is it that some people just do wild swaps and others can't??

 

I didnt recieve the test results because the test was free from a good friend of mine and he didnt submit the results. Next time, when i replace the cat, i will get the results and post them. im still going to look into this issue because i dont wana replace it again in another 2 years.

 

Well the cars get smogged every 2 years and they have to make sure there are NO aftermarket modifications whatsoever. Not even an aftermarket air filter. Once they get it smogged, they put the parts back in.

 

The smog laws are not that strict. An engine swap can occur if it is out of a similar car and is the same year or newer. Thus one can swap in an H22 from a Prelude into their Accord and it would be legal. It would have to 'BAR'd" which means brought to a referee station, usually local community college, all applicable emissions devices are checked for installation and connections; a test occurs; and if all passes the car receives a sticker with a bar code for the ROTM smog stations to scan so it can be tested. One cannot install a Truck engine into a passenger car.

benavides13 before you install a new catalyst, bring your car back to your friend and have him pretest it, and get a readout with the 5 gas results, which will be O2, CO, CO2, HC, and NOx. This way you can receive the results without them being submitted to the state. If the car was cold when tested it would probably fail, a good 15-20min drive does wonders for testing.

 

Replacing catalytic converters without fixing the root problem is going to get expensive fast. IMO, the number one reason for a catalytic converter to go bad is an exhaust leak.

 

Cool,thanks guys. Ima look into all this.