F@#cking SMOG

[Joefishizzle]

oh wow, thank you cre. i had no idea.

well i finally checked the ignition timing, i borrowed a gun from my neighbor. i was at 7!!!! i moved it to 11, seeings how the cyngus manual said i should be at 10. the car is running so amazing. i think im ready for a retest

[pandrade]

this might be a off topic question but since we are on smog tests. here in florida there are no emmisions test, i know cali is anal about them. i heard from some where that if your car is 20 years or older you dont have to obay emmisions or safety standars since its a classic ( i belive the gov said " if your willing to drive a 20 year old death trap be our gusests" not that a mk3 is a death trap) is this the case for the entire US or just in florida?

[cre]

Actually, there is no federal limit on TESTING for emissions. You may not under any circumstances circumvent or remove any original Fed or Cali required emissions equipment. States may offer an exemption from TESTING based on their own criteria; HOWEVER, most states froze the year before which a vehicle must have been made a very long time ago. In Colorado, for example, the year was frozen at 1974 or 1975 well after the fact and NO, you are not grandfathered into it. I actually have yet to find a state where they're still letting the counter run for "classic" vehicle status (formerly a designation for any vehicle once it's reached 20 or 25 years of age). For 99% of the US this is complete bullshit... and I don't know where the 1% is. Is your state doesn't require active emissions testing you are still accountable for obeying federal regulations and making sure the entire, original or newer emissions control system(s) is present and in tact... You can still get pulled over and ticketed. A "classic" status is not the blanket legal exemption so many people wish it to be.

And before someone brings it up, no, there is no 25 year law about importing cars either.

[Joefishizzle]

I know Nevada still is

[Joefishizzle]

anyways though. im gonna go for a retest tomorrow guys. im gonna make sure the car is nice and warm by the time its time for my test. wish me luck!

[cre]

Originally Posted by Joefishizzle

I know Nevada still is

YUP... BUT, you can't drive the car more than 5,000 miles in a year (and yes, they check... well, not always but you never know).

[pandrade]

Thanks for clearing that up. I was always curiouse to see if that was true and now I know it's not. I always assumed that if you had the blue classic plate you where exempt because here in my state at the Edison home all there classics don't have cats or any emissions control And there driving around. Well at least I can travle around the states knowing I would have to put my cats back, ( or my fake out cat ) to avoid a ticket. Thanks Cre

[Joefishizzle]

okay so i leaned the car to about 11 as mentioned. took the car back, failed again, however i passed 15mph test and barelly failed the 25mph. so i leaned out to about 13 since my NOx was still low. smogged it this morning and the check engine light came on, and my CO and HC jumped back up to were they were. i got check engine 21 and 51.

i think the O2 is an old code cause the new sensor was just put on, so 51....now i measured resistance and my values are way off according to cyngus manual. any help?

[Joefishizzle]

is there a way to adjust it? Or since my values weren't anywhere close does it need to be replaced?

[cre]

I don't think you understand the proper definition of "lean" and what ignition advance affects. Lean refers to your air to fuel mixture ratio. Ignition advance (dumbed down as "timing"; not the best term as there's more than one type of timing) refers to WHEN the fuel mixture is ignited.

If you ignite the mixture too soon the engine soaks up more heat and the cooling system must evacuate it. If you ignite it too late the heat energy exits with the exhaust and the valve train, O2 sensor, turbo, cat must all deal with the extra wear and tear. Bumping the ignition timing beyond 14 isn't going to result in much difference if the O2 sensor checks out I would test the AFM and if that still good you may need to replace the cat. A lower octane fuel may help out as it's easier for the engine to burn... just baby it while it's in the tank.

Make sure the O2 sensor is very well crimped in place and that you clear the codes before getting the vehicle tested again. Do NOT solder the wiring for an O2 sensor. The dissimilar metals may cause a dielectric reaction skewing the O2 readings significantly. The MKIII uses a narrow band sensor which uses very small voltage signals to determine if the mixture is stoichiometric and that random and tiny voltage spike from a dielectric connection could cause the readings to be significantly off.

Do NOT reset the codes before testing.... give the car a day or two of MILD driving to learn the finer fuel adjustments needed for optimal power and emissions compatibility. You are VERY likely to fail on a car that in its learning mode if the sensors are all old and weathered.

The code 51 doesn't mean a whole lot. Code 51 only means that the IDL switch wasn't closed when the diagnostic mode was running, the TPS isn't properly calibrated, you stepped on the throttle or the A/C was on. This code will clear automatically cone the offending trigger is resolved. A worn TPS shouldn't cause you to fail a test completely... it's a minor trim sensor.