Almost stock, but Failed CA smog- HELP!
07-25-2006, 11:24 AM
#1
Staging Lane
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Almost stock, but Failed CA smog- HELP! What's up guys,
Last Friday I went to get a smog done and it faled the low speed portion in the NOx category ... Atleast the HC and CO were great. Car is a '02 B4C, A4, 106K miles, only mod is a lid & cutout... Cutout was uncapped during the smog and the car was warm prior to testing. I think when the NOx is high, the fix is a new EGR or new cats. Being that the car is an '02, there is no EGR, so do I need cats? Or is there anything else I should look for since cats aren't cheap??? Thanks in advance for the help.
Last Friday I went to get a smog done and it faled the low speed portion in the NOx category ... Atleast the HC and CO were great. Car is a '02 B4C, A4, 106K miles, only mod is a lid & cutout... Cutout was uncapped during the smog and the car was warm prior to testing. I think when the NOx is high, the fix is a new EGR or new cats. Being that the car is an '02, there is no EGR, so do I need cats? Or is there anything else I should look for since cats aren't cheap??? Thanks in advance for the help.
07-25-2006, 11:32 AM
#2
Tech Resident
seafoam your car and go again. it'll clean out the engine and lower your emissions. i wrote a sticky on how to do it in this forum above (general maintenance & repair).
07-25-2006, 12:30 PM
#4
Tech Resident
Originally Posted by Splitz
i have an easier solution...
move away from the tree hugger country of Cali!
move away from the tree hugger country of Cali!
i can think of dozens of big reasons to want to leave california. emissions testing is at the bottom of that list.
07-25-2006, 03:20 PM
#6
TECH Senior Member
No codes turned off for cats? If not, probably not the problem. Don't know if the cutout being open has anything to do with it, but you have guts leaving it open for emissions testing - especially in CA. Here's a TTT for you. Sorry can't help, gotta love the states w/o emissions.
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07-25-2006, 07:04 PM
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Blk98ls1,....well, for some strange reason,California has to do EVERYTHING different or completely opposite of the other 49 states!!!! Damn Democrats!!! LOL...
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yes, it's a joke that I referred to it as a country!!!!
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yes, it's a joke that I referred to it as a country!!!!
07-25-2006, 09:03 PM
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Well, ya'll know how the democrats blame Bush for Hurricane Katrina??? I say, blame all democrats in California for our high gas prices because 99.9% of all democrats "want" to be tree huggers, but buy these giantic SUV's that get 1 gallon per mile!!!
and yes...i meant it to READ 1 GALLON per MILE!
and yes...i meant it to READ 1 GALLON per MILE!
07-26-2006, 06:37 PM
#13
10 Second Club
The cats are most likely the problem. I would beat the dog **** out of the car before testing to get the cats hot, then get the test. The hotter the cats the leaner the emissions. Ex-Ohio E-check tech here.
07-27-2006, 04:08 PM
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Hey NAVYBLU-Z let us know what the end result is, just keep the cats nice & hot before you smog. I'm hoping my smog guy can become dooly eyed 
when it's time to smog mine, hate to put the stock stuff back on.
when it's time to smog mine, hate to put the stock stuff back on.
07-27-2006, 07:27 PM
#17
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When I smogged my 98 Tahoe, I drove for like 30 min up & down Skyline Blvd. from SF to Hickey Blvd. trying to do as many wot runs as possible. Mods on my Tahoe: Volant CAI, P&P TB, Doug Thorley Tri-Y's, Custom 2.5 dual exhaust X-pipe, Dynomax bullets.
07-29-2006, 01:59 PM
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What grade of gasoline were you running? You should run something low(er), like 87 or 89. If you can pass on something between 91-94, great, but otherwise, try running low octane gas and see what happens. I realize your HC's weren't the cause, but since I don't fully understand the "chemistry" of the HC's, vs CO, vs NOx, then I can only go with theories I know!
08-18-2006, 11:21 AM
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What up evry1 ...
Finally got around to getting the B4C back to smog.
Here is what was done to the car prior to smogging:
-Replaced plugs w/ NGK TR55's
-Added Taylor 8mm wires (only cuz I ripped 2 of the stock wires in 1/2)
-Installed TCI SF3000 (nothing to do with emissions) =)
-Capped cut-out
-Drove the car around for 30 miles spiritedly, prior to going to the smog station
(Smog was done w/ 91 octane gas)
Final Results = PASS on every test !
I was surprised at how much the NOx decreased, it was damn near 1/2 of my old #'s. Then again, my car has 106K miles, and I just had a feeling that the plugs were neglected...Sure enough, All but about 2 had hardly any part of the electrode left ! I guess even CHP knows that s plug swap in our cars is a PITA ! Thanks again everyone for your help, and remember-If your A4 car for some reason doesn't pass smog, throw a torque converter in . Now I can put some headers on and enjoy them for 2 years. If anyone out there has a set for sale cheap let me know.
Finally got around to getting the B4C back to smog.
Here is what was done to the car prior to smogging:
-Replaced plugs w/ NGK TR55's
-Added Taylor 8mm wires (only cuz I ripped 2 of the stock wires in 1/2)
-Installed TCI SF3000 (nothing to do with emissions) =)
-Capped cut-out
-Drove the car around for 30 miles spiritedly, prior to going to the smog station
(Smog was done w/ 91 octane gas)
Final Results = PASS on every test !
I was surprised at how much the NOx decreased, it was damn near 1/2 of my old #'s. Then again, my car has 106K miles, and I just had a feeling that the plugs were neglected...Sure enough, All but about 2 had hardly any part of the electrode left ! I guess even CHP knows that s plug swap in our cars is a PITA ! Thanks again everyone for your help, and remember-If your A4 car for some reason doesn't pass smog, throw a torque converter in . Now I can put some headers on and enjoy them for 2 years. If anyone out there has a set for sale cheap let me know.
