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I recently took my '88 FC GXL for a smog test. I swapped the old exhaust system back on, drove it until it reached idle, and took the test on a hot day, but it still failed due to high HC and CO% levels. Could I have failed due to premixing(currently running royal purple 2-stroke oil)? I'm considering replacing the catalytic converter and oxygen sensor. The tester suggested I go to a tune-up with the cat and o2 sensor replaced, but I'm pretty sure that I don't need one. Any advice or tips on how to get it to pass? I currently have a retest for free in 30 days; any help would be appreciated.
If you have an intact air pump, verify it's working with the ACV, solenoids(if I am not mistaken), etc. Section 4 in the FSM.
Burn a tank of gas with known good injector cleaner and drive it hard for at least some of the middle to end of the tank. Then take out the plugs and replace with new ones before the test.
The O2 sensor only works in 5th gear if I am not mistaken.
Verify the premix levels and run it as low as recommended in a small tank of fuel before the test. Then fill up and mix heaver after the test.
After that, you are at replacing the cat.
You are double the limit, most likely it's your air pump and mix situation, if the cat is good. The others will not move the needle nearly as far.
Any other takers here? I am sure that I am missing something here.
According to the previous owner, the car was largely stock except for aftermarket suspension upgrades and custom rims(I am slightly worried that the PO lied to me because there are some hanging wires and space in the engine bay). According to my mechanic, there were some modifications made to the O2 sensor port when the previous owner changed to the full RacingBeating Exhaust System(Headers, Presilencer, Catbacks, No Catalytic Converter). I swapped it back to the OEM for the smog test.
I talked to a rotary shop called Sake Bomb Garage since I live in the Bay Area and they suggested a Tune-Up for sparkplugs, the plug wires, and any vacuum leaks, quoting me for about $500-1000. I reached out to a buddy of mine who also told me to probably replace my vacuum lines. I'm unsure whether this could be a DIY for the Tune-Up or if I need to bring it into a shop. I can wrench on cars, but I'd say my automotive level is pretty basic from sparkplug changes to changing brakes. I was hoping to learn more about my car and understand it better in the future, but I'm unsure as to if this situation is pretty bad and if I should give up on my dream car. I am pretty busy with school now so I'm considering just non-oping and selling and biting the bullet. I knew coming into this would eat money, but I guess I only found out the hard way.
Quick Question:
For the injector cleaner, do I just put it into my tank after running it empty and filling it with gas? Also am I able to verify if my catalytic converter has gone bad using a pressure gauge on an FC?
Here are a few photos of the engine bay for reference and another reference to the test:
what does took the test on a hot day mean? the car needs to be hot, not the weather.
my check list is to verify, or set the, timing, TPS and idle mixture, then you can reach under the car to the ACV vent and verify that the ACV is working (it is your numbers are pretty good)
then it should pass.
if it doesn't pass the o2 sensor is easy and cheap, and after that i've never had one fail, lol
I see one vacuum port on the intake manifold not connected so that's messing with your mixture. Did you put the ACV on yourself and did you have the ~1" diameter check valve?
Also, make sure the plug wires are correctly attached and sparking. The inline tester is great for that.
The state the car is in now is basically how I bought the car. I haven't had time to check the ACV, but I should be able to tomorrow morning. I'm planning on just doing a tune-up, servicing the car(oil change), vacuum leak checks, cat check, and any other parts you guys suggest, but I also believe premixing is what led me to have really high CO and HC levels because I have a working OMP(according to the Previous Owner) and I usually eyeball 1 oz to a gallon on fill-ups.
I assuming I should be able to find the ACV using the FSM or does anyone know the location?
[QUOTE=satoru;12613713 I have a working OMP(according to the Previous Owner) and I usually eyeball 1 oz to a gallon on fill-ups.
[/QUOTE]
I don't know how it effects smog but from everything I've read on here that's too much oil if you have a working OMP.1oz per gallon is roughly 125:1 which is about right with no OMP. I heard 400:1 is what popple run with a working OMP. If your OMP work you could run no premix in the tank of gas you use for your smog test.
Now that I have time to look at these pictures on a desktop, I thought, "this looks like my car". And pinstripes.... seriously though, it looks pretty stock. The missing hose is the pressure sensor as far as I can tell. The first picture in the "more pictures" section shows it pretty clearly. If you get that in there, it could be most of the problems combined with the premix.
Fuel injector cleaner gets used per the instructions on the bottle. As far as a test for a cat.... I am not sure besides a smell of fuel, a smog test and a loss of power at the acceleration pedal. Sometimes they will clog and bog down the engine.
Don't give up on your dreams. The nice people in the thread here will guide you along. I will duck out now unless you get ghosted. You are in good hands with the others. Best wishes!!
Thanks for the advice. It motivates and is inspirational to see all the senior members with their knowledge and willingness to help out the new guys. Thinking about just following some of the advice and doing it myself even though I'm busy. I took basic automotive and my friend who's a SAAB tech said I could prob do it and wouldn't have to bring it to a rotary shop. I'll give it one more go and hopefully get her to pass! Will check-in whether it fails or passes.
09-23-24, 06:33 PM
And pinstripes.... seriously though, it looks pretty stock. The missing hose is the pressure sensor as far as I can tell. The first picture in the "more pictures" section shows it pretty clearly. If you get that in there, it could be most of the problems combined with the premix.