Passed CA smog today - first try!
04-12-13 | 01:00 AM
#1
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From: Ramstein AB, Germany
Passed CA smog today - first try!
I just wanted to share this story and reaffirm what others have been saying... you can pass CA smog with mods.
My FD has 127k mi and I was worried about passing CA smog after the car sat for 4 years. It had a full tank of 91 gas and half of that was old. The only work I did was replace 4 vacuum lines that the mice chewed through. It passed the exhaust sniff, visual inspection and tank pressure test on the first try.
Engine has an Apexi PFC, Bonez DP/High-Flo cat, street port, JDM twins and the usual fuel/air/water upgrades. All smog equipment is installed and in working order. The engine was rebuilt at 110k mi so it still had the same plugs after 17K mi. The oil was still clean since it had been changed prior to a smog test about 3 months before the car was stored. The engine was tuned to 14psi by Rotary Evolution about the same time as the oil change. FYI - the CEL is wired to "flash" with other warning lights in case the engine start is observed by a technician.
I drove the car twice for about 15 min within an 1 hour span due to delays with testing. It sat for about 40 min after the last run but it was fairly warm out... high of 81F. I made sure to leave it running when I pulled up for the test.
RPM-----%C02-----%O2----------HC (PPM)--------------------CO (%)--------------
MEAS-----MEAS -----MEAS-----MAX----AVE----MEAS----------MAX----AVE----MEAS
871-------13.7-------1.9--------100----17-------12--------------1.00----0.00---0.00
2439-----10.8-------5.6--------130----12---------1--------------1.00----0.10---0.00
FYI - Today's test results were very close to 2008 results when the car was purposely leaned out.
My FD has 127k mi and I was worried about passing CA smog after the car sat for 4 years. It had a full tank of 91 gas and half of that was old. The only work I did was replace 4 vacuum lines that the mice chewed through. It passed the exhaust sniff, visual inspection and tank pressure test on the first try.
Engine has an Apexi PFC, Bonez DP/High-Flo cat, street port, JDM twins and the usual fuel/air/water upgrades. All smog equipment is installed and in working order. The engine was rebuilt at 110k mi so it still had the same plugs after 17K mi. The oil was still clean since it had been changed prior to a smog test about 3 months before the car was stored. The engine was tuned to 14psi by Rotary Evolution about the same time as the oil change. FYI - the CEL is wired to "flash" with other warning lights in case the engine start is observed by a technician.
I drove the car twice for about 15 min within an 1 hour span due to delays with testing. It sat for about 40 min after the last run but it was fairly warm out... high of 81F. I made sure to leave it running when I pulled up for the test.
RPM-----%C02-----%O2----------HC (PPM)--------------------CO (%)--------------
MEAS-----MEAS -----MEAS-----MAX----AVE----MEAS----------MAX----AVE----MEAS
871-------13.7-------1.9--------100----17-------12--------------1.00----0.00---0.00
2439-----10.8-------5.6--------130----12---------1--------------1.00----0.10---0.00
FYI - Today's test results were very close to 2008 results when the car was purposely leaned out.
04-12-13 | 03:12 PM
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From: Ramstein AB, Germany
Thx guys.
Evil... how is the rotary scene there? Are there many tuners or do owners do most of their own work?
You live in a nice area. Last Oct, I tried to visit Riomaggiore while staying in Livorno but ran out of time.
Evil... how is the rotary scene there? Are there many tuners or do owners do most of their own work?
You live in a nice area. Last Oct, I tried to visit Riomaggiore while staying in Livorno but ran out of time.
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04-13-13 | 01:19 AM
#8
04-13-13 | 02:35 AM
#9
FYI - the CEL is wired to "flash" with other warning lights in case the engine start is observed by a technician.
04-13-13 | 12:19 PM
#10
Lot more RX-8 but there aren't common car.
Tuning? In Italy? Tuning is never born here....you can't change nothing on car.....
Here you need to find a good mechanic (not Mazda) or do all the work by yourself ^^
04-13-13 | 02:12 PM
#12
These results look like an "easy" area of California, one that does not require the dyno test. I live in an area of Calif. that does require the dyno test, and numbers here are tighter than the OP's requirements. I recently passed with a better than average margin, using the stock computer.
04-14-13 | 09:29 AM
#14
Guys,
Consider this when you find yourself surprised that this guy passed.
The keys to passing emissions tests is proper Air-fuel-ratio, stable combustion, and good catalytic converter efficiency
It doesn't matter what the limit is. Any of these limits are a joke compared to what modern cars have to meet. You can pass any smog test that any station will provide if you keep this in mind.
The big problems a rotary engine has are with CO and HC. What causes high CO? Rich mixture. That's it. How do I decrease CO? For purposes of this discussion, you need to increase the oxygen. What increases the oxygen and effectively reduces CO% ? The airpump, and various oxygenates in the fuel (ethanol, methanol).
I would say "oh just lean it out." You can't lean out the mixture in the rotary combustion chamber enough to pass, unless you have an extremely lax standard to meet. Why can't you lean out the rotary engine? Leaning out causes unstable combustion, which results in misfire and higher HC emissions. The airpump and ACV are there for a reason. If you have to pass a sniffer test, think long and hard about whether you want to get rid of it. The airpump causes a negligble loss of horsepower. You know it has a clutch right? It's a pain in the *** to have under the hood though, I'll give you that.
Finally, about converter efficiency. A catalytic converter needs to be warm to work right, and it needs to be loaded with precious metals. As OP has demonstrated, keeping the engine warm will help do the trick. You're fighting an uphill battle with an aftermarket cat because they have hardly any platinum in them to convert HC. That's partly why a stock cat on any car costs a gazillion dollars compared to an aftermarket one.It's even worse when the cat has some mileage on them, because as mileage and heat accumulates, the efficiency of the converter steadily breaks down.
So just remember... a warmed-up lower mileage cat, a stable idle, and airpump are all you need for the vast majority of engines to pass any standard, even with porting.
Consider this when you find yourself surprised that this guy passed.
The keys to passing emissions tests is proper Air-fuel-ratio, stable combustion, and good catalytic converter efficiency
It doesn't matter what the limit is. Any of these limits are a joke compared to what modern cars have to meet. You can pass any smog test that any station will provide if you keep this in mind.
The big problems a rotary engine has are with CO and HC. What causes high CO? Rich mixture. That's it. How do I decrease CO? For purposes of this discussion, you need to increase the oxygen. What increases the oxygen and effectively reduces CO% ? The airpump, and various oxygenates in the fuel (ethanol, methanol).
I would say "oh just lean it out." You can't lean out the mixture in the rotary combustion chamber enough to pass, unless you have an extremely lax standard to meet. Why can't you lean out the rotary engine? Leaning out causes unstable combustion, which results in misfire and higher HC emissions. The airpump and ACV are there for a reason. If you have to pass a sniffer test, think long and hard about whether you want to get rid of it. The airpump causes a negligble loss of horsepower. You know it has a clutch right? It's a pain in the *** to have under the hood though, I'll give you that.
Finally, about converter efficiency. A catalytic converter needs to be warm to work right, and it needs to be loaded with precious metals. As OP has demonstrated, keeping the engine warm will help do the trick. You're fighting an uphill battle with an aftermarket cat because they have hardly any platinum in them to convert HC. That's partly why a stock cat on any car costs a gazillion dollars compared to an aftermarket one.It's even worse when the cat has some mileage on them, because as mileage and heat accumulates, the efficiency of the converter steadily breaks down.
So just remember... a warmed-up lower mileage cat, a stable idle, and airpump are all you need for the vast majority of engines to pass any standard, even with porting.
04-22-13 | 07:04 PM
#15
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From: Ramstein AB, Germany
I posted my 2009 (lean) vs. 2013 (normal) tests for comparison....
2008:
RPM-----%C02-----%O2----------HC (PPM)--------------------CO (%)--------------
MEAS-----MEAS -----MEAS-----MAX----AVE----MEAS----------MAX----AVE----MEAS
840-------11.1-------5.3--------100----17---------9--------------1.00----0.00---0.00
2619-------8.7-------8.4--------130----12---------0--------------1.00----0.10---0.00
2013:
RPM-----%C02-----%O2----------HC (PPM)--------------------CO (%)--------------
MEAS-----MEAS -----MEAS-----MAX----AVE----MEAS----------MAX----AVE----MEAS
871-------13.7-------1.9--------100----17-------12--------------1.00----0.00---0.00
2439------10.8-------5.6--------130----12---------1-------------1.00----0.10---0.00
04-22-13 | 07:05 PM
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From: Ramstein AB, Germany
04-22-13 | 07:37 PM
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From: Ramstein AB, Germany
These results look like an "easy" area of California, one that does not require the dyno test. I live in an area of Calif. that does require the dyno test, and numbers here are tighter than the OP's requirements. I recently passed with a better than average margin, using the stock computer.
Some CA counties don't require smog tests and some do only in certain zip codes. I knew a guy who got by like this with a single turbo, 500hp FD.
Here's a link which allows you to search by ZIP to see program requirements...
Program Area Lookup
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