My modded FD has passed the emissions tests for the pass 3 years and today.
But every time there is the problem that there equipment can't read the RPMS, or reads it but keeps resetting because the settup they are using isn't the one the system wants for a rotory engine. Thus they test with the RPMS bypassed.

A problem is that the people working at these places are never there from one year to the next. I went back to the best place that I had found (uses a double roller dyno, no straps needed) but the previous technician who was an understanding car guy was not there. Instead there was a young hispanic guy who did not know what a rotory engine was and tried to open my hood without also unlocking the hood pins. He got very frustrated with the RPM thing and called over his boss. The boss could not get it to work either and also got pissed off. They ran the tests with RPMS bypassed. I then DISCUSSED the facts about their TX required equipment being not rotory friendly and that it is not my fault it does not work with my car! The young idiot told me to have Mazda change my ignition system. BAWAHAAAA!!

To finish this story: The boss said that next year if I come there and they can not read rpms, they will refuse to test my car.

Maybe I'll be lucky and both stupid idiots will not be there next year, but if not; I have two choices1) go to another shop and **** around with those idiots, or
(2) find out how to setup there equipment to properly work with my FD.


Any help with option 2????????????????????????/

 

I feel for you; I have had the same problems most every year. Last year I drove to the other side of the county to use the oil change shop down the street from Rotary Performance. I had been to two local places manned by idiots who get everything done except emissions and then don't know how to use their own equipment; I was furious. In the past year I have moved across town and the local place a couple blocks away did it in 15 mins even though I was expecting another beating. I was elated! It was no coincidence I'm sure that the shop seemed to have an excellent manager and the employees didn't look like high school drop outs.

I have experienced all of these:

They can't find ignition wires. They send me home even after I offer to attach the pickup for them.

They find ignition wires but can't get RPM reading from them. They send me home.

They get ignition reading but wrong RPM due to failure to set controls on machine to "4 cyl". They perform the test but car fails because they're running the engine at the wrong RPM. I realize this because the engine is screaming while on the rollers. I point out to them the tach in the car is reading several times higher than the one on their machine. They tell me the car failed and try to keep my money. I go to my car and block two of their bays with my parked car and argue with the manager for 10 mins before I get my money back and leave.

A sniffer that showed no reading at all. Not a reading that was out of spec, NO reading. They said my exhaust was bad. With the car running I put my hand over the tailpipe and said it certainly felt like exhaust to me! The tech insists there is no exhaust and their machine was fine. What I needed was a new exhaust manifold or possibly new turbos I once again have to get mean in order to get my money back from these schmoes.

The only hurdle is getting an ignition signal and being sure the machine is setup as if the car is a 4 cylinder. The machines I have seen pickup the signal via an inductive clamp on a plug wire but be sure you use one of the leading plug wires. The trailing plugs use a wasted spark and I think this confuses the machine.

I can only hope the RX-8 being around makes it easier for all of us.

 

Maybe we all should send a joint list of names and problems we have with TX's system and ask for a waiver for our cars.

Next year I plan to demand a written letter from any place which can not test my car or refuses. Then I will mail a copy of it to the TDMV asking them to consider pulling that station's liscence and maybe send a copy to my state representitive.


I wonder if any TX representative owns a rotory Mazda.

RX-8s are later OBDC and only require dummping the ECU data.

 

HAHA Great story DamonB, I wouldn't have thought to block two bays to get someone to talk to me.


BTW, It's the leading plugs that have wasted spark (Leading fires both rotors at the same time)...I think you mixed them up.

 

Damn. Forgot all you have to do with OBDII is plug the thing in. I guess we're still doomed

Never thought of that. Might be a good idea.

Oops. Thanks. Hadn't had any food yet today

 

Thanks to all for providing such good reading material related to our FD's, however, since moving up to the FD last year and restoring a disfunctional car, I am now in the process of having to get the car to pass inspection.

Does anyone have specifics around CO emission issues and possible fixes. My 1st attempt to get through this process failed with to high a CO reading. How do I reduce this. A friend suggested that I put back my stock ECU (currently running a Power FC) and drive the car gingerly unitl I get passed the CO test. Then put the Power FC back into the car.

Seems like a long shot, any comments?

Much Appreciated.

 

I had the same thing happen to me. So, when the tech was programming the computer I watched. He got the make, model, and year correct, but, he was selecting the wrong engine type. He was entering 4 cylinder. Of course it failed. The second try he selected 2 cylinders, it failed again. I kept telling him it is not a piston engine. The 3rd try I had him scroll though the whole list of engine types and low and behold at the bottom of the list was a "R". I said that "R" stands for rotary. It passed like a new car.

 

Chuck,

I had the same problem the first time I took my car in to get tested here in LJ. They tried testing it multiple times AFTER I told them that the engine was a rotary and not piston, thus the reason why their equipment would not read properly.

I finally convinced them of the issue, BUT we found no reference to rotary engines in any of the set-ups. To address the problem, they had to link up via modem to the states computer and download the correct configuration for our cars. As one of the other members stated, I think the engine ended up being listed as "R" for rotary.

All in all it took about 8 attempts until they got it figured out, then it passed with no problems.

 

They siad they were not allowed to overide the setting which were loaded after they enetered my VIN # number into the system. I told them to set it up as a 4 cylinder which they did. Then I connect the direct lead to my trailing one plug for them as they could not find the plugs. The young idiot even aske me if my car was front or rear drive. Maybe I should have told him 4 wheel drive.

The dyno program that TX uses for the 15 and 25MPH tests, loads the engine to cells which the engine never sees in real life driving. I logged both runs this time.

At 15mph it was at (P7, N4).
At 25mph it was at (P6, N5).

My base FP pressure is 38P-40PSI. Here are my cells for the upper left area of the map. P1-P8, N1-N7.

0.364 0.364 0.364 0.364 0.400 0.444 0.476
0.740 0.740 0.740 1.024 1.084 1.168 1.176
1.596 1.596 1.596 1.596 1.124 1.316 1.400
1.596 1.596 1.596 1.596 1.776 1.764 1.756
2.168 2.168 2.168 2.304 2.384 2.368 2.300
2.168 2.168 2.168 2.772 2.892 3.004 3.260
3.124 3.228 3.256 3.396 3.476 3.804 4.012
3.908 3.908 3.908 4.004 4.272 4.448 4.664

 

I started a thread in the 3rd gen section and got no help from anybody with the same problem. I went to 3 different smog places in Vegas before I found one that could get the RPM signal to work correctly. The idiots at one place used that stupid box and it wasn't even close, and the guy got so mad he punched the box and broke it.

Finding a smog shop that knows their head from their *** with this car is golden.

 

I used to have the same problem in Georgia. This year, however (and after we had the whole discussion about whether this was a front wheel drive car or rear wheel drive -- uh oh!) after he got the car info in the system, he just laid a figure 8 looking sensor on top of my dash (inside the car) and it picked up the rpms perfectly with no trouble through out the entire testing procedure. Maybe some shops near you have this kind of pickup. . .

 

Some only have it, and some have both that and direct. The shop I went to had both and still could not get it correct.