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Car engine emissions..

S

Sukhoi

Elite Member
I have a 1988 Toyota Corolla FX with a 1.6L 75hp engine with a carburetor. It's fast. 😀 Here in Ohio we have this stupid emissions testing program called E-Check. While emissions testing is probably a good idea, the way E-Check is run is just horrible. Anyway, my car failed this lovely test today.

The first E-Check we did on the car was in June of 2002. Here are the results:

Hydrocarbons: 7.6 ppm out of 206 ppm allowed
CO: .03 % out of 1.33 % allowed
CO2: 14.11 % out of no maximum
NOx: Not tested

Here are the results from the test today:

Hydrocarbons: 72.1 ppm out of 206 ppm allowed
CO: .19 % out of 1.33 % allowed
CO2: 14.24% out of no maximum
NOx: 2538.7 ppm out of 1512 ppm allowed

As you can tell, the NOx test failed. Also, the hydrocarbon and CO readings are up significantly. What would cause this? Any tips on how to get these readings down lower? E-Check basically gives no information on what causes the different emissions.

From what I have learned, having a completely warmed up car is important for lowering emissions. My dad (who got the car tested today) said that he drove the car to the E-Check center (about 10 minutes away at highway speeds), turned the car off for a few minutes while he waited, and then went and had the test done. Can I assume that the cooldown from having the car off a few minutes was enough to increase the emissions atleast somewhat?
 
Give the car a standard tune-up: plugs, wires, cap and rotor.

And yeah, do the test with the car nice and warm, catalytic converters work better when they're hot.
 
that cooldown should not have been enough. also, the hydrocarbons may be caused by the timing being off and the gas not fully burning.
 
Would putting a tank of premium gas in help the emissions at all? I'm not worried about the HC too much since they would have to just about triple from this reading to cause a failure.

Basically I just need to get the car to pass this current test. The next test won't be until the summer of 2006 and by that time I will be done with college and should have a new car.
 
As combustion tempeature goes up, NOx generation does as well. A good cat will crack a good amount of the NOx, but if you have a failing cat and an excess of NOx, the Cat can not keep up. Tossing in a tank of premium will lower combustion temps somewhat, but it may not be enough. Check your vacuum hoses for a leak, as this can lean out your engine.

Worse comes to worse, toss on a new cat. They are about $80.

<edit>
I should probably say that a lean engine runs hotter, a rich engine runs cooler, and generaly generates less NOx. A rich engine however will cause your HC to go up, and heat up your cat to dangerous temps if left unchecked.
 
Ok. Well I guess I will check all the spark plugs, hoses, etc. and replace them if needed. I'll put in a tank of premium when I fill next and take it up to be tested. Hopefully the premium will drop the NOx enough without raising the HC over the limit. If I still fail then I guess it's time to get a new cat. I'm glad to hear they are only about $80. I thought they were much more.
 
Originally posted by: Sukhoi
Ok. Well I guess I will check all the spark plugs, hoses, etc. and replace them if needed. I'll put in a tank of premium when I fill next and take it up to be tested. Hopefully the premium will drop the NOx enough without raising the HC over the limit. If I still fail then I guess it's time to get a new cat. I'm glad to hear they are only about $80. I thought they were much more.
Click to expand...
If it needs it, change the oil too. Don't forget the air filtre.
 
Originally posted by: Iron Woode
Originally posted by: Sukhoi
Ok. Well I guess I will check all the spark plugs, hoses, etc. and replace them if needed. I'll put in a tank of premium when I fill next and take it up to be tested. Hopefully the premium will drop the NOx enough without raising the HC over the limit. If I still fail then I guess it's time to get a new cat. I'm glad to hear they are only about $80. I thought they were much more.
Click to expand...
If it needs it, change the oil too. Don't forget the air filtre.
Click to expand...

Good points. I believe both have been replaced fairly recently, but I will check.
 
check timing, fuel/air mixture, and slap on a universal GhettoBrand? cat. (what.. maybe $30-40?)
see if your plugs arent too fouled or burnt
 
NOx is greatly reduced by the EGR valve. Make sure it's working, might be clogged or just died of old age. That will help a lot more than a new cat.
 
Originally posted by: Sukhoi
Would putting a tank of premium gas in help the emissions at all? I'm not worried about the HC too much since they would have to just about triple from this reading to cause a failure.

Basically I just need to get the car to pass this current test. The next test won't be until the summer of 2006 and by that time I will be done with college and should have a new car.
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No. Don't fill it with premium unless it requires premium.

You could get some injector/carburetor cleaner, add it to a tank and run it through. Also, do as stated.. regular tuneup...

Change the oil, oil filter and air filter. These are good things anyway, and your engine will thank you.

If that doesen't fix it.. I agree, eye the cat. 😉
 
Looking at the results of your second test I would have to say your engine was running a little rich and the catalytic converter wasn?t heated up enough. I would check the basic maintenance components first, i.e. spark plugs, air filter, and oil, for any signs of wear or contamination. Repair or replace as necessary then drive the vehicle on a freeway for at least 15-20 minutes to fully warm up your catalytic converter and retest.

These older car do not have heated O2 sensors to help lean out a cold running engine so it takes longer for the catalytic converter to warm up and operate correctly.
 
E-Check is not an "Ohio" thing. I live in Ohio and no emissions checks are required. The emissions testing you talk about is a function of your city, not your state.

High NOX can also be caused by excessive cylinder and exaust manifold temperatures.

ZV
 
Originally posted by: Sukhoi
From what I have learned, having a completely warmed up car is important for lowering emissions. My dad (who got the car tested today) said that he drove the car to the E-Check center (about 10 minutes away at highway speeds), turned the car off for a few minutes while he waited, and then went and had the test done. Can I assume that the cooldown from having the car off a few minutes was enough to increase the emissions atleast somewhat?
Click to expand...
Yes. The cat had not warmed up enough, and then had cooled down when he turned the car off while waiting. The testing stations in my area have signs posted that say that you should not turn off your car while waiting, as it can cause you to fail the test. You want that cat to be grassfire hot for testing.
 
Originally posted by: Zenmervolt
E-Check is not an "Ohio" thing. I live in Ohio and no emissions checks are required. The emissions testing you talk about is a function of your city, not your state.

High NOX can also be caused by excessive cylinder and exaust manifold temperatures.

ZV
Click to expand...

It's by county. I believe it's mostup up near Cleveland and down by Cincinnati.

http://www.epa.state.oh.us/dapc/mobile.html

I'll post back here after I get the tuneup and the next test done, and see what the results are. Luckily the first two failures are free (you still gotta pay $25 when you pass :|), and then you have to start paying $25 for your third failure and onward. So if this cheap fix doesn't work I will look for getting a new EGR valve and/or cat since I'll have to pay $25 anyway if that third test fails.
 
I dumped a half gallon of denatured alcohol in my tank when my clunker wouldn't pass. Passed with flying colors after that.

In no way am I implying you do this but it worked for me.
 
While I don't have any repair recommendations for you, I would suggest you look into the formal testing policies. In Illinois, you can get a temporary (1 or 2 year?) waiver if you fail the tests 3 times, providing you make repairs to the car, show improvement from each test to the next, and can prove that you spent <x number> of dollars in repairs in a good-faith effort to fix the emissions problems. Someone will do a visual inspection of the car to verify any emission-related components are present (cat, O2 sensor etc) and then if you pass that, you get a waiver.

I'm not saying the same thing exists in your case, but it's worth checking into.
 
Ohio does have those waivers. But from what I remember, you need to spend atleast $500 on repairs that don't work. Unless there is something majorly wrong with the car that I don't know about, I don't think it would be possible for me to spend $500 repairing the emissions stuff and not get it to pass the test.
 
There is a certain E-check station in East Cleveland that EVERYONE passes at, unless you pull up with a completely, totally screwed up car. I forget the street number right now though.
 
Originally posted by: Vic
Originally posted by: Sukhoi
From what I have learned, having a completely warmed up car is important for lowering emissions. My dad (who got the car tested today) said that he drove the car to the E-Check center (about 10 minutes away at highway speeds), turned the car off for a few minutes while he waited, and then went and had the test done. Can I assume that the cooldown from having the car off a few minutes was enough to increase the emissions atleast somewhat?
Click to expand...
Yes. The cat had not warmed up enough, and then had cooled down when he turned the car off while waiting. The testing stations in my area have signs posted that say that you should not turn off your car while waiting, as it can cause you to fail the test. You want that cat to be grassfire hot for testing.
Click to expand...
I don't buy that for a minute.

My car's test: http://forums.anandtech.com/messageview.cfm?catid=38&amp;threadid=1315693&amp;highlight_key=y

it was done after my car sat for about 35 minutes. My cats (4 of them) were probably quite cool by then.
 
Originally posted by: Iron Woode
Originally posted by: Vic
Originally posted by: Sukhoi
From what I have learned, having a completely warmed up car is important for lowering emissions. My dad (who got the car tested today) said that he drove the car to the E-Check center (about 10 minutes away at highway speeds), turned the car off for a few minutes while he waited, and then went and had the test done. Can I assume that the cooldown from having the car off a few minutes was enough to increase the emissions atleast somewhat?
Click to expand...
Yes. The cat had not warmed up enough, and then had cooled down when he turned the car off while waiting. The testing stations in my area have signs posted that say that you should not turn off your car while waiting, as it can cause you to fail the test. You want that cat to be grassfire hot for testing.
Click to expand...
I don't buy that for a minute.

My car's test: http://forums.anandtech.com/messageview.cfm?catid=38&amp;threadid=1315693&amp;highlight_key=y

it was done after my car sat for about 35 minutes. My cats (4 of them) were probably quite cool by then.
Click to expand...
What do you mean you don't buy it? 😛 It's a fact that the cat needs to be hot to operate effectivly, especially if it's old.
 
Ahhh...so nice to live in a state with no emmission checking. 🙂 Catalytic converters....hmmm....what are those? 😉
 
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