Reducing Hydrocarbons (HC)

Ok, I was able to reduce the NOx but now I still failed smog cause of HC. What ways can I reduce it? I checked the internet and really can't find anything except that high HC is cause by unburned fuel. I also want to know does Bluesky really work to pass smog? Here is a link if anyone used it before let me know. http://www.blueskycleanair.com/index.html

id try fuel injector cleaner, or maybe new plugs if you havent already changed em, or maybe try some better quality ones. just changing plug wires, plugs, dis. cap, rotor, and o2 sensor reduced my smog all around by a lot.

would replacing or cleaning the pcv valve help? if so where is it located or if anyone can get a pic of it that would help.

I just failed today because of NO, but I have no idea why. Ghey. Unburned fuel means that you're running rich for some reason... But I hear there is an additive that makes your fuel oxygenated or something, makes it run super super lean.

NOx is caused when the temperture is too high. Also the EGR might not be functioning or broken hose...unless you modded the car some way that I don't know of....you have a cat right?

are u kidding me !!!! :eek7:

I’m a 4th year Chem. Engineer at UCLA (GPA 3.90) and that is bull shit all the way!!!!! :mad:

"Emits a magnetic-like energy field :sly: , which raises the quantum coherent level :sly: of the energetic structure of petroleum. :eek7: "

wtf!!!!! That dose not make any sense!
:eek: :eek: :eek: :eek:
I’m so pissed of I want to fuckn yell at that idiot who made that shit up!!!!
:nono:
‘energetic structure of petroleum’ what????? :eek:
magnetic-like energy field??????? :eek7:
the quantum coherent level????? What more sticky????? :eek7:

The person who posted this shit; take it out!!!, we are not some dumb people here who just love cars. :nono: :nono:

good thing some one took that add out, i was responding to some dumb add someone posted on this thread.... oh well i guess it out

tnxs for removing it!!!!

forget aout my last post ;)

what in hell are you trippin off of bo?

try a lower octane fuel or advance timing a little.

are u kidding me !!!! :eek7:

I’m a 4th year Chem. Engineer at UCLA (GPA 3.90) and that is bull shit all the way!!!!! :mad:

"Emits a magnetic-like energy field :sly: , which raises the quantum coherent level :sly: of the energetic structure of petroleum. :eek7: "

wtf!!!!! That dose not make any sense!
:eek: :eek: :eek: :eek:
I’m so pissed of I want to fuckn yell at that idiot who made that shit up!!!!
:nono:
‘energetic structure of petroleum’ what????? :eek:
magnetic-like energy field??????? :eek7:
the quantum coherent level????? What more sticky????? :eek7:

The person who posted this shit; take it out!!!, we are not some dumb people here who just love cars. :nono: :nono:

i was responding to some dumb add someone posted on this thread


First...I think the only thing you got from your 3.90 GPA was how to become rude. If you don't understand something, ask questions. You just started bashing what I had written. Grab your school book and go to the section on Energy.

If you would have paid a little more attention in Biology 101 you would have learned that energy holds matter together and energy proceeds every chemical reaction...Has since the beginning of time.

Also you need to take another English class...

fuckn
That dose not make any sense
some dumb add someone posted

Hc's Are A Caused By Running Rich, Fuel Pooling, And Clogged Cat's While Running Rich.
Some Methods To Cure This Are: Advance Timing A Few Degrees, Tune Fuel Properly, Check For Injector Clogs, Replace Cat, Run Alcohol In The Fuel System (leans Fuel Mixture And Raises Octane), Up The Boost (if You Have A Turbo Car).

Nox Is Nitrogen Parts Per Million. The Main Cause Of This Is Catalytic Converter Failure.

Co Is Carbon Dioxide Emissions. This Can Be Cured By Proper Timing And Making Sure The Ignition System Is Operating Properly.

stop it "petro"....ur "add" is out!
Arguing on the net is useless, and this thread is not made for us to argue, but I have to say one thing......

Bio 101 (life and science 1, in UCLA) is not physics, the word energy and quantum coherent level is not even in it! I’m sure u mean physical chemistry, right??!!!


BTW I’m an engineer, bio is not needed for my major, but I took 4 bio classes bcs i want to apply to med school. As for my Eng. I’m not the best especially when I 'm typing fast!!!


I’m trying to be as nice as possible, OK!

I will not speak of the subject again, if u need more info e-mail me, ok!

I just failed SMOG Due to HC's!!! :angryfire Right before I went to test I put 91octane in the car... does anyone know if I fill up with 87 if I would have a better chance of passing? Also, would replacing the Catalytic Converter help the problem I have with the HC's? :1zhelp:

Hc's Are A Caused By Running Rich, Fuel Pooling, And Clogged Cat's While Running Rich.
Some Methods To Cure This Are: Advance Timing A Few Degrees, Tune Fuel Properly, Check For Injector Clogs, Replace Cat, Run Alcohol In The Fuel System (leans Fuel Mixture And Raises Octane), Up The Boost (if You Have A Turbo Car).


Gee i wonder....

Can any one other than this jacka$$(logik23) answer my other question about the fuel? How likely is it that the cat would make that big of difference?

Check your compression. You should have about 160 if it is close to perfect. If it is lower, use regular unleaded. The octane of a fuel only increases power if you can copress it enough. You can't run nitro methane like top fuel cars b/c you don't have a 26:1 compression ratio. You only need to replace the cat if it is clogged. Catalysts don't go bad. You're better off just running 87 so you get a complete burn. Let your engine get warm too.

fuel with greater octane burns slower ( i think i know what im saying )
some say that the higher the octane the easier u can pass smog.
Others say to just run the car for an hour or so on a full tank. I think the purpose of running the car is to make the emissions flow well. After that u can check it urself by checking if the emisions dont sting ur eyes that much, and u can always check if the gas cap is good just in case although i doubt its bad, and then take it to smog check.

Can any one other than this jacka$$(logik23) answer my other question about the fuel? How likely is it that the cat would make that big of difference?

So I'm a jackass cause you couldn't even read the other posts before posting yourself?

the engine of my friend's misfires. Also it fail emission cuz by the HC ppm. To fix that, replace spark plugs? IT helps the misfires and might pass emission right??

fuel with greater octane burns slower ( i think i know what im saying )
some say that the higher the octane the easier u can pass smog.
Others say to just run the car for an hour or so on a full tank. I think the purpose of running the car is to make the emissions flow well. After that u can check it urself by checking if the emisions dont sting ur eyes that much, and u can always check if the gas cap is good just in case although i doubt its bad, and then take it to smog check.


lol if emissions dont sting your eyes......i wonder how many kids went and stuck there eyes in front of there muffler pipe to see if it stung or not whahhahahhaahhahaahah.

Replacing spark plugs wwill only change something if there's something wrong with the one syou have now.

OK, I know I'm gonna get slapped by logik23 for this one, my cat is clean, but another solution recommended was to advance the timing... when I took the car into do the smog, my timing was at 18BTDC, since the car is supposed to be at 20BTDC, is 18 retarded, or advanced? Do I want to set it back to 20, what do you guys recommend?

I won't slap no one, but get timing gears, or else ask a shop.

Yes a cat makes that big of a difference. A huge dirrerence. They do wear out. They usually start going downhill after 100k or so. Replace it. It's the best thing you can do assuming your engine is running fine.

Lower octane should help you pass emissions easier. Octane ratings measure resistance to burning. Higher octane is harder to burn and pollutes more. (this is if it's higher than recommended. ie:if your manual sais 87, use 87, if it sais 91, use 91) Lower actane than needed could cause ignition retardation and also cause emissions problems. So unless you're running forced induction or higher compression use what the manual sais.

You also definetly want to make sure your ignition system is in good shape. Poor spark (from bad cap, wires, plugs etc...) causes unburnt fuel. Not only will that ruin your emissions in the short run, it will also wreck your cat.

Warming the engine is a good idea. Rev it up a little bit before you go in. You want the cat hot to burn up any left over fuel or other emissions. (ok, it doesn't "burn" everything, but it has to be hot to work). Also, metal expands when hot so a warmer engine will help any compression problems you may have.

Sorry, I don't know the answer to your timing question.

And, remember, emissions are more than just being allowed to drive on the road. I live in MN where we don't have emissions anymore. When we had them we had great air quality. We got rid of them and now were all breathing nasty crap all day. So don't go with quick fixes, respect the environment.

Can anyone tell me the diameter of a stock cat converter on a 1990 240sx SE?

go measure it...im not sure otherwise. so with the octane stuff, is 87 higher than 91, cuz people always say, use 91 it burns cleaner blah blah blah... cuz by what you were saying, i thought that the higher it was, the worse it burned. im so confuzed now.

When i say higher and lower I mean numerically. As in 91 is a higher octane rating than 87. This means 91 has a higher resistance to burning and there fore needs more compression or forced induction to burn fully. (a good spark helps a lot too) Higher octane fuel is harder to burn. You used to be able to get much higher octane (94, 95 etc...) at the pump. This allowed for higher compression engines and thus more power, but common octane levels were lowered (87 being most common) to reduce emissions. So lower octane is definetly better for the environment, just not as good for building high performance engines. That's why race cars use HIGH octane gas. Clear? I hope so........I'm not always the best at explaining things.

I'll make it simple.
The higher the number, the harder to burn, the worse for the environment.

all clear

about the 20 btdc and it being retarded...it is better if you had it retarded which reduces hcc and nox...advancing will increase them both.

Hc's Are A Caused By Running Rich, Fuel Pooling, And Clogged Cat's While Running Rich.
Some Methods To Cure This Are: Advance Timing A Few Degrees, Tune Fuel Properly, Check For Injector Clogs, Replace Cat, Run Alcohol In The Fuel System (leans Fuel Mixture And Raises Octane), Up The Boost (if You Have A Turbo Car).

I'm very confused? which one is it... if I want to lower my HC's do I want to advance or retard my timing... right now it's set at 18 BTDC, what do I want it set to, and how do I do it?

Just put it at 20. If a factory car can pass at 20, then there is a problem somewhere else. Run regular fuel. It burns easier than premium. Replace your o2 sensor and maybe change the air filter so you can get some air in the combustion chaimber. Do the basic tune up stuff.

If you retard your timing too much you will have unburnt fuel. If you advance it too much (I think) your car will inject more fuel and thus increase emissions. Factory settings are probably best. If not, only a very modest advance.

We Are Talking Ignition Timing Here And Not Cam Timing Just To Get Everyone On The Same Page. Cam Timing Is A Whole Different Subject Which Is Only Done For Maximum Power Or Maximum Effeciency.

Retarding Lowers The Amount Of Time The Mixture Has To Burn. Advancing Sparks The Mixtures Earlier In The Cylinder. I'm Not Saying Advance The Car 10 Degrees I'm Saying Like 1 Or 2, 3 At The Most In Severe Cases. Which Will Give You A Longer Burn And More Power. Stock Is The Economy Point Slight Advance Is For Power But More Heat, Slight Retard Is For Less Heat And A Cushion For Increased Boost.

18 Btdc Is Retarded From 20 Btdc. To Advance You Increase The Number.

I just replaced the CAT, did a tune up, and replaced the O2sensor, my engine is giving me a code of 32, which I have determined to mean that the EGR valve is faulty :wtf: . I have a '91 S13, has anyone else had this problem? Also, are there any short-cuts to replacing the EGR? It looks like a B!TCH to swap out! :banghead: Is there a way to repair my old EGR? I really don't want to buy a new one. :1zhelp:

Pull Your Egr Off And Spray It Out With Carb Cleaner If Its Sticking. Or You Can Run Seafoam Through Your System Which I Did On My Ka24e And My Egr Problems Went Away. My Egr Was Getting Stuck Open Which Lowers Gas Mileage And Makes The Car Run Like Crap.

How did you use the SEAFOAM to affect the EGR? Where did you put it in? They're website doesn't tell me which product to use nor which way I should use it to clean my EGR. Please be specific because I REALLY don't want to pull my EGR off!

it'll clean the vacuum side of the egr which'll reduce the sticking.... because it depleats the oil residue.

Ok, I think I fixed the EGR problem, but the CHECK ENGINE light still is on. :banghead: I checked the code on the ECU and it still says that the EGR is malfunctioning. Do I need to reset my ECU? If so, how is this done? :dunno:

By the way... thanks for all the GREAT help so far, beats a repair shop at $80 an hour! :rofl:

I always use fuel injector cleaner, especially before a somg check. It has worked for me always. I always have below the mx in HC.
Then again, I use double tip platinum sparks, put synthetic oil + slick50 + bardahl leak sealer. it has worked for me to keep blow-by checked.
I had problem with NO emissions(1400, when max is 800) before; a mechanic cleaned the EGR piping. It is due for a cleanup since NO climbed from last time.

Have a mechanic clean up the EGR tubes. It cost me about 50 bucks.

To reset CHECK ENGINE codes you unplug the battery for 2 minutes. You will lose the memory( radio presets etc). or get a repair manual for your car( chiltons, haynes...); it will tell you how to clear codes( usually you jump two connectors on the ODB connector)