CA Smog HELP!!!!

[Beater88]

I need Help!!!!

I just tried to pass my Beater88 Rex and it was a gross polluter!
Failed both HC and CO and 15mph and 25mph

HC@15 - 161 - Max - 121
HC@25 - 149 - Max - 96
CO@15 - 2.43 - Max - .76 (ouch!)
CO@25 - 2.56 - Max - .65 (That hurts!?!)

I have a stock d15 DX motor with a Si intake swap.
Stock PM6 ECU (I think), Dizzy and injectors.
Just did a valve lash adjustment.
K&N filter in a modified (SCCA style cut up) stock airbox.
Motor has 178K. Runs perfect and very strong
New Carsound 2" HiFlow Cat model 9400 (biggest one they make)
2.25" OBX catback exaust.
Stock exaust manifold and downpipe
New O2 sensor
Full Tune up, plugs, cap, rotor and wires.
New timing belt
Timing set at 16 deg

Im in Cali so you all know that that test sucks!!!

Any ideas would be great.
The smog guy said that it was running very rich and I can smell gas after revving.
Anyone know how to lean it out?

Thanks!!!!!

[KNIVES]

i also live in cali so im familiar with the crappy smog law. what u can do is make sure ur timing is set to stock. check ur air filter and make sure its clean, if u hav the stock airbox put it back on with a new filter. my accord failed as a gross polluter a few years ago, i had a intake that was not carb exempt. i put my stock airbox back on and i passed with flying colors the next day. the guy asked me what i did cus it was such a big difference. if u need an oil change soon get that done as well b 4 the test. does the place do a free retest?

[KNIVES]

need to make a correction when i say stock i mean a non modified box.

[nemo_wolf]

that k and n is a problem. each car is set to its stock standards, your probly letting to much air into the mix. change that back to stock for starters.

other then that i dont really know what else could be causeing it. good luck man.

[Beater88]

Interesing ideas....

I dunno But I can try, I guess that I could put a restrictor plate on my mods and use an old crappy filter that I think I still have.

I disconnected the IACV and adjusted the idle to about 500rpm and reconnected, reset the ECU in hopes to restrict the mixture. Idle came back to the 700rpm set by the ECU. May work...

Oh and I just changed the oil 1000mi ago
And no free retest..out $50 bux, that sux!!!!

Any other idea, Im kinda running out!?!?!

Thanks

[nemo_wolf]

well first off find somewhere with a free retest ... there are plenty of places near me in the bay that do retests at a extra 10 or 15 dollar charge instead of a cheaper one test rate. Makes you feel safer incase you fail.

BTW, i wouldnt at all be surprised if it was just that crappy filter you dont have on keeping you from smogging.

Think if this was one of the states with no emmisions laws like oregon, imagine how many people would have gross polluters by CA standards now? you wouldnt be able to breathe properly without some kinda mask, its there to save our air!

[Beater88]

Im going to check the compression tomorrow incase there is an internal issue.

It looks as if the new cat is working perfect as there is lots of water at the tips.

More restrictive air...How does the expensive hiflow intakes get a CARB legal sticker? Do they pass? I did mine as a cheap mod, and it works much better now!!!

Where in the bay are you? Im in Concord and there are no shops that I can find that do a free or cheap retest. The best I can find is a shop that will do a pretest for $25, better then the full $50. I didnt expect my car to fail though as I thought that I did all the right things...

As for breathing, well that is for the future to worry about...
I like my air chunky, tastes better, more filling...

[KNIVES]

Originally Posted by Beater88

More restrictive air...How does the expensive hiflow intakes get a CARB legal sticker? Do they pass? I did mine as a cheap mod, and it works much better now!!!

they go through a long process of testing and red tape and then waiting to get a carb sticker. it takes many months for a company to get a eo number thats why not many companys hav numbers they dont hav the time or the money to go through the process. i noticed alot of the big companys that hav eo numbers are located out of cali. i guess since some companys dont have smog in there states they just say f**k it and just ship and us cali boys (and girls) get stuck with two choices buy it and illegal smog or dont buy it and pay the high price for the product with the eo. sorry for the ramble not trying to steal ur thread just kinda wondered off.

[KNIVES]

oh yeah forgot to mention, the products with the stickers do pass teh visual part of the test and i do believe the pass the smog portion as well, at least they are supposed to.

[Beater88]

See that is my question, if these flow better why do they pass? Unless the issue is not with my mods and K&N. I am going to try, but it doesnt make sense. My setup passed the visual, no issues as it is hard to tell what I did, unless you know. It did help in the throttle responce and you can really hear it breathing in the higher rpms.

My mods are just cutting a bigger hole in the bottom front of the filter box and piping a larger pipe (cutting sheet metal) to the resonator box behind the front bumper and cutting the bottom of the resonator box off, then I reshaped the plastic under the bumper to form a kinda scoop, a ramair setup if you will. And the drop in K&N.

I understand that the sticker is a pain to get, I know that some things will not pass even with the sticker, as in DC headers, I hear have major issue due to the exhaust velocity is too high and the cat cannot warm up properly.

Dunno but it seems that it is not an isolated issue as I have read it now on several boards, though there has not been a real resolution.

Though some say run the "pass stuff" from the autoparts store and some IsoHeat to get the cat really hot. Dunno since the cat seems to be working fine, and is new.

Thanks though

[turtlecrxsi]

Your high flow cat should smell sulfurous. That's how you know it works. Perhaps, you should reset the ECU (pull hazard fuse) right before you pull in to inspection station... like right around the block. You should maybe put in a stock air filter that's nice and clean too... it might lean you out a little. Jeez, I'm so glad there's no smog law where I live, then again I have similar mods but CAI and my shit burns clean...

[civic_boy91]

What about a quick fix…like the rubbing alcohol in the gas. that was on Honda-tech. com a while ago and it worked, I think it was also on here.

[nemo_wolf]

i think that when you have a carb legal intake for instance they enter the # into the system and the computer adjusts the outputs you should have from stock to modded with that part, which is why it passes. Also would explain why it takes so long for a company to get the damn thing, the government has to test it out and see what kinda changes it makes.

Concord, well im in the peninsula. Check out the east bay or even my neck of the woods, i know of atleast one place right in downtown that does it. But i dont really go shopping for smog places, not anymore.

[Beater88]

Thanks guys!

Rubbing alcohol I think is what is in the IsoHeat stuff.

That is an interesting point Nemo...That does make sense. I guess that I will try the restrictor plate and old filter and plumb it through the old snorkle thingie. Maybe it will get some hot air too as I forgot to mention that I have the hot water deal under the throttle body disconnected. I am going to reconect that thing too, I forgot that it was disconnected untill I was looking at it today.

I dont smell sulfer but the thing does smelled like some one is welding since I put the new Cat in.

Anymore suggestion are welcome no matter how wacky they are.

[Beater88]

I have the compression test results...

#1 - 180
#2 - 180
#3 - 175
#4 - 175

All Good as far as I know. With in Spec and not more then 25% off...
The plugs were text book good burning tanish?

Some oil around the middle two plugs I guess that when I changed the gaskets I didnt clean up all the oil since I dont feel any oil at the top.

Dunno...I still get 30+mph, I got over 35mph on a trip and I had the timing all wacked out, which is fixed now.

At a loss now. I put a restrictor plate in (some cardboard and duct tape in the hole) and the old crappy filter, and have fixed the hot water deal on the throttle body. I guess that I will get the pass stuff and run a tank and see what happens.

Still asking for other answers...

Thanks