Smog Problems! (some1 plz Help)

[2manyproblems]

I have a 1992 Plymouth Voyager that reads (Maintenance Required) on its engine light that does'nt turn off! I took my vehicle in for its annual smog and the mechanic notified me of a problem with my vans (ppm) reading! He told me that he can fix it with a censor but that it would cost alot of money! I feel in my heart that he's only trying to take advantage of the fact im a female that lacks car knowledge! He gave me a paper that reads (Manual Readings Mode) He underline a portion that says/ NO(X).......ppm: My reading was 1,562 and supposively the limit for my vehicle is 762! I need some quick help because now my tags are expired and i still dont know what exactly is needed and i dont want to be taken advantage of! If possible could somebody who knows the name of the censor that is needed or another way to fix this problem help me with the information im in need of! Thank you, Sincerely Irene!

[Mrbizness1]

Does the receipt he gave you list a Check engine fault code? While you may feel he is taking advantage of you, under the new laws he can risk his inspection license if he ignores emission standards. There are several things that can cause the light to come on.
Some autozone stores will give you a free readout of codes you cars system has stored. If you can get the codes post them here.

[jsinton]

There are three major components to the pollution coming out of your tailpipe. Nitrious Oxide (no2), Carbon Monoxide (co) and Carbon Dioxide (co2). NO2 and CO are the ones you worry about. PPM means "part per million' and it's a unit of measurement.

Basically you have three things that can fix your car.

Give it a complete tune up (spark plugs, distributor cap, distributor rotor, air filter)

Oxygen Sensor - (this is probably what he wants to replace). It's a thing in the exhaust pipe which measures oxygen levels in the exhaust and adjusts your air-fuel mixture for burning. Over time they wear out, and give faulty readings which burn too much fuel. These can be bought for about $50 for your van. Any mechanic should be able to install it in about 30 minutes. So at the most it should cost you $150 for this. See here:

http://www.autozone.com/servlet/UiBr...ter&PageSync=5

Catalytic Converter - This actually converts NO and CO into water vapor. A properly operating car will be almost 95% effective at eliminating NO and CO from you van. A new one of these might cost you $170. But probably you don't need one.

The Oxygen Sensor, along with the tune up should solve your problem. Yeah, I would say probably a tune up and Oxygen sensor might cost you $250, but I think it worth it.

Also, codes are not read by a scanner on this car. You turn the ignition "on-off-on-off-on-off" (not starting the van) and count the blinks of the "check engine" light afterwards. Do it again if you lose count. If you want to know what the codes mean, get the code and report back here. To erase the codes you disconnect the battery for 10 minutes.

[RIP]

Irene
The Exhaust Gas Recirculation or EGR system is specifically designed to control NOx emissions. That is it's sole function. It does this by slightly lowering combustion temperatures. This should be the first thing your mechanic considers. If he has already eliminated EGR, then something is leaning out the fuel/air ratio and making the engine run slightly hotter than usual, raising the NOx readings. Generally a bad O2 sensor or cat converter effects Hydrocarbon (HC) and Carbon Monoxide (CO) emissions but, I won't say they can't cause your problem. I will say they would be down on my list. Advanced timing, clogged air filter, low fuel pressure, dirty fuel injectors, are some of the other possible culprits.

That said, as jsinton states, if that is a Check Engine light (CEL) you are seeing, you need to determine what code it has stored. That may tell you what sensor your mechanic is eluding to.

Bare with me. I'm not too familiar with 92s but, one thing is a little confusing. Your mechanic performed a SMOG test. That tells me you did not have a CEL light. If the CEL light is on it's an automatic fail in California regardless of what the emissions levels would have turned out to be. He shouldn't have performed the test. It makes more sense that the light, as you stated, is some kind of a maintenance reminder light telling you some kind of regular maintenance is due. Can you clarify which light you are seeing?