Failed yesterday with high Hydrocarbons 3 times the limit and high carbon monoxide. Also they pressure checked the tank to the charcole canister and it didnt hold pressure. So the line from there has a leak and i will be looking into that. Could this vaccum leak be causing some of the other problems? Ill list what all emissions wise i have done.

Plugs and wires
Cap and rotor
EGR valve and solenoid
PCV
Fuel Pump (just incase someone asks pressure)

Another thing i have been coming across readin other people problems is the temperature of the engine. I did put in a 170 degree stat in the car, i passed the 1st time with it but i didnt have my fans working so the engine was running around 220 . This time i left the fans on (man. switch) for the run and it failed. So besides running the car a little longer on the freeway and letting the car run hotter before i bring it into the sniffer what should i look at.

Also if it would help im going to try and do some datalogging on the car tonight, just got my cable in. This should show when im running rich and anything else that might help solve this situation. Any pointers on what to look for on this would be great.

 

#1 the car needs to be running properly
#2 can't have an ses light on
#3 back the timing way down (like 0* or less)
#4 add some rubbing alchohol (1 qt per 1/4 tank regular unleaded)
#5 cat must be good and car needs to be hot

I just etested mine (car needs valve seals but runs well) passed everything except the idle test failed miserably. I brought the car home, backed the timing down from 8* advanced (like my lazy *** knew I should have!) to 0* and tossed in a new o2 (probably poisoned by the valve seal problem, but no code yet) and the car flew through the test. readings dropped by almost half! Timing is key and also puts more heat in the motor. AND I run no air pump and the egr doesn't function due to a vss signal problem.

 

changing the oil will help the #'s

I got mine to go by using 2 things of heat in the tank.

as above, timing (good place to start)

 

well i changed the oil the weekend prior to going in so i dont think that will helpt o much. I think the car being hot would of really helped out and i plan on bringing it in and not turning the fans on this time for sure. I need to get some programming stuff im im going to change the timing though. thanks for the ideas

 

First, the evap system is calculated metered air, so a "vacuum leak" in that system would not be considered a vacuum leak. It's in the design. There should be a filter at the bottom of the cannister to allow air in otherwise it would cause the vacuum to suck fuel out of the tank. The pressure in the tank pushes fumes to the cannister, then the engine cleans the cannister out not the tank. A lower temp thermostat will cause higher cylinder temps and higher emission levels. 220 degrees is still within good temp readings and should be lowering cylinder temps and burning fuel more efficiently. By driving the car you are increasing fuel flow which icreases cylinder temps which creates more heat which heats up the cat to reduce emissions better. If the car is tested in park/neutral, then the fuel load is actually decreased causing lower cylinder temps and "cooling" off the cat. So any driving ahead of time will be a waste of time. Higher coolant temps will cause the computer to lean the a/f ratio. Your "high flow cat" may be you biggest culpret. Also headers are not heat efficient for a cat to light off. Backing off the timing will help in HC's but no CO's. A lazy O2 would usually cause a higher idle test than cruise test. Other causes could be a TPS higher than normal reading. Dirty throttle plate. The three things that cause high CO (rich) readings are EVAP, CRANKCASE, or FUEL SYSTEM. sounds like yours is in the fuel system. But without the car in hand, diagnosis is impossible over the internet. Good Luck!

 

cool thanks for your input. i hope the high flow cat isnt the problem put it very well is. do you think sprayign some injector cleaner would help much? I have done it a couple times when i 1st got the car but i have not done it in about a year or so.

 

well i ended up taking to a emissions shop so they could do the smoke test to find the leak i had. It was the seal for the sending unit. Replaced it and no more leaks. I also replaced the O2 sensor since i found it was reading kinda slow and had not been changed for awhile. The emissions shop ran it on their tester and it passed theres, so im off to the actual emissions testers to see if i can pass. Wish me luck lol.