ca smog fail

[Gsxhero]

ok so i got no check engine lights on since i rewired my o2 sensor. i tested my cat with some guage thing that my girlfriends dad has from work(head mechanic at mcleas)it passed. my cam position sensor appears cranked all the way over to one side, so i bought a timing light yesterday. ive never used a timing light. i searched my hanes manual only to find removel and instalation instructions along with testing but no guide for adjustment. threw searching i found somthing about setting it 5-8 degrees or somthing. so my newb question is, how do i adjust my cam position sensor? (sorry if this has been answered, i didnt find it) ps smog sux

 

[Mickey6]

Here you go: Engine Timing

Do you know if your timing light is an inductive timing light? Basically that means that it will have a positive and negative wire and then a clamp looking thing. The clamp will go over the no. 1 cylinder spark plug wire.

Hope this helps .

 

[T is for TURBO]

What did it fail on?

Timing

 

[Mickey6]

This link might help you decipher the emissions failure. Explains in basics what is actually tested and what causes the different readings in the tests.

http://www.autoshop101.com/forms/h56.pdf

 

[Gsxhero]

it failed on hc. and yes the light has a clamp for the #1 cylinder. i already bought a cat b4 i did the cat test but it was $250 and id like to check everything else and test one more time b4 instaling it. thanks all

 

[Mickey6]

Good luck with the issue and hopefully it gets resolved as cheap and as quickly as possible. CA emissions are ridiculous!

 

[Gsxhero]

ok so i just tested my car again without installing my new cat yet. the smog guys told me to check my fuel pressure so i rented a fuel pressure tester. the guys at oriely auto parts beleive its the cat still. on my first test months ago i messured 1999 hc with a 120hc max. my hc is now down to 638 after rewiring my o2 sensor and getting a new throttle position sensor. no check engine lights are on. i didnt see any cracked or unplugged vacuim hoses. anyways it seems like my car surges slightly at idle at times, is this normal for a 1g gsx?

 

[Gsxhero]

ok so installed my new cat only to fail smog once again. my hc is 356 of a 120 allowable max. is there some way to stop this thing from running rich just to pass? choke out the fuel system or somthing? the smog guy said it could be the intake manifold gasket leaking. i say just pass the dam thing so i can get on with my life. im sick of messing with this smog crap...

so i was checking my car for vac leaks and trying to make sure the hoses were all plugged in to the right places when i noticed that the yellow and green hoses on top of my intake manifold where switched. it apears as tho this wouldnt matter as the two hoses seem to get vac from the same connection. could this be my problem? also what hose to i put smoke in for a vac leak test?

 

[Gsxhero]

so i blew some smoke in there. and it apears to be coming from the throttle return spring. i didnt see any coming from below it at all. maybe a small amount of smoke coming from the throttle position sensor. so is there some gaskets or o-rings for the throttle return spring i can replace? any ideas what this could be?

 

[bombDSM]

Probably your throttle body shaft seals that are leaking they seem to fail after awhile.

 

[PewPewLasers]

Try to fix any vacuum leaks. You can also retard the timing 3 degrees to make it run a little cleaner. dumping a can of seafoam into the gas tank works wonders too for cars struggling to run clean.

HC is unburnt fuel. when HC is failing, you typically wanna check for anything that could be causing a misfire or too much fuel. vacuum leaks can cause the pcm to run a richer mixture to compensate for more air, which in return raises HC and CO. was your CO also high? you may wanna also have a look at your spark plugs and make sure they are in decent condition. make sure fuel pressure is at spec. this is all assuming theres no other problems like leaking fuel injectors because that could cause high HC too.

 

[Gsxhero]

so i took out my throttle body, connected a hose to one side of the shaft and again was able to blow smoke threw it. it is leaking for sure and pretty badly at that. only my hc was high and every thing else passed pretty good. im pretty sure this big intake leak is my problem. so at this point the thing that is stoping me from going farther is that the plate connected to the shaft has 2 phillips screws holding it on witch are peened on the back side so they cant come out. do i just use my die grinder to remove the peening? thats the only thing holding the throttle shaft in at this point i believe. ty all

 

[93_tsi_fwd]

What gas are you running on the car?

 

[Gsxhero]

always 91 octane. with no check engine lights on, all hoses pluged in with no cracks visable, o2 sensor working, new cat converter... fixing this intake leak should hopfully be the last thing i do so this gsx can pass smog.

 

[93_tsi_fwd]

I suggest pumping straight 87 octane in there. Drive it hard and get that cat converter fully heated before testing. Also as suggested already, put 1/3 of seafoam in the gas and dump the rest into the intake to clean up that build up carbon. And if you have access to an e85 station, mix 1-2 gallons with the pump 87.

I highly doubt that the leaking TB shaft seal is making you fail.

 

[PewPewLasers]

Also! If its been a while since your last oil change, change it! Sometimes the fuel content in the oil gets so high, its enough to fail a smog.

 

[dsmdeliveryboy]

I can help you with a dirty smog in CA, just saying