Denatured Alcohol to PASS Emissions?

[tsi1991awd]

How much denatured alcohol do I need to pass emissions? I have an open downpipe...going to be getting 3 inch exhaust to the back so I can do the emissions test.

I think you run the fuel to almost empty then put in a gallon o alcohol? Cant remember. I can smell the fuel when my car i running. Plus no cat so I KNOW i wont pass.

Anybody know?

 

[klevur1]

where'd you hear of this technique? i'm intrigued

 

[tsi1991awd]

Wow really? Thought it was common knowledge ....but you run the fuel down between empty and 1/4 and put in 2qts of denatured alcohol I think it was and then immediately go take your test. Then immediately after that you fill up with a whole tank of gas to dilute the alcohol. Alcohol doesnt have any emissions, which is why you pass. Old school trick I used on my Camaros but its been about 4 years so....

 

[Rob10_99]

So if you can tune it to put along into the sniffer as well as put the rev limiter at that 2500rpm then your guaranteed to pass?

 

[JusMX141]

I'd imagine E85 would do the same.

 

[tsi1991awd]

Not sure i understand your post.

 

[tsi1991awd]

I'd imagine E85 would do the same.

It essentially would be E85, maybe not th exact ratio but....

 

[JusMX141]

I take it you're not able to tune the car, so here's an alternative.

E85 requires roughly 30-35% more fuel to be properly tuned. If your car is pig-rich and you need an emissions inspection sticker fast, put a few gallons of E85 in the tank and drive the car a little to let it blend with your full-strength gasoline; by drive I don't mean to go out and rip on it....drive it normal as if you were in traffic as you'll have no control over what's going on at wide-open throttle.

This will effectively lower hydrocarbons as well as clean up your tune a little.

 

[tsi1991awd]

Yea no way to tune right now. What if i just run it down to near empty and put in a gallon of denatured alcohol? Since alcohol doesnt produce emissions, should pass with flying colors. After that fill up on gas and yea.

Supposedly the gas here has 18% ethanol anyways. This would only be run with that much alcohol for maybe 15 or 20 min. Put it in before leaving for the test station.

 

[viprez586]

I highly doubt with no cat you'll pass. I don't care how much E85/alcohol or whatever you run.

The hydrocarbons (HC) will be through the roof. I had the sniffer on my car with no cat and the HCs were reading somewhere around 2000 and climbing, where 200 was the legal limit.

 

[viperlp01]

They look for cats dont they... I thought they did a visual

 

[tenn-gsx]

Also remember that they have a high AND low limit in most places. The low limit came arround because of people using alternative fuels to cheat the system.

 

[tsi1991awd]

They have never done a visual on any of my cars. Just the sniffer. I heard that AWD cars dont have to hop on the rollers...dont know if they just sniff at idle or what.

How much emission would a high flow cat take out? I am thinking a catco 3 inch high flow if it doesnt pass.

 

[RedTurboEclipse]

I've tried this, I FAILED, several times. Even ran straight denatured alcohol.

The problem was I had a bad cat. So if you think you can get away trying to pass emissions running straight denatured alcohol and you know you have a bad cat but trying to save money on replacing it, you will most likely fail.

 

[zhjiln]

yep.. i did my smog just rev to 2,500 rpm in neutral ...

god bless AWD...

 

[tsi1991awd]

I've tried this, I FAILED, several times. Even ran straight denatured alcohol.

The problem was I had a bad cat. So if you think you can get away trying to pass emissions running straight denatured alcohol and you know you have a bad cat but trying to save money on replacing it, you will most likely fail.

How did you fail with straight alcohol? How much did you fail by? Ethanol makes no hydrocarbons or anything.

 

[bnr32_coupe]

they test for more than just hydrocarbons..

without a cat, you are guaranteed to fail. theres virtually no way around this.

 

[tsi1991awd]

Well guys i just ordered my Magnaflow high flow cat last night (part number 94309 - sam as SBR sells except it was only $80 shipped to me).....wondering if i should use alcohol along with it or what. Here if i dont pass i can spend $150 toward "fixing" it and if it doesnt fix it then i can get a waiver BUT it has to be at one of these "qualified emissions specialist"

 

[donniekak]

They have never done a visual on any of my cars. Just the sniffer. I heard that AWD cars dont have to hop on the rollers...dont know if they just sniff at idle or what.

How much emission would a high flow cat take out? I am thinking a catco 3 inch high flow if it doesnt pass.

With a well tuned gvr4 and a magnaflow high flow 3" cat, my gvr4 barely registered any hc. I mean like 100x less than the max. This was with an e85 tune.

 

[Evil_speedracer]

They don't make you guys get on the rollers!?! They sure do here in Colorado... The one time they have rolled mine, the kid about ran over the next car in line when the boost came on...

First they give us no higher octane than 91, they lied about "maybe" doing away with emissions, and now they are giving us E70 out here, which will probably replace the E85 we all love here. Damn nazis.

 

[tsi1991awd]

No, in WA if you have AWD all you do is a sniffer....no rollers. AND if you have a 5spd FWD or RWD they let you drive it yourself. Auto FWD they drive it...I know because I have done all of those (except for AWD but from reading the WA emissions site thats what they do)

When I get the cat, going to have it put on along with 3" straight pipe...probably wont be able to tune whatsoever, so therefore I will just run denatured alcohol and see where I stand.

Dumb question: mufflers do nothing to reduce emissions, right?

 

[Evil_speedracer]

So far as I know, they only muffle sound. I have passed without a muffler before out here anyway.....

 

[tsi1991awd]

Thats what i thought....going to run straight pipe and maybe put on a Blitz Nur Spec later on.

 

[toxicity883]

God bless Texas, No visual no emissions, blinkers brakes and horn

 

[donniekak]

When i lived in ohio all you needed to drive a car was a title.