Ok, I think I have exhausted every resource for this and this post will be my last attempt...I cleaned the throttle body, adjusted the TPS, new O2 sensor, checked the cat, rebuilt the air pump, checked the EGR and fixed the exhaust leak...the only htink I have left is the Plugs, which have only 25K miles, but because of running rich, I guess they may be shot. My hydrocarbons went from 209 ppm down to 173 ppm and then back up to 220 ppm after fixing everything...Now my biggest fear is that the "Guaranteed to Pass" stuff from NAPA that I put in the tank may have really hurt my baby. Anybody have any experience with this stuff? Anything else I can do?

Though I have no emissions numbers to back it up, I tried some red stuff called 'fuelon power' that seemed to work pretty well in smoothing the idle and adding some mileage. It claimed that it would pass a vehicle emisions w/o a tune up...

In addition I'd back up changing the plugs and perhaps retarding your timing a little.

yeah, what about trying 1 degree hotter spark plugs just to pass the test ?

I'm assuming you checked your ECU for error codes? I had a problem a while back with my coolant temperature sensor being bad. This caused the ECU to make my car run rich in fail safe mode. I failed emissions.

Steve

"Checked your CAT" ...Replace it its only 60 bucks another 30 for a shop to weld it on....I'll put money down that it'll pass cats get old newer ones work better I put a new cat on mine wasn't cracked or anything looked good...was failing I put a new one and barely even registered

Another thing to do is change your oil right before you get tested. Your oil retains alot of nasty stuff that will drive your emissions up.

The cat that is on there is good, it only has 7K miles on it and it's still clean on the outlet side. I will try the plugs and do the oil early. I'm just hoping that test formula didn't damage anything(ie. injectors, seals, etc.). I can't believe that it actually made my hydrocarbons increase from 173 to 220? WTF...I don't need a consult to check the ECU for codes right?

thepep has a good idea. Check for any corrosion in the head temp sensor. Sometimes when the sensor goes bad coolant will seep up thru and corrode in the connector causing false readings to the ecu thus causing a rich condition. by the way, you didn't say what you failed...HC, CO, or NOX.
P.S. no it's not consult compatiable...sorry

I failed HC's and CO...I'll check the sensor this weekend, is it hard to do?...NOX weren't applicable, so I don't know what the reading was...The weird thing is that my HC's after the first test were 209(the limit is 147), then they went down to 173, then way back up to 220 this 3rd time. I'm hoping that "Guaranteed to Pass" shit didn't ruin anything like my injectors, seein' as how it didn't help a damn thing...

I changed plugs today and went from NGK PFR6B-11's to BKR6E's...should this make a difference?

With my old Cat I had a 4 gen hotshot header and the car never passed smog...so damn close.....I switched the header to the stock manifold...and magically it passed dramatically....I have a feeling that the manifold made the cat hotter ....just a thought how long would it take to change it 30 minutes to an hour?

Originally posted by SR20loper
With my old Cat I had a 4 gen hotshot header and the car never passed smog...so damn close.....I switched the header to the stock manifold...and magically it passed dramatically....I have a feeling that the manifold made the cat hotter ....just a thought how long would it take to change it 30 minutes to an hour?
... soo im assuming that your car passed the visual part of the emissions check with the HS header? if so how was that possible and what car do you have?

Its called Arizona

ohh ,... ok

so I need to go back to the stock manifold for the test? I have the stock primaries, does anyone want to loan/sell me a stock downpipe?

Maybe try wrapping your headers in that header-wrap stuff, all the way down to the cat. That'll keep the heat inside your exhaust pipe where it belongs...and it'll keep your cat much hotter, which will allow it to work better. Then, run your car HARD before you go in for inspection...I hope that helps. I can't see it hurting at all...

The erratically high HC figure points to a misfire and the analyser is sensing unburnt fuel. Can you hear the engine 8-stroking or going lumpy at any revs?