Another Failed Califorina Smog Thread

[Ecomike]

OK, sounds like we can assume those two possible issues are the problem.

Sounds like it is running too rich. So lets focus on that. Did you get my PM? PM me your email address.

 

[ParadiseXJ]

Move the hell away from cali.. Hippie state. Virginia would welcome your XJ with open arms

California has 37 million people in it. Most of those people came from the rest of the country, the environmental impact of 37 million people requires stringent controls on air pollution. We don't all live in Malibu (it's 5 hours to the beach from my place), I live in the Sierra's. I'm not a hippie, but I'm not a redneck either.

When working right jeeps are great at passing smog tests.

I know my 88 and 90 have passed every smog test with flying colors since I've owned them. I see alot of POS vehicles rolling down the road here spewing smoke and leaking oil...I usually tell them to move to Virginia...or move BACK to Virginia.

...this, and I regularly get 18 mpg. Spot on.

Has it passed this smog test with the 31" tires before in the same smog test?

With all respect Mike, what does tire size have to do with smog tests??

...coolant temp sensor(is this the sensor on the drivers side of the engine block?)

Yes, on the drivers side lower block, under the manifold(s). It has a great deal to do with A/F ratio.

My low tech smog preparation always includes:

Tune up - plugs, wires, cap, rotor.
Oil & filter - air filter - Throttle body removal & cleaning
New full tank of gas - with some Lucas in it
Check and replace/repair any vacuum leaks. Bulk vac hose is cheap, it does not pay to duct tape up vac leaks. Trail/road repair but when I get home a bad hose is always replaced.
Fix any fluid leaks -
New O2 sensor every 2 years - whether I need it or not

...and check air in tires :laugh3:

 

[Ecomike]

With all respect Mike, what does tire size have to do with smog tests??

The guys in Colorado have had to switch to smaller tires to pass some smog tests there. It affects the load on the engine at the engine rpms and gear they run the smog test in.

The smog tests (emissions limits) assume stock tire size and gears, and specify the engine RPM and gear if it is a standard transmission. On an AW4 they assume the ECU-PCM TPS selects the proper gear, which it may not do if the gearing and tires are not stock.

This sets the smog test control rates based on the assumed test engine load, but if the load is changed by non stock gearing and or non-stock tire diameters, it can spike the emissions out of compliance at the OEM assumed spec gear and actual engine RPM. The smog emissions vary with engine load, and engine RPM.

Think in terms of trying to take off at 2000 rpm in 3rd or 4th gear from a dead stop (especially poor performance in direct drive with a standard I think), or driving at 10 mph in 4th gear.

That is what little I think I know about it.

 

[ParadiseXJ]

Gotcha...I think.


So, do they put the rear wheels on spinners and run the engine/drive train under load? In CA they just run the engine at idle, 1500 and 2500 for a period of time and measure the emissions. The wheels never move...thus my question.

 

[88trailcrawler]

New O2 sensor every 2 years - whether I need it or not

Admittedly, I am not a mechanic, but based on my experience this seems unnecessary.

If all things are maintained and operating properly an O2 sensor should last a long - long time and many 10's of thousands of miles.

 

[SuperRA]

In CA they just run the engine at idle, 1500 and 2500 for a period of time and measure the emissions. The wheels never move...thus my question.

Maybe in your area they don't smog test on the dyno, but alot of us in CA do have to run on the dyno for smog. They test idle, 15mph and 25 mph I think.

 

[Ecomike]

Gotcha...I think.


So, do they put the rear wheels on spinners and run the engine/drive train under load? In CA they just run the engine at idle, 1500 and 2500 for a period of time and measure the emissions. The wheels never move...thus my question.

I see. It may vary by county as well as state. Here in Houston they also use the load test (But Texas is about to get rid of the load test version from from what I heard recently, maybe even exempt sniffer tests entirely for pre 96 OBD-II rigs!!!!). The answer is yes, they use (used) an artificial load on the back wheels to simulate an incline, added load on the engine, kinda of like a dynomomter.

They do not use the load version on 4x4s here, just the engine speed sniffer, or no test at all for OBD-II, just a lack of CIL codes from the PCM link needed to pass.

 

[Ecomike]

Maybe in your area they don't smog test on the dyno, but alot of us in CA do have to run on the dyno for smog. They test idle, 15mph and 25 mph I think.

I thought they did too. Thanks for confirming it. I think some parts of California may be exempt even? Thus my county by county comment below.

I think some counties in many states are exempt, and others are real tough!!! Depends on how bad their smog problem is. Denver is another bad one I think. partly an altitude issue. The large populations in California are trapped in a valley that traps the smog.

 

[SuperRA]

I thought they did too. Thanks for confirming it. I think some parts of California may be exempt even? Thus my county by county comment below.

I think some counties in many states are exempt, and others are real tough!!! Depends on how bad their smog problem is. Denver is another bad one I think. partly an altitude issue. The large populations in California are trapped in a valley that traps the smog.

Yea I think that's exactly it. Depending on the population density of the area, smog checks may vary from stringent dyno type to even non-existent.

I live in a stringent area (silicon valley) and will be bringing my Renix XJ out of hibernation soon. Before the extended sleep I did a tune up and replaced many, if not all, of the sensors. I'm still going to cross my fingers and pray that it passes..

 

[ParadiseXJ]

Learnt somethin' new today.

MOST of the densely populated counties DO use the dyno test. The county I live in (Butte) has 220,000 people in it and is about twice the size of Santa Clara county. Santa Clara county, probably a couple, 3 million. No dyno here. YET!!

Here's the CA DMV smog info link.

http://www.dmv.ca.gov/vr/smogfaq.htm#BM2539

Nice to know I don't have to smog my TRAILER!!! (I can't believe they even mentioned that)

 

[SuperRA]

http://www.dmv.ca.gov/vr/smogfaq.htm#BM2539

Nice to know I don't have to smog my TRAILER!!! (I can't believe they even mentioned that)

Yea they probably wanted to smog you if you were standing in your trailer and farted. Stupid C.A.R.B..

 

[greenchevy]

Ok I cleaned all the connections i could find by disconnecting them, spraying contact cleaner and die electric greasing them. I added the 4 gag ground from main ground on the side of the engine block to the inner fender also replaced the ground strap with a 4 gag to the intake manifold shield. I tested the coolant sensor and it's not with in ohms value but it went from in the 1000s to 270 ohms at 210 on the tach but its suppose to be around 185 and its not. The manifold air temp sensor was way out of spec. It started cold at 1600s and at 210 was at 1300s. So both are out of spec. Where I get a Manifold Air temp Senor if they discontinued and i can find them at the part stores?

 

[greenchevy]

I took the Manifold air temp sensor out and cleaned it and hooked up my multimeter to it. Used a heat gun on it and it goes from the 1700s to lower then 185 very fast but when i install it back in my intake manifold the readings are the same as when i first tested it no where lower then the 1300s at 212 temp. I'm kind of lost.The coolant temp sensor was a little over 100 ohms off (at 290 when it should be around 185) should i replace it? I have found a leak in my exhaust/intake manifold gasket at the number 1 injector i can spray throttle body cleaner where it meets the block and the idle starts to go low like it wants to stall out. I'm going to change it out this week when i get some time.

 

[Ecomike]

Ok I cleaned all the connections i could find by disconnecting them, spraying contact cleaner and die electric greasing them. I added the 4 gag ground from main ground on the side of the engine block to the inner fender also replaced the ground strap with a 4 gag to the intake manifold shield. I tested the coolant sensor and it's not with in ohms value but it went from in the 1000s to 270 ohms at 210 on the tach but its suppose to be around 185 and its not. The manifold air temp sensor was way out of spec. It started cold at 1600s and at 210 was at 1300s. So both are out of spec. Where I get a Manifold Air temp Senor if they discontinued and i can find them at the part stores?

No one has confirmed this, but we believe that the HO years, 91-96 MAT is the same sensor as Renix, but just a new style plug on the end, so some wiring work needs to be done to connect it. While the coolant may be at 210 F, the air temp going through the intake may never get over 140 to 160 F!!!! So keep that in mind on the installed MAT test data, as it may be OK on that basis????!!!!

ON the CTS, the sensor is non-linear, and we have no idea how the ECU uses the data in the calculations, so that 100 ohm difference from spec may be small, or huge, but at that temperature it is off 30-50%, so I say replace it. I think the sensor is pretty cheap, so I would suggest getting a new one in your case.

 

[Ecomike]

Ok I cleaned all the connections i could find by disconnecting them, spraying contact cleaner and die electric greasing them. I added the 4 gag ground from main ground on the side of the engine block to the inner fender also replaced the ground strap with a 4 gag to the intake manifold shield. I tested the coolant sensor and it's not with in ohms value but it went from in the 1000s to 270 ohms at 210 on the tach but its suppose to be around 185 and its not. The manifold air temp sensor was way out of spec. It started cold at 1600s and at 210 was at 1300s. So both are out of spec. Where I get a Manifold Air temp Senor if they discontinued and i can find them at the part stores?

Correction to my last post. I see now that you used the dash gauge for the temp reading. Big, BIG mistake, LOL. They are almost never right. OBD-II buss data on 96 -2001 might be trust worthy, but it would just be confirming the reading you were taking with that ohm meter, LOL!!!!

You need to put the sensor in boiling water at sea level to get it to a known 212 F, then check the ohm reading. In other words it may be the dash reading that is off and not the CTS sensor!!!!

At least you know it is changing with temperature!!!

 

[Ecomike]

On the manifold temperature, it is measuring the warmed up air temperature rushing from outside to and through the warmed up intake manifold. It does not measure the engine, engine coolant or intake manifold temp!!!! So if it is cold where you are, like 30-40 F, 1300 ohms may be about right as that would be air at 100 F, that was 40 F uotside, that ran through say a 160 F intake manifold, and warmed up to 100 F.

Can you get an infrared temperature tester, one of the $10 cheap ones from Harbur freight? That is what I use to get a better look at coolant temps and intake manifold temps (to estimate air temp in the intake).

Best way to test them is in ice water (mix of ice and water) and use about 37 F as the temp, and do the same with boiling water, and use 212 F (unless you are at 8000 to 20,000 feet above sea level..)