PASSING CA SMOG with BORLA Headers?

[NeXJ]

I'm guessing I may have a fairly serious problem with cylinder 1 - though I've never really felt any missing etc... except I used to have the occasional skip months ago - it seems that a new fuel filter fixed it....

 

[NeXJ]

I'm not sure if that would explain the high NOx - (i think the opposite actually) - well i'm not sure WHAT to think...

 

[NeXJ]

the URL for the cylinder 3 pic was screwed up... should be THIS:
http://www.alanstorey.net/private/3.JPG

 

[GrimmJeeper]

cyl 2 and 5 are lean, 4 is what all of them should look like, 6 looks like slight buildup of soot or corrosion from either a small coolant leak or a small amount of blow-by, 1 and 3 are either showing rust from a bad head gasket or running rich.. it's hard to tell from the photos but it looks like a cylinder that is running rich but still firing. smell them and see if they smell more like fuel than the others.

also you are running 2 different heat range plugs that's a big no-no... see how the electrodes protrude further out of the insulator on 1 and 6?

1 possibly looks rusty on the threads, either your thermostat to heater hose pipe is leaking or was at some point.

diagnosis, do a compression check, a leakdown test, and a coolant system pressure test. I would also find a shop that can test your injectors for leakage or clogs, or just replace them.

hope this helps at least point you in the right direction. either way you are due for new plugs, replace all of them.

 

[old_man]

cyl 2 and 5 are lean, 4 is what all of them should look like, 6 looks like slight buildup of soot or corrosion from either a small coolant leak or a small amount of blow-by, 1 and 3 are either showing rust from a bad head gasket or running rich.. it's hard to tell from the photos but it looks like a cylinder that is running rich but still firing. smell them and see if they smell more like fuel than the others.

also you are running 2 different heat range plugs that's a big no-no... see how the electrodes protrude further out of the insulator on 1 and 6?

1 possibly looks rusty on the threads, either your thermostat to heater hose pipe is leaking or was at some point.

diagnosis, do a compression check, a leakdown test, and a coolant system pressure test. I would also find a shop that can test your injectors for leakage or clogs, or just replace them.

hope this helps at least point you in the right direction. either way you are due for new plugs, replace all of them.

I pretty much agree. Do a wet and dry compression test. My concern is that 1 & 3 probably have low compression. If the compression is fine and there are no hydrocarbons in the antifreeze, I would run a can of BG44K through it and put in a fresh set of Champion Copper plugs. Also, check for cracks in the header and a bad intake/exhaust manifold gasket.

 

[NeXJ]

Thanks for your feedback Grimm - well since the smog test reveled I was basically producing ZERO CO or HCs - I'm guessing I'm not running rich (?? - would that make sense?) - only high (slightly) NOx. JUST over the limit. The thread was kind of seized on (1) - I'm wondering if it's a non-fucntioning cylinder (somehow?? broken shaft? something?) there's also a patina of rust on the interior it seems - more so than the others. I tried to show it in the pics - but it's not so clear...

Yes- I was in the midst of replacing my plugs - though they only have 10K on them at MOST. That's how I got these shots. I put in the renix plugs instead.

 

[NeXJ]

I"m a BIT freaked out about the possible leakage diagnosis (it would make sense) - when I BOUGHT this engine it had been sitting close to a year with coolant still in the water jacket - in an industrial garage. I cleaned out what I could - but there was a TON of rust in there - that I'd been flushing for years... however I figured it might eat through at some point.

 

[NeXJ]

So - as far as the gaskets/leaks go - you think maybe 1 & 3 aren't burning cleanly due to air or water maybe?

 

[NeXJ]

BRAND NEW RAD as of last year

 

[NeXJ]

would the BG44K do anything that the seafoam didn't?

 

[GSequoia]

I"m a BIT freaked out about the possible leakage diagnosis (it would make sense) - when I BOUGHT this engine it had been sitting close to a year with coolant still in the water jacket - in an industrial garage. I cleaned out what I could - but there was a TON of rust in there - that I'd been flushing for years... however I figured it might eat through at some point.

I doubt you'd rust through but since you don't know the history of the engine you don't know if it was overheated the point of cylinder head or gasket failure.

 

[NeXJ]

Well - I DO know the history of the engine. It was BRAND NEW and pulled from a vehicle for crash testing - and it just sat there for a long time - then I bought it, cleaned it out and installed it. I think it's a 98HO IIRC.

 

[NeXJ]

I did overheat it once - took it on the freeway without coolant (had a leak) and blew it up - had it completely rebuilt and decked and EVERYTHING. But that was eight years ago maybe? Guess it could be fallout from that still..

 

[GSequoia]

For the record; are you using the 1992 computer, wiring harness, and sensors?

 

[NeXJ]

CORRECT GS. The only downside so far is I have no engine temp gauge in the cabin. Haven't figured that one out yet. Incompatible sensor. I'd have to tap into the block to put the 'new' style sensor in there.

 

[GSequoia]

CORRECT GS. The only downside so far is I have no engine temp gauge in the cabin. Haven't figured that one out yet. Incompatible sensor. I'd have to tap into the block to put the 'new' style sensor in there.

Okay, that's as I suspected. For all intents and purposes it's a 1992, don't worry about the 1997/8 block so much.

The coolant temperature sensor in the back of the head was deleted late in the 1996 model year (so early 1996 had it, late did not).

 

[NeXJ]

I put a sensor mount in the three way splice of the cooling system (not the BEST place exactly) but couldn't even get a reading off that - so I just sort of gave up... and didn't want to try drilling experimentally into the block - not without engineering drawings for that year.... eek!

 

[GSequoia]

I put a sensor mount in the three way splice of the cooling system (not the BEST place exactly) but couldn't even get a reading off that - so I just sort of gave up... and didn't want to try drilling experimentally into the block - not without engineering drawings for that year.... eek!

Did you just have a T hanging out on the hoses? If so the reason you couldn't get a reading is because the sending unit body needs to be grounded; the sending unit is a thermostatically driven variable resistor. As the engine gets hotter the resistance value changes (I don't recall the range offhand), that's what drives your needle.

If I were in your position I would drill and tap the thermostat housing for the sending unit. This is where the later HOs pick up their numbers from.

 

[NeXJ]

Oh wow - I ever even CONSIDERED the grounding issue - makes sense though!

Really? You don' think it would mess too much (read: obstruct) with the water pump flow? Not a bad idear though - I can just get a new T-stat housing and drill/tap it separately until I'm happy with it and then put it in... I'll think about that! Only bummer is the long wire. Guess I'd still have to ground a sender in the t-stat housing due to the paper gasket and RTV's insulative properties...!