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sean, I truly, truly appreciate yours & others input! Whether it passes or not, you & others have really pulled through & helped my BF out a whole lot more than his own loser dad! I read my BF this latest post of yours. Regarding your question:
"if the car has a temperature gauge on the dash, does it run more towards the hot side?" my BF says a little.
Regarding reposting all the latest #s, I don't have that info anymore right now. Maybe if it was earlier this evening, I could have posted them. Sorry.
Yes, it seems like it's so close to passing! This is aggravating! Well, it's 11pm here & I may not be posting again here until after he takes it in again to be tested, BUT I'LL TRY TO POST BEFORE.
(I post in different colors so you guys can spot the latest post right away.)
Good night all & I'll keep you posted!
Running a little hot will definitely hurt NOx levels! Tell him to check that the coolant level is up to where it should be before heading out tomorrow. There should be a plastic container under the hood marked "coolant", or if it's not marked it'll have a little hose going from the bottom of it to near the radiator cap. It's the only plastic container that isn't the windshield washer fluid, you can't miss it. Fill that up to whatever the line says on the side if it's not full already. There might be a little air in the cooling system too, very easy to fix but too involved/time consuming to do before going to the test. If it fails again I'll post how to do it.
Hopefully this thing magically passes tomorrow and you don't have to bother... if it doesn't, DEFINITELY get those numbers and post them on here. Having all of them gives a better picture of exactly what is going on under the hood!
Running a little hot will definitely hurt NOx levels! Tell him to check that the coolant level is up to where it should be before heading out tomorrow. There should be a plastic container under the hood marked "coolant", or if it's not marked it'll have a little hose going from the bottom of it to near the radiator cap. It's the only plastic container that isn't the windshield washer fluid, you can't miss it. Fill that up to whatever the line says on the side if it's not full already. There might be a little air in the cooling system too, very easy to fix but too involved/time consuming to do before going to the test. If it fails again I'll post how to do it.
Hopefully this thing magically passes tomorrow and you don't have to bother... if it doesn't, DEFINITELY get those numbers and post them on here. Having all of them gives a better picture of exactly what is going on under the hood!
Good luck!!
Should he also do a radiator flush? Wouldn't that clean out the gunk to allow the coolant to flow better?
OK, I'm on here this morning for any last tips you can give before going in to the smog test later today!
sailordave (or anywho who knows), how much time/work is involed in doing a radiator flush?
It's easy, but it does take awhile (an hour at least) and it's very messy!!
It's something that's worth doing, since it's probably never been done - but not in whatever little amount of time he has before going to the test.
I also don't wanna make it seem like the coolant temperature being a little high is the ultimate cause of why it's failing. Normally, the computer should be more than able to compensate to keep all emissions levels where they should be - but on an older car there could be several little issues all conspiring to make it fail. In other words, getting the temperature where it should be won't cut the NOx levels in half - but it certainly will nudge them closer to where they should be... and you're not that far off! NOx is only produced when combustion temperatures exceed 2,500 degrees (F) so if the cooling system isn't working at maximum efficiency that excess heat will obviously effect the combustion process.
Only things I'd do today are...
1) Check the coolant level and add if needed.
2) If you've got 3+ hours before the test, leave the battery unhooked for at least 20 min to reset the block learn program in the computer then drive around as much as possible before going in. This should get the fuel and spark advance tables closer to ideal factory settings. It's possible the data stored in there now is still at least partially based on feedback from either a bad O2 sensor or incomplete combustion from bad spark plugs.
2) If your BF is up to it, go to the store and grab a new fuel filter. It's extremely easy to change and should be $2, although if he's not really mechanically inclined at all or doesn't have anybody he can call to help - skip it. I remember the first time I ever tried changing one I mangled the fuel lines and made a huge mess so unless he's feeling real confident I'd say better safe than sorry.
Thanks again sean. If it still doesn't pass, I'm sure my BF's really done (as close as it may be to passing.) He refuses to dump any more $ into that car.
That would mean...
- him having to tk the bus
- getting rides from me when he can, & trying to borrow his mom's car at times
- maybe renting a car once or twice
- ME having to drive us around all summer to do fun things since I'll be off from work!
I REALLY, REALLY hate that he may lose his car because he finally got a paint job last yr after having the car for about 5 yrs. And as old as it is, the car never gave him major problems & just a few minor ones, so it's just the matter of this smog issue!
All you have to do is have a buddy with an address in Az or Tx and go over there and register it there. I told you that 40 posts ago. California is a big bunch of nuts when it comes to cars. Don't even try to comply. Why in the heck would anyone want to put up with that crap. Every time that big fat slob Barbara Streisand takes off from LAX in her G4 she puts more smog into the air than every GMC vehicle in the state.
The 4th smog test was done today. As a last little to-do, my BF bought some Gum-Out & poured 1/2 the bottle in his almost empty gas tank, then got more gas. Then, he drove the car around (longer than he did after getting the cat converter yesterday) & left the motor running when he pulled into the testing place.
The cat converter he got installed did it, even though it didn't pass afterwards yesterday.
Thank you ALL for your willingness to help & time posting all your knowledge. My BF thanks you guys too! He feels so relieved.
Wilson513, my BF isn't going to go through that & he doesn't know anyone in those states anyway, but thanks for the tip.
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Whether it passes or not, you & others have really pulled through & helped my BF out a whole lot more than his own loser dad! I read my BF this latest post of yours. Regarding your question:
