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My 1999 Altima is up for a smog test (California). Do you guys have some suggestions for passing it? I know the car should be nice and warm before the test. I've heard that you should put premium gas in the tank, but I've also heard that this might cause your car to fail. What about using Lucas Fuel System Deep Cleaner beforehand?
If it's a 1999, do they even have to do a sniff test? Around here if you have a 1996 or later model, they just plug a jack into your car's computer and the computer will tell them whether everything's hunky-dory with the emissions system or not. Basically, if your CEL is on, you fail. If it's off and hasn't been on recently, you pass.
My 1999 Altima is up for a smog test (California).
Do you guys have some suggestions for passing it?
Do you know of any tuning or timing component (eg 02 sensors, plugs, wires, etc)
that *need* to be replaced? That'll be a really good start.
Quote:
I know the car should be nice and warm before the test.
I've heard that you should put premium gas in the tank,
but I've also heard that this might cause your car to fail.
What about using Lucas Fuel System Deep Cleaner beforehand?
No. NONE of these things.
Open your owners manual and see what it tells owners to do at what intervals.
Anything that is due or you aren't sure about... go ahead and do it.
Catch up with the brakes and suspension work while you're at it too.
I'm not all that familiar with Kalifornia smog specs but if NOx is the issue, a lower combustion temp will definitely help. You can do this by the use of E85 if you have it available. Our lean burn and high combustion temps are what makes the high NOxs so prevalent. Some of the new engine designs are actually using an exhaust after cooler to all but eliminate the cats thereby reducing costs. Some are close to being a zero emissions engine with these after coolers.
I'm not all that familiar with Kalifornia smog specs but if NOx is the issue, a lower combustion temp will definitely help. You can do this by the use of E85 if you have it available. Our lean burn and high combustion temps are what makes the high NOxs so prevalent. Some of the new engine designs are actually using an exhaust after cooler to all but eliminate the cats thereby reducing costs. Some are close to being a zero emissions engine with these after coolers.
OP, DO NOT put E85 in your car unless you're looking to muck up your engine.
OP, I have posted this up before, but anyway - probably beyond just making sure the car is well-warmed-up before testing, if you want to give yourself some margin, change the oil, even though it may only have a couple thousand miles on it. Drain the oil into a clean container if you are cheap enough to want to re-use it. Also I think on your car the spark plugs are very easy to DIY, 4 new plugs also will help. Given oil and plugs with less than 100 miles on them, an engine that otherwise would be marginal should pass no problemo.
I *think* what Trapper is on about is that if you added a couple of gallons of E-85, to the tank full of E-10 you probably have already, that this can tend to depress the combustion temperature and help keep NOX formation down. You would not want to run straight E-85 in a car that's not "flex-fuel" or otherwise designed for it.
I think they do, but fortunately don't know for sure. I am guessing there in Chi-town if the CEL is not on, they interrogate the OBD-II computer, and if it's happy, they punch your ticket, right?
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