My 88 FC failed smog HALP

[Adeadcurrent]

Not looking for anything illegal, looking to see if anyone around locally has an FC with a stock exhaust and cat laying around that I could borrow for a few hours. I think mine are shot.

I'll buy you beer or lunch, I just really don't feel like shelling out 300 dollars for a new cat and labor.

Pm me if you are willing to help out, I'm located here in Escondido.

Thanks :)

[Gizmo_S13]

There's a thread in rx7club or something about running your car lean and putting alcohol in the gas tank to get it to pass or some shit. If you need help finding it, I'll help you out

[RicerJ]

ummm this is a nissan forum you should be asking on the 7club forum but kragen you can get the the cats you need for like 316 or so a guy i know in norcal just got them to pass his fc its only 2 cats instead of the 3 that come on the car and it bolted right up they arent hard to put on you just need a jack and some basic tools

[Tw1st3dm3ch]

Go to a gold shield station and ask about the VRRRM program, if you fail the tailpipe emission portion of smog and the vehicle is in your name and have owned it for 6 months or more you qualify for the program and will get approved for usually $800-$1,000 of repairs. All you will be responsible for is the certificate fee. I work at a gold shield station and just smoged my car, it failed and was able to get $1,100 worth of repairs and only paid $60.00. I got a full tune up (plugs, wires, cap, rotor) air and fuel filter, cat and O2 sensor for $60. The money is only available until it runs out so I suggest doing it now.

[juicyjosh]

Replying "Go to rx7club.com" doesn't help. I don't tell my 240 friends to "Go to Zilvia." And asking the state of California - the strictest smog state in the Union - to "help" with your car is a ploy to allow "smog experts" to allow access to your vehicle so they can tear your car apart scrutinizing every little aspect of your ride. They can cite you for running Kragen headlight bulbs if they want to. Finally, California already puts alcohol in the gas, so adding more alcohol could backfire (no pun intended) since the tech will need to push further on the accelerator to get the car to 25 and 35 mph on the roller.

If you haven't done so already, make sure your O2 sensor and EGR valve are both fresh. A bad O2 sensor won't give you a code, and this should be the first thing you have checked or replaced. A fouled-up EGR valve will usually throw up a code, but it doesn't always do this. A clean air filter and oil help, but really not by much compared the O2 sensor and EGR valve.

If the doesn't work, bite the bullet and buy a fresh cat. I had a fresh "OEM replacement" Magnaflow welded in for a total of $210. I guarantee you won't have any trouble selling it on rx7club.com afterwards.

Good luck.

[Silvia RX-7]

her's the link for the rx7club.com it's on the emissions and exhasut

Frequently Asked Questions on the 2nd Generation RX-7 - FAQ for FC - RX7Club.com (http://www.rx7club.com/showthread.php?t=494667)

[RicerJ]

Yea a fresh tune up always helps out and since his fc is an 88 it doesnt have a mil light so that means nothing will show up no matter what

[Tw1st3dm3ch]

Replying "Go to rx7club.com" doesn't help. I don't tell my 240 friends to "Go to Zilvia." And asking the state of California - the strictest smog state in the Union - to "help" with your car is a ploy to allow "smog experts" to allow access to your vehicle so they can tear your car apart scrutinizing every little aspect of your ride. They can cite you for running Kragen headlight bulbs if they want to. Finally, California already puts alcohol in the gas, so adding more alcohol could backfire (no pun intended) since the tech will need to push further on the accelerator to get the car to 25 and 35 mph on the roller.

If you haven't done so already, make sure your O2 sensor and EGR valve are both fresh. A bad O2 sensor won't give you a code, and this should be the first thing you have checked or replaced. A fouled-up EGR valve will usually throw up a code, but it doesn't always do this. A clean air filter and oil help, but really not by much compared the O2 sensor and EGR valve.

If the doesn't work, bite the bullet and buy a fresh cat. I had a fresh "OEM replacement" Magnaflow welded in for a total of $210. I guarantee you won't have any trouble selling it on rx7club.com afterwards.

Good luck.

First of all you're not asking the state for anything since its a privately funded program and the state programs are not offered at this time because the state is broke, i was suggesting a way to get repairs for almost no out of pocket expenses. There is no ploy to allow anyone to "tear your car apart" especially since "smog experts" dont care what kind of headlights you have or anything else about your car that isn't related to vehicle emmissions. Every state adds ethanol to gas, its a federal mandate, not state specific.

One thing i can gaurantee you is that if you've been driving with a bad O2 sensor and blocked EGR passage for an extended period of time you are going to need a new cat as well, but if you think just changing a sensor and air filter and doing a oil change is going to make it pass smog the go ahead and do it, all you're going to do is end up paying for another failed smog and be right back where you are now...with even less money to pay for the actual repairs you need to pass. I see it every day as a "smog expert".

Pull your plugs and see if their fouled, replace them with new wires, air filter, fuel filter if needed(everything that comes with a standard tune-up), check your EGR system to see if it's working properly, no need to take it off if it is, replace your O2 sensor and cat with the proper ones, the wrong number cat=automatic fail. If you do that and don't have any other problems like a leaking intake manifold gasket, broken vacuum lines or evap leak, you will pass, or like i said do unrelated repairs and pay for unneeded parts and fail again.

[juicyjosh]

^^

You don't have a clue.

A fouled O2 sensor doesn't automatically equal a fouled cat. A "wrong cat" (how?) doesn't equal an "automatic fail." His FC's cat was built in 1987. Yet you suggest that a fresh, more efficient, and higher-flowing "OEM" (usually Magnaflow) unit available at any muffler shop... according to your post, falls under the category of "unneeded parts...."

Assuming that there isn't any major mechanical issues with the motor, there's nothing more important to passing smog than a fresh O2 sensor and cat, and depending on the degree of wear, the EGR valve. In 2009 I passed with my FD on its old motor with blown oil seals. The difference between failing and passing was the O2 sensor and the EGR valve. That's not hearsay, not what I read someone else post somewhere on the internet, that's experience from actually legally smogging my FDs over the last 8 years. I think I have some credibility here.

Everyone repeats/reposts "change your plugs, oil, etc." Yeah, we know. But they have only a small effect on emissions, compared to the major players. "Test" your car on old oil (without the DMV send, is desired), then do it again, same day on fresh oil, and see what real difference can be found, if any. Or just allow me to save you some time: I've done this, at the shop, and it's not a huge difference.

My original post stands.

Silvia RX-7, thanks for providing the link. That was a nice gesture and should provide more than enough tips help to the OP.

We're all in the same boat with California's nonsense emissions testing, so the idea here is to "HALP" each other out.

Everyone enjoy your Saturday evening, and drive safely.

[Tw1st3dm3ch]

Look up the smog laws, there's numbers on the cats for a reason. The laws change all the time, a car that passed in 2009 with blown seals now in 2011 will fail due to smoke coming out of the tailpipe. Like I said check the smog laws that are in effect today.

You can listen to whoever you want, the guy who has smoged 1 or 2 cars and is goin to school for nothing automotive related, or someone who has smoged and repaired hundreds of cars and can get you the help you need to not only pass this smog but the next one too, or do it his way and be in the same position next time you smog your car, it's up to you.

I never said a cat is an unneeded part, who are you to know what parts are needed and which aren't, all your doing is basing all your advice on personal experiences with your own cars. Their is nothing more important then an o2 sensor and cat, but if you don't fix the other problems that caused the sensor and cat to go out in the first place your not helping anything, just fixing a problem that will come back again. I hope you don't diagnose medical problems like you do cars because you obviously don't know anything about them.

If you have anything else to say that isn't helping the topic then do us all a favor and keep your mouth shut, your not helping anyone. If you have a problem you can pm me directly.

[re drifter]

What part failed how high were the hydrocarbons since your say you need to barrow the precat's or a cat. Three of them all together, plus you gotta make sure there are no leaks anywhere and when you go back make sure you car is warm, because cars have the worst emissions when cold.