83 245t fails smog

[adamdrives]

Hey guys, looking for some help getting my 83 turbo wagon to pass smog. I've out a good amount of work into it, and drives fairly well, but is at the limit or exceeding all gasses on the dyno.

Relevant information:

• New wire harness
• new CPR
• all sensors in head new
• junkyard fuel distributor
• cleaned injectors
• new o2 sensor
• valve clearance adjusted
• all vac hoses replaced
• frequency valve operational
• about 100* drop after cat
• just seafoamed and changed oil
• it passed in 2018 with nothing too close to the limit

It's right at/over the the HC limit at idle, and slightly below loaded. CO is close to limit at idle, and a little high (0.6/1.0) loaded, according to my smog guy. NOx is very high, around 1800-2000 all the time, but much lower if you rev it up. According to my smog guy, its running rich at idle and leaning out (high NOx) loaded. He suspects the cat, but the temp test shows its good, not sure how meaningful that is.

I have good waveform from the oxygen sensor, it bounces between .2 and .8 or so and responds quickly if I make a big vac leak. I have components to make a fuel pressure test kit on the way, but I am wondering what adjustments I can make if the pressure is too high or too low.

[Redwood Chair]

What is the timing set at?

And what is the dwell?

[PCH]

"about 100* drop after cat"

Should be the opposite. Good Cat will raise the temp- not drop it. And the CO level that you have is not high. What is O2 %?

[ZVOLV]

Cat

[philski o'flood]

[adamdrives]

Originally Posted by Redwood Chair

What is the timing set at?

And what is the dwell?

Timing is @ 12*, dwell fluctuates between 24-30

Originally Posted by PCH

"about 100* drop after cat"

Should be the opposite. Good Cat will raise the temp- not drop it. And the CO level that you have is not high. What is O2 %?

Ah, I had that backwards. I'll check the data sheet today at work for o2.

[hiperfauto]

The dwell reading he's asking about is for the lamda sond system. The greenbook shows how to connect the meter and test the system.

https://greenbook-archive.s3.ap-sout...82b5607aa24ac6

Verify that the boost enrichment switch is working and that the system is changing the dwell when activated.

[adamdrives]

Yes, that is what I'm measuring. What should it be at idle?

[TestPoint]

I think the adjust to point is 42% but you need to confirm fuel pressure before you crank the CO screw.

Note on Philski's check list above that fuel is high on both lists and the cat is at the bottom of both.

I know, fuel pressure test equipment parts on order.

Buried in that long list of OZ documents is the GreenBook for CI.

https://greenbook-archive.s3.ap-sout...65f18a7ded740e

[philski o'flood]

Originally Posted by TestPoint

Note on Philski's check list above that fuel is high on both lists and the cat is at the bottom of both.

I scanned it out of an old IPD catalog like '03 or so

[adamdrives]

At load, the numbers were:

HC 150/133
CO 0.6/1.0
CO2 14.3
O2 0.7
NOx 1719/1115

[PCH]

Try this: https://www.smogstats.com/Lambda_CAT.aspx

[ZVOLV]

And BTW, 25MPH is HALF the load of the 15MPH portion.

CO is a good indicator of rich/lean.

I passed the ASE L1 Advanced Engine Performance class which is a prereq to become a smog guy here in CA. There were several questions about 5 gas analysis results. But it's not always very cut and dry to interpret the results.

As CO goes up (rich) NOX should go down.

I see high'ish CO and NOx and that make me lean towards kitty. I could be wrong.

Another thing I've been playing with is E85. I run a blend of about half a tank E85 in my 91 740T with a 16T cranked up. SOME E85 may bring emissions down.

[Mr. V]

You might want to try one of the products like Guaranteed to Pass.

Worked for me one time.

[ZVOLV]

A TWC is a THREE WAY CAT. It lowers all THREE pollutants. You may be masking another issue, but when it comes down to getting your new registration sticker, or not, I may gamble with a $150 (installed) cheap aftermarket cat. It's worked for me more times than it hasn't.

That being said, this is on LH2.4 cars. On a LH2.2, or especially a Kjet, there is a lot more that can throw the mixture off and fail ya. GL.

[stevE85]

Originally Posted by ZVOLV

A TWC is a THREE WAY CAT. It lowers all THREE pollutants. You may be masking another issue, but when it comes down to getting your new registration sticker, or not, I may gamble with a $150 (installed) cheap aftermarket cat. It's worked for me more times than it hasn't.

That being said, this is on LH2.4 cars. On a LH2.2, or especially a Kjet, there is a lot more that can throw the mixture off and fail ya. GL.

There is no such thing as a $150/installed cheap aftermarket catalyst that will be CARB compliant.

To OP: it does sound like a cat will clean it up, everything else sounds okay. Inspect the Cat that is on the car currently, if it's an aftermarket catalyst already and has been on the car for more than 5 years it could be getting weak. If you do pull the trigger on replacing the cat, buy a Walker/Tenneco replacement. They clean up the best by far. Also, inspect the exhaust system for any leaks ahead of the catalyst. If there are any leaks, repair and re-test. Good Luck.

[ZVOLV]

I've done a magnaflow and a Walker. I think it WAS about $150 installed. I may be wrong I forget. I prefer Walker at this point. Yes, both had CARB numbers.

PLEASE post back with the results. We want to hear that you passed!

[122power]

A magnaflow cat is like $216 for 2.4 car anyway.
I had a turbo car and it was high like your nox. Took the cat off and the material in there was totally clogged. It boosted nice after the new cat as well.

[adamdrives]

The cat looks original, on this car its part of the downpipe. It doesn't have any rattle or rusty welds like the later ones tend to. Right now I'm waiting for components for a fuel pressure test. Once I've confirmed that fuel is ok I'll look more into a potential cat issue.

[philski o'flood]

Walker 81111 are $128 on Amazon

[philski o'flood]

adam you can sell your original Volvo cat. I used http://www.sellyourcatsdirect.com in 2011 and got $150 for a Volvo OE cat from a 740 I flipped.

[John242Ti]

To answer the question about dwell, it should be 42-48 degrees dwell. If using a Fluke 78, set the dwell reading to 8 cylinder, otherwise you won't get a reading. On the downpipe/cat, you could have one welded on the current downpipe or get an aftermarket version. You'll probably lose the bracket that attaches it to the bracket on the block, so you'll want to make sure that the bellhousing bracket is in place if that happens. Otherwise, it may rotate outward and start touching the frame rail as the engine moves around.

[stevE85]

Originally Posted by philski o'flood

Walker 81111 are $128 on Amazon

Doesn’t seem to be a legal part number. Go to > https://ssl.arb.ca.gov/AftermarketParts/catalysts and see all the legal numbers before buying. Cats just got extremely expensive so shop wisely. Good luck.

[philski o'flood]

Walker 81111 CalCat Universal Converter
EXECUTIVE ORDER # D-182-65 - LEGAL FOR USE IN THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA AND STATES w/CARB REQUIRED LEGISLATION

https://www.amazon.com/Walker-81111-.../dp/B01HQSIIW0

[stevE85]

Originally Posted by philski o'flood

Walker 81111 CalCat Universal Converter
EXECUTIVE ORDER # D-182-65 - LEGAL FOR USE IN THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA AND STATES w/CARB REQUIRED LEGISLATION

https://www.amazon.com/Walker-81111-.../dp/B01HQSIIW0

Not sure how you're coming up with that part number. If you search under the link I left it does not list that part number for this application. This is literally what I do every day for work. I'm just trying to help someone fine the correct legal part. Cars fail smog all the time in CA for being "tampered", and by installing a cat that has the incorrect part number this is a reality. The listed legal Walker p/n's are 80507, 80827, and 81127. Just because the cat says carb compliant doesn't mean it's carb compliant for every application. The CARB look-up database is the only list you should go by when buying a replacement cat in CA.