4Reigner

Went to get my 90 4Runner 22RE 5spd AirCared today. Results as follows:

Driving Test:
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨Max allowable¨¨¨¨ Me¨¨¨¨Previous test
Hydrocarbons HC ppm ¨¨¨¨ 141.00¨¨¨¨¨¨¨154.00¨¨¨¨170.00
Carbon Monoxide CO % ¨¨¨¨ 0.69¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨0.82¨¨¨¨¨¨ 1.01
Oxides of Nitrogen NOx ¨¨¨¨¨1122¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨887¨¨¨¨¨¨440

Idle Test:

Hydrocarbon¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨215¨¨¨¨¨¨ 259¨¨¨¨¨¨636
Carbon Monoxide¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨1.64¨¨¨¨¨¨3.42¨¨¨¨¨¨2.01

My numbers have changed from last time,but not all to the better!

In the between time there has been oil, lube and coolant allround, new Termostat,new PCV valve and grommit, new TPS,new fuel filter, new inntake manifold gasket, EGR gasket,cold start injector gasket, new catalyst, new O2 sensor and new used AFM, New distributor cap,rotor and plug leads all inside the last month/2000 km.
Get no codes.
I have been cleaning out a bit of crap, but the enigne was rebuildt 120K km ago, and have been standing 5 years since then. It's all reasonably clean, PO changed the head gasket, and sold it to me.....


Compression test showed 170 on 1, 150 on 2,3 and 4 before Seafoam, no test after. Fuel pressure is good.

Injectors,cold start injector, coolant temp sensor, VSV valves reads to withing 0.1 Ohm from spec, never bang on, but pretty close.... not sure how worried I should be about that?

Dropped a can of Seafoam in there last week,the seafoam/oil is still in there, due to come out.Yesterday I put 1/3 in the inntake, rest in the petrol at less than 1/4 tank. Went in with 56 psi in the 31's, airfilter out, nice and warm, and still failed the emissions test....

Any suggestions on how to get this old girl through?

abeD85flatbed

Let the seafoam work its magic and make sure you run all the gas through the system. If you added the seafoam (wonderful stuff) to the gas then the engine is burning off deposits still which might explain why it's coming up dirty. Run the tank down and refill before trying again. With all that you've done it's hard to imagine it not passing.

stormin94

First off, I would NEVER put seafoam in my motor oil, but that's just me. That may be causing increased emissions for your smog test.

It sounds to me like your catalytic converter might be on it's way out, esp after a blown headgasket/seafoam treatment. I'd say replace the cat, and you should be in the clear.

I am an extreme skeptic about putting anything other than oil into my crank case, or anything other than air into my intake manifold. The only thing I'd use seafoam for is as an injector cleaner, but that's just me.

tim a.

always change oil before an emissions test.seafoam is petroleum,which is going to show up as h/c on emissions test.that should clean up drive test.your very rich at idle.co indicates incomplete combustion.check plugs,leaky injectors,fuel pressure regulator.gotta be there somewhere.

Teuf

I just failed too, got a cat on order and need to check my EGR. I am on an extended visit to Ca., and i had a free smog test, so i am wondering how to go about the cat purchase. My out of state tags expire soon.

4Reigner

The Seafoam is essentially an oil, it is petroleum product also, but I see why it can be influencing the numbers.
I'll go for the oil change tomorrow, but the running rich will remain. The cat is new, never been through a HG or anything of the sort. Guy I bought from is inland, where they don't need aircare.Suppose it could be on the way out after only 2000 km and some Seafoam?

It is running rich in general, the idle screw is now 1.5 turns out, after the new AFM went in. This is 1.5 more than with the old AFM, but I understand it should be 3.5 turns. This takes my rpm's to way to much.

Two of my my injectors were at 14.4 Ohm, spec is between 13.4-14.2 Ohm. They dont leak, and fuel pressure is slightly low, can't remember the number,but nothing drastic. (At least that what the dude that helped me reoned. He's a local wheeler I found thorugh BC4x4..)
How serious is the discrepancy in these readings?

stormin94

fuel filter is possibly bad, but that wouldn't explain it running rich.

4Reigner

Fuel filter is pretty much brand new, have put maybe two or three tanks through it.


Sincerely hope that's not it! What special yoga that requires!

stormin94

We're running out of options, then. Did you check/replace the EGR? It is also possible that you have a vacuum leak. That could cause higher emissions. In your first post, you mentioned you changed the EGR gasket. Is it possible that the EGR itself is bad? Another thing to check would be timing.

4Reigner

I feel like running out of options here myself, thats why I post....

Dropped the oil just earlier, and have been fighting the oil sender unit a few hours, thing is stuck and needs a 13.5mm stubby spanner to come out I think.A proper PITA.
See if I cant get a new EGR and modulator somewhere.
Some fresh oil and another go at the test.

The alternative they give me is to spend *minimum* 500 bucks at a mechanic to get it sorted.... what a hoax!

tim a.

no hoax that we all need to breath.you can change egr if you want but it wont help.EGR=NOx.End of equasion.you have a rich condition at idle.incomplete combustion can be plugs,clogged injectors,high fuel pressure.Vac leak would make it lean.O2 sensor shoild be checked for proper modulation.just because parts are new doesnt mean they work.you have to fix the problem instead of changing stuff and hoping it fixes the problem.the coolant temp sensor could be reading high keeping the truck rich{no warmup}.this is a pretty basic repair but requires some basic knowledge on internal combustion and emissions principals,which a local shop should have along with the tools to repair.but you do have to pay for their time.

tim a.

just take some channel locks to the sender if your changing it.I have never seen a 13.5 wrench.is that like a metric screwdriver?i used a 9/16 to remove mine.and that replacement sender is expensive.

4Reigner

Dont get me wrong! The hoax is the minimum payment part of it, I like breathing as much as the next guy!! Someone unsuspecting civillian needs his car to be fixed, 500 dollars to replacce a sensor. I dont like that part of it. Clean air, all for it.

The O2 sensor is reading good on the Ohm meter,havent tested it beyond that. I have been replacing parts that have been faulty, and reasonably cheap, and offcourse some parts that are faulty and on the expensive side, like the o2 sensor.

The Oil sender unit is cheap, and the new one fits my 14mm spanner, but the old one is probably SAE and in a very awkward place. I will try and find a 9/16 then! cheers
It is not emissions related, it's just a step on the way to find out about the oil pressure readings I get.

Thank you very much for translating the readings, these number means little or nothing to me as in what would be going on with the engine.

tim a.

I think you have a waiver{minimum payment} confused with repair.Waivers are for people to use to try and fix the prob without leaving them without a vehicle.In Virginia the waiver is almost $700.That means you have to spend that much to qualify for a waiver,which lets your polluting car run and keeps you from loosing your ability to get around.If somebody is charging you $500 to change a sensor I hope they at least had the common decency to give you a reacharound.You can ohm your o2 sensor all day but that doesnt tell you its rate of operation.O2 sensors are constantly switching back and forth to adjust the fuel air ratio.When they get lazy they no switch too good,leading to a rich run idle{or a lean idle if stuck the other way}.I assumed you were getting ready to change the egr{$$$},which wouldnt have helped you,hence my comment about changing parts.If your sender is cheap then you must have the idiot light.I assumed you had an oil pressure gauge.I was shocked when I replaced mine.Think it was $50 or something.Yuk.Just remember HC is raw fuel,high CO is lack of effiecency in combustion process.Good luck

boxer.fan

Do you have readings on the O2 and CO2? Whats the temperature like, if you dropped a 180 degree thermostat this might be too cold and will give you closed loop operation and run rich. Also your post says "Air Filter Out" meaning you have no air filter? Could be telling your 02 sensor your lean and PCM is adding more fuel.

rangerruck

Also, on seafoam, you have to do it right!!!! engine must be fully warm, before injecting it, then start sucking it in; as soon as you get it all sucked in, kill the engine- have someone else sitting there, to turn the key. Let it sit for at least 15 mins, to clean all the crap. then start up, and rev up, and rev, and rev, high revs, for 10 minutes, to clean out all the crap. then, repeat the above treatment, with another 6 ounces. When done, put the rest in your tank!!!
tHIS WILL ALSO , help to clean the crap out of your CAT, which if you have not cleaned or changed out your cat in the last 50k miles, will give you high readings as well. But the seafoam will help to clean it out as well.
And once you go about 50 to 100 miles on seafoam in the crankcase, you def
need to do an oil change!!!!

You didn't mention any CAT work, or changeout, you only did the seafoam once, you should add a bit more gas with it, to your tank, and you should do the intake treatment twice in a row. Again, engine must be warmed up, and given at least 15 mins of time, between treatments, to loosen up the crap.

rangerruck

your test looks like it is all about running too hot, and hi heat/ w hydrocarbons from the cat. Seems like pre ignition, running too lean, too much crap in the cat.
Evething being dirty inside, could point to all of that, that is why a lot of us,
and I will admit it, Especially me, allways suggest to Seafoam first.
It just has to be done right, or you are not going to get done, what you want it to do.
When you are idleing, what is coming out the tailpipe; any smoke of any color?

tim a.

MAn,I dont know how you can read running hot,running lean,hi heat w/hydrocarbons{WTF?} and pre ignition from that printout,and I do this for a living.I read a rich condition at idle .If it was running hot or suffering from preignition then nox would be high.If it was lean then the h/c would be low,not high,and I dont have a clue what hi heat w/ hydrocarbons is.I understand seafoam is the automotive equivalent of penicillin to some,but its really just acetone and kerosene.Nothing magic about that.Its just like every other top end cleaner.You can pour 10 gallons through your cat but its not going to clean it.That stuff is long burned by the time it hits the converter.Catylytic converters use precious metals and heat to catylyze exhaust gasses.When the cat becomes fouled {from raw fuel,anti freeze oil burning,etc}usually it fails for all three gasses.Its a dead giveaway when the converter isnt working.Thats why newer cars have a post o2 sensor to moniter converter efficiency.Sets mil[f] light.and he did say it has a new converter.The prob is a fuel control issue in my humble opinion.Lazy o2,stuck cts,leaky injector,high fuel pressure,misfire{plugs}.Gotta be in that area

4Reigner

Thanks all for inputs!
As I mentioned, I have little mechanial background, and this is first project for me. I have repaired/replaced/cleaned as best i can, I read on this forum and reasearh the products and methods, and apply my hand to them for the first time. List of new parts are getting long, but I will go and test again, clean slate.
Fresh oil, full tank, fresh plugs and see what the test says.

rangerruck

I don't wanna get into all of it, by higher heat through the exhaust can elevate temps to the cat, which when put through all the crap in the cat, can raise the readings of the nox , and hydro's.
I don't know how exactly that seafoam does help to clean a cat, but it does.
Apparently, it may be ignited, but not dead, burnt up, or totally useless, as it leaves the exhaust. Do 2 seafoam treatments in a row, the correct way; I bet you will see both goo and moisture , start dropping from your tailpipe. that is what I and many others , both friends, and peeps here, have observed.
Seafoam is 3 ingredients, one of which is Isopropyl, which acts as both a drying out agent, and a water sucking up(what is the correct term here?) agent, which you can see, if you still have isopropyl fumes even, going through the cat, that it is going to do some work there, with just this ingredient.