Pyro Kennel

My father used to run all STP oil treatment instead of oil (just for the inspections) He passes every time. That was along time ago in Colorado though...

yzrider273

so the conclusion...
bad catalytic converter...$250
thanks again to everyone who gave their advice

dhall50

I am so happy my part of oregon has no smog testing. The previous owner that rebuilt my truck did away with all the smog equip.

awdjunkies

If anything wouldn't that be the first place to start looking. especially since it's an emission type of test. But I am glad it worked out for you..

dark_fairytales

to anyone from out of the state of cali unless you have lived here and delt with smog in cali, many of your comment are void and not applicable. first off you cant not retard or advance the time at all, you will fail, you also can not have the idle out of spec. second the standards here for the emissions them selves are much tighter then other stats standards.The 22re has an issue passing due to the relation between the HC and the NOx. Toyota set the engine stock to run rich, hence the HC will be to high. So to fix that the 22re needs to be leaned out via the Air Flow Meter. When leaned even just a little the combustion heat become to hot and hence higher NOx. The test its self is different then in other states. The test is run on a dyno not just high and low idle speed. Every year cali changes the emissions standard to be tighter then the next. Now the most recent change, all cars and trucks 76 to 95 have to meat OBD2 standards which is listed as a low emissions vhicle. I dont want to sound rude even though it seems that way but to add your pennies into the thread, you should make sure you really do know the challenges of cali smog.

The cat. dose vary little with the NOx. A three way cat. takes care of some of the NOx produced but the main issue is cumbustions temp. too high. If you have not replaced your cat. you should, I do every time I need to smog. Cat. do go bad vary easy due to bad O2 sensor.

tim a.

Wow,I would hate to see if you were trying to be rude.My SPX chassis dyno doesnt know if its Commiefornia or BFE,it just knows how to read what comes out of the tailpipe.Unless your dynos run in reverse,Im pretty sure they are similar.The guy asked for advice,and he was given what has worked for others and myself.Engines are engines,and emissions,while confusing to the unknowing,are basic.My Virgina emissions inspector and technician repair license validates any input I offer.While you are correct that nox is a combustion chamber temp problem,your assumption that the cat has a minimal effect on nox is not.Many times the catylyst material simply loses its ability to convert gasses,hence the after cat o2 sensor on cali obd1 systems on later toyotas to moniter converter effeciency.I see no reason to tinker with the AFM unless serious engine modifications have been made.Most efforts in that area are misguided,at best.Im not sure why you would think the engine is rich from the factory,and I think your comments about HC and its relationship to nox to be confusing.High HC readings usually mask NOX,due to the cooling affect of the extra fuel.I think you might need a brush up on the basics of the internal combustion engine{50 state edition}.

tim a.

and I told him the cat was bad earlier.$250 seems high for a cat,but it is from the state that gave us nancy pelosi ,so go figure.Finally,I once dynoed a cavalier with a disconnected plug wire and it passed.Converters do an amazing job

93runner223

advancing timing increases nox so retarding it should theoretically lower it
i am failing also from nox and i cleaned the egr, or so i thought and now im failing by even more and with hc so possibly cat now

gofastergogo

hi guys, informative thread.

I am also failing smog due to hi NOx. I have a 97 4runner limited with the 5vzfe. The truck runs great except for a small leak in the headgasket and have had it for sometime. Passed smog last time but I guess they tightened the standards and I'm failing now.

The truck has 225k, 0 mods, original engine.

Where do you guys buy your catalytic converters online?

AzStorm

My 22RE passes with flying colors every year.
I THINK Arizona and California emmission standards are similar.

se7enine

iTrader: (2)

I've never had a problem passing in Cali either, and my 86 22RE was from Canada. It was old and rusty and still passed, but that was a couple years before their new law went into effect. $225 for a cat bites, glad I moved out of that Nazi State. I love buying a high flow cat for under $100 and passing smog with it.

Philbert

iTrader: (2)

If you're in CA you cannot, CANNOT buy a "49 state" CAT online - no one will ship those to CA. CA CATS are CARB legal and command a price premium.

You can get them online at places like rockauto.com and partstrain.com (this was the cheapest I found for 50 state legal CAT).

yotaman85

yourcat should have been the first thing you replaced.

c0ugar69

i just passed smog on my 89 after a fresh rebuild, the nox was high and the guy at the smog place said it was more than likely the cat. I dont have to do it again for a couple years so will get a new cat later.

snowhite

My decision on the whole cat premium BS is if they think I am going to pay that price then ill pay it in gas and make it a ROAD TRIP to another state for the obd1 not obd2. thats just my 0.02 cents.

sb5walker

The CARB cat requirements are for longevity, and probably require more platinum/rhodium/palladium, so you're probably getting a better cat. But I'm sure you're also paying for the cost of testing/certification. Anyway, you should be able to find a CARB certified Magnaflow cat for around $200.

Folks should remember that it's necessary to diagnose the problem with a failed emissions test. High HC has a very different set of causes than high nox. One is too much gas and the other is probably too little. A lot of the generic emissions advice in this thread would cause even higher nox, not lower.

With the OP, the uncovered vacuum tube fitting is probably the problem! That's a vacuum leak, which allows air to bypass the air meter, so the air meter is telling the ecu to send less gas than it should. Capping that baby should be first step. Checking for vacuum leaks very important w/high nox.

Def check EGR operation, making sure the iron egr pipe leading into the plenum is hot when motor at op temp & rpm at 2500. Also you can pull the vacuum tube to egr valve (when motor at op temp & rpm at 2500) and check for vacuum on the tube with your finger. If no vacuum, could be bad egr vsv, modulator (or maybe clogged modulator filter - try cleaning with compressed air per fsm), or maybe vacuum tubes got misrouted at some point. If there is vacuum but egr tube not hot, probably either clogged tube(s) or clogged/bad egr valve.

Mixture too lean is other most common cause of high nox. Vacuum leak already mentioned is one possible cause; clogged injectors is another. Try running a bottle of an injector cleaner with a good amount of polyether amine through the tank. Only two products still have PEA: Red Line SI-1 Complete Fuel System Cleaner has the most, CRC's "Guaranteed to Pass Emissions Test Formula" is next best. Techron, BG-12 & Gumout Regane no longer have PEA, according to their MSDSs. Send injectors to witchhunter.com if real bad.

Bad O2 sensor or bad connection to it can be cause of bad mixture, but when sensor gummed up or connection bad, usually the motor runs too rich rather than too lean. But you can check operation by counting voltage changes in the check connector when a jumper is set. Check fsm ENGINE - MFI SYSTEM - OXYGEN SENSOR section.

Timing too advanced another possible cause of high nox - check timing but also check that rpms drop when TE1 - E1 jumper is set (T - E1 on the 86). If not, very likely the IDL - E2 terminals on the tps don't have continuity when throttle closed (idle position) like they should. You have to fix that before you can correctly set timing. Also be sure idle is at 750 before setting timing.

Bad knock sensor/bad connection to it could cause ecu to run motor too advanced. But you should have the dread code 52 if that's the case (code 12 for the 86).

If you have a 22re with stock temp (190 deg F) thermostat, try replacing with a 180 deg stat - that's the t-stat for an 85-88 22RTEC, part # 90916-03083. That's also a good bet if motor pinging too much. The dealer part is far better than aftermarket, and it's as cheap or cheaper at World Toyota's online site - only $10.12 (but min shipping is $9.50 - so maybe buy some other needed parts at same time, or like ten of the slightly taller 90915-YZZD3 oil filter - 27% more filtering area than the stock 90915-YZZD1 and same price - $3.56 at World. (No affiliation with them.)




EDIT: I've read that higher octane fuel (which burns slower than low octane) burns a bit cooler, too. But I haven't found what I would consider reliable evidence of that. Just something to consider.


.

Philbert

iTrader: (2)

I think this has been the best post on this thread - thank you for all the information.

I went through this last summer when my Datsun failed 3 times. Replaced cap, rotor, plugs, wires, O2 sensor, did timing, valves, replaced injector connectors, did the complete FSM EFI ECU system test with an ohmmeter, etc)....turned out to be the CAT after all - now runs really strong (and clean!).

I love CA, but the smog rules are constricting. It used to be a sliding scale, where if your car was a certain age or older, it was exempt. Then about 10 years ago, they changed it to a hard cutoff at vehicles built before 1976. That's why all the Datsun guys love the 1975 280Z (first year of the fuel injected 2.8L I-6, and smog exempt! I have the same engine, but more smog equipment, since mine is 5 years "newer"

toyospearo

WOW. I just welded up a 81 cat on my 82 a friend of mine had laying around. I gave the rig a full tune up and did the timing. I took it in bright and early for the test and the mec said "you passed, that little truck is the cleanest running Toyota I have seen in months."
I almost fell over backwards.
I never thought I would get that thing smogged.
Sorry to hear about the troubles. Sounds like you have it figured out.