Does that large hose in pic 4 of post 97 need a clamp? It looks loose, but it may just be the angle of the photo.

THANKS, GUYS! Always depend on ya for some good input!

question;

Are the NEW OEM CAT's as high quality as the old ones? OR, are they installing pretty much the same crap on the new ones, thus, they don't carry em? I would grab a new one if I knew it was right for my rig.

Another question'

Are the old CAT's, our originals, .... 3 WAY CATALYSTS ? Not sure on that, thought I'd ask.

Man, I'm still SO TICKED OFF that I tossed that original one! It looked pretty restricted and ran better when I put the new one on.. But that was also with a new motor/header/etc... so again, as usual, 'HARD TO TELL, AFTER THE FACT!' GRRRRRR! HAHAHA.

Guys like the gift I got? 2 Amps and a 10" JL Audio Sub for 50$???? Now that's a friend! hahaha. Too bad he didn't have a CAT too, eh? hahaha. Honestly... I'M VERY grateful to him... He knew I was pretty frustrated/overwhelmed right now.

Oh, sorry RW...

Not used to it having a Clamp... But sure, why not, I can put one on. It's on there quite a ways.

Chef, CATs since the early 80's have been three-way.

The '88 22RE FSM indicates three-way CAT for California....hard to imagine the the '87 was a two-way.

Ahhh, that's what I figured, since they're testing to '87 Standards' on Emissions. Thanks RW

I've pulled the EFI fuse and will reset it, whether it's needed or not, lol. Either way, it probably would have adjusted over time... But I'm not sure it's adjusting to anything anyhow, lol. What I DO know is that when I put that on, it ran VERY different. Idle came down and then chunky and then after a couple start stops... it was ok. ????????????

Terry said the modulator shouldn't have that much effect... Curious, Terry... what makes you say that? Not being combative, lol... just asking.... "Doesn't the Modulator ALLOW the EGR to have a complete cycle? EGR/to BVSV/back through top BVSV to 'Q' on Modulator/Bottom of Modulator is fed by EGR T-pipe".... Oh forget it, something like that! lol. I know this smog guy has told me, straight out... "More often than not, they replace this when it's high nox and a new/er cat and it passes".... And even read some testimony to that effect, as well. I guess it can't hurt, right? 25 years old and 80 Million Cycles later, lol.

Chef, it looks like near the modulator you have a bolt plugging a vacuum hose that goes into a ?sensor? Where does that hose normally hook up too?

Hello Mark.. I guess I worded it wrong. Sounded like when you put a new modulator on it got worse. You would think putting a new one on it would of started operating better not worse. I could see a modulator causing alot of problems.

But I could see by not clearing the computer it would still have some misinformation inside its brain. I was just thinking that once it started putting out good emissions that the O2 sensor for example would start sending good readings to it and the computer would take those into account.

Hey RW.... That's a 3 port vacuum entry into the Plenum.... 1 goes to the VSV for the FPR... One goes to the Cruise Control(which I've disconnected for now and capped) and the other is capped from the factory(there for something else?). So, seeing that I removed the cruise hose and only had one solid cap, I made another one.

I hear ya.... Maybe putting a new one on revealed that the EGR isn't working right? I don't know. I haven't even had time to start it up and see how it behaves just yet... So hopefully some time today I will and report back. If it's still really chunky I will probably look into the Sensor end of things, then last resort, change out the EGR. I don't think the EGR is the problem, but I could be wrong. I'd like to take look at the 02 with a dial multi meter just to be sure it's working well/fluctuating 8 times every 10 seconds.... Just need time to get out there.

Thanks for chiming in, guys. I appreciate it.

If changing the modulator changes the way she runs then you have at least a modulator issue.

You know, Buck... Very simply yet profoundly put! lol... Seriously... that DOES make sense. I'm just having trouble making sense as to why, ya know? But YES, I feel ya! lol.

So, ........ guess I'll be back there around 4PM, .... gonna give her a test run then. If i'm buckin and jiving.... Well, I'll start digging.. What else can I do, right?

Wanna do the registration all at once at AAA... but I have til the 18th of MAY... So worst case scenario... 'I have to walk in up the street to AAA and drop them a check for REG and then come back with the smog 'PASS' cert! lol.

I'm not sure it was ever WORKING properly in the "AIR/FUEL" dept. or other arenas that control open loop entry, etc..... Maybe it's been going in and out? Just can't know... But I DO KNOW in spite of how it ran liked a raped ape... it's not been 100%. The only alternative to what you said, Buck? .... The new Modulator is bad? hahahahaha.

OK>>>>

I found time before I had to leave(1:30pm) to start it from cold/warm it up/ drive it like a Boot Camp Kid! ...... lol......

It warmed up from cold, starting at 1100rpm, as it's supposed to

It idled down to 750 and held, as it's supposed to

It drove,.... w/timing at 5*BTDC and New Modulator,.... like a raped ape, as always....

I stopped at the store to let it idle and wiff the exhaust... Smells virtually odorless(I know, probably taking years off my life doing that too much lately, hehehe).....

I then drove it back up the CRAZY hill I live up... It was full power and no hesitation and full of kick, even hit 50 before usual(just barely, nothing dramatic) and then 60mph by a couple hundred feet later while still on a lil incline/leveling out....

I pulled in the driveway/garage and took a wiff... It's smelling much better than it was before.

I do notice a lil bit more of a miss in the exhaust pipe. It's like a pup-pup-puppup-pup-pup-puppup kinda thing.... Kinda back to that lil miss I noticed even before I had it rebuilt the first time. It's had a TINY miss since rebuild and before.. But I can't 'feel' it as much in my seat, ya know? It's strange... it's like I exchanged one problem only to notice another.. But not enough to stop me from trying to pass the test...

I will check the few sensors I can when I have time in the next 24 hours... Then hopefully tomorrow I'll take it in. Meh... whatever, ya know what I mean? lol. At least it wasn't bucking and such like last night/night before.

One thing I want to add.. I'm still curious how much of an effect the AFM's Cone/Ambient Temp Sensor has on things. Seems like when it's cold out/humid... I get that idle up and issue thing. It's a sunny day, and as usual(IIRC), it's purring for the most part. I can't see a coolant temp sensor or anything like that having anything to do with that 'thing'... So I figured it might be something 'ambient temperature' related, ya know? Make any sense? Could have nothing to do with it.. But curious. I wish I could just swap out all new parts that I haven't replaced and see which one solves it/if any... But alas, it doesn't work that way... and I WILL NOT keep throwing money at this thing like when I started(I've learned, i promise! lol).

you guys rock!

If you pay the reg before you test then you will have to wait for the sticker to come in the mail. If you can pay after you pass then AAA will give you the sticker on the spot. I did the former and it took no more than 2 weeks for the sticker to arrive.

Good luck

Yep, you're right on that, Buck(the Registration stuff).

I would have more patience with this stuff if I HAD MORE TIME between now and the 18th of May, ya know? lol. Looks like I can spend a lil time, today, running through the specs of the multiple components. As I remember, everything tested out fine,..... which would leave the Dizzy/Coil/Ignitor/Some type of Fuel pressure regulation issue or just some mystery, as usually is the case for me, hahaha.

Either way, as always, "I will not let this THANG beat me!" lol... Ok, lil dramatic, but gimme a break this time, ok? lol.

So, that should have no effect it would seem. 'scribed to this to see what the root issue is when you get 'er all good.

RETEST; .............................

Long story short, ...... "FAILED" again

Results were nearly IDENTICAL to the first, even with the timing retarded and new modulator........

The tech said, "You know, I would really now lean toward your 02 is not reading fast enough, thus, the CAT can't keep up with the 'dump' the ECU is conducting"... more or less. He's seen problems with the 02 being further back away from the exhaust manifold before. His recommendation at this point is to "Get it to Paul down the road asap, the repair smog station.... I can't by law do that stuff here... But he can, and he has Oscilliscope and other equiptment that can just rule out whether the 02 is doing it's job, whether the CAT is doing it's job... Without that tool it's possible you're just going to end up chasing your tail"........ that last 3 words was all I needed to hear in order to agree with his opinion on 'what to do'.

I asked him, "Do you think it's possible, considering the new modulator made it run so crappy at first, that the Modulator was needed but by the time I got here, the computer, due to SOME OTHER issue within the Emissions or otherwise systems, had leaned it back out again?".... He said, "VERY possible.... If something like the 02 not getting hot enough is going on... it's going to read almost everything as rich and then adjust accordingly... But again, I'm just guessing until you get it on a scope."

He was surprised, bcuz even he thought it was running better, smelled less, etc.

Thanks for all the input so far, guys... I appreciate you sticking with me and trying to help by throwing out some ideas. Hey, it hasn't cost me anything up to this point, no throwing parts and such at it, ...so I guess it's all worth it in the 'learning dept.' arena, ......I guess, lol.

I would post up the results but they're almost identical.... Failed BADLY on 25mph and passed "OK" on 15mph. Something about that portion of the tests that my rig doesn't like, I suppose.

I don't think it matters, the AAA office down the street from Mark and I gave me my stickers once I came back from getting my smog pass.

Paid my registration fees about a month before it was going to expire. Finished my rebuild final tuning about 3 weeks after my registration expired. Went to AAA and they gave me a temporary pass that allows you to drive to a smog place and home. (I had to break my engine in and fine tune it with an expired registration ) Came back to AAA about 2 hours later with my smog pass. They verified in the system that it was transmitted by the shop and also did something in the system to prevent a sticker being sent to me from the DMV because they were giving me my sticker right there.

EDIT: Ahhhhh crap...sorry to hear that!

OK that is what I did a couple of years ago, but this year she would not give me the sticker. Guess she did not know.

Sorry to hear you failed again. You are way over my head. I will say for cost of gas, insurance, fines, registration, and the list goes on. I am sometimes ready for a horse and buggy.

Meow.

..... Super Troopers pun? .... or smack? .. Just can't figure that out, lol.