took my 22re in for a smog today. first of all, my timing was reading at 28 BTDC. the technician postulated that my harmonic balancer is messed up. ideas?

here are my smog results:

IDLE

%CO2: 9.4, %O2: 4.1, HC: 976, CO: 4.95

2500 RPM

%CO2: 11.0, %02: .7, HC: 409, CO: 5.62

These results would have me labeled as a gross polluter, luckily, he ran me as a pre-test inspection, so i have some more times to try.

I recently changed: the oil, oil filter, spark plugs, spark plug wires, rotor, cap, air filter, PCV valve.

Immediately i think that my Catalytic converter is clogged or just old. Also, i wonder how my 02 sensor is doing. any other ideas or suggestions? i'm concerned about my timing too.

kenny

 

how many miles on that O2 sensor?

 

im not sure, it very well could be original (289,000 miles).

 

do you have a heat gun?

the exhuast leaving the cat should be hotter then the gas entering it. That is one way to test the cat. To test the o2 you need a multi meter. hook up the + lead to the signal waire on the o2 and the - to a ground or chassis. turn multi meter on and to the volt setting. when the truck is warm the o2 should fluctuate between 0.1 to 0.9. it should flutuate fast, like 1-3 times a second.

 

289k miles on it

you know the recommended replacement interval on them is around 75-100 thousand miles, right?

that's may be your issue right there

 

28 deg at idle doesn't sound that far off... if the ECU was not put into test mode that is or the ECU is not getting the IDL signal from the throttle position sensor. You didn't post the NOx reading so it's hard to say if the EGR is working properly and the timing is within reason.
Since it looks like your HC was high at idle definitely make sure your TPS is adjusted properly. If I remember correctly, the O2 sensor is not used when at idle. Also check the PCV valve and vacuum lines for leaks.
Also, where are you at and what are the pass/fail limits?

 

X2 on TPS

Clean and adjust the TPS referring to 4Crawler's page.

 

im in southern california, santa barbara to be exact. my EGR was tested both visually and functionally and it passed both. and im pretty sure that the truck was in test mode for the timing, so that is still strange.

i replaced the PCV valve.

 

For the record, if the throttle position sensor does not correctly signal 'idle' to the ECU, putting it into test mode will not affect the timing. You'll still get the check engine light and all that, but the ECU will not turn off it's own timing maps.
If you've got a high-impedance DVM or a continuity tester, you can verify the TPS is in fact registering idle by checking for continuity between the bottom two terminals on the sensor when the throttle is closed. If you don't have continuity between those two terminals, you can loosen the two screws on the TPS and carefully rotate the top of the sensor towards the front of the truck until you do have continuity. But you'll want it to be where you 'just' get continuity, not turn it so far that you have to open the throttle 1/4 inch before continuity is broken- it should just be a slight opening that breaks the signal. There are more technical details about it here: http://www.4crawler.com/4x4/CheapTri...#TPSAdjustment

 

UPDATE:

so i installed a new O2 sensor and then i went to work on my timing issues. but before that, i gave it some throttle body cleaner. so i hooked up my timing light, and shorted the TE1 and E1 sensors with a paper clip. my timing read 5*. i then took out the clip and my timing was at 12*. could i have fixed the problem just by spraying throttle body cleaner or was the smog technician just an idiot.

 

also, if i do need a new catalytic converter, am i going to have to do some welding, because it looks like it just unbolts. and i just realized that i have two o2 sensors. is that normal?

 

Yeah. The O2 before the cat (primary O2 sensor) is the important one. The O2 after the cat just tattle tales on the cat when it's bad. Just replace the front O2 sensor unless the you're getting a code for a bad secondary O2 sensor.

Get a Denso O2 sensor from sparkplugs.com. It's a genuine Toyota part but cost a fraction of what the dealer would charge.