I won! (Emissions testing content)

So, I have this '02 Volvo S40 that I was able to get inexpensively because it had a cam phaser/positioning problem. Have 30 days to unbork it. Car already had a new timing belt as part of the diagnostic process (it was waaaay overdue). P0015 is very common on these engines and there is no clear, single solution. One of those things where everything related fails. Thus, why the PO unloaded it.

Through a process of Seafoam, cleaning the solenoid valve manually, rapid oil changes with ACEA oil, and running the car with ATF in the crankcase, I was able to get it to the point where the code would only set when below 50F. No problem in November, right? And the computer locks the cam in one place if it sets the code (check is done in first 1.5sec of engine running) so code needs to be cleared constantly if the mechanisms are to be exercised. But clearing the code also clears the monitors, which need to be run and passed to get emissions tested.

Last night ended four days of driving without my friend P0015 showing up, AND all but two of the monitors had run and passed. Quick, to the 24hr testing kiosk! Get me my papers NOW! And so it came to pass.

Today, started car to move it in preparation for Thanksgiving guests. Hmm, let's plug in the scantool (MAC handheld, very awesome)...

Pending: P0015.

I WIN! In before the lock!

24hr testing kiosk? Where are you?

Last month I helped my brother get an old Dakota fired up after a year of slumber. The computer, trans, and wiring harness were out of a different truck as part of an ongoing project. Drove it around for awhile, seemed to run fine. (This was the first it ran with all these different parts). Decided to temp fate at the emmisions test station. Passed by 1 point. WIN!

Ohio. Select emissions testing centers have DIY emissions testing. You drive up, and there is a touchscreen like an ATM, a barcode scanner for the VIN, and a cordless device you plug into the DLC. Hit Start, scan the VIN, put the scanner back into its receptacle, punch in your mileage, verify the license plate is correct, plug in the reader device, and it prints out your test results after you put the reader back. (Yeah, one would think that cordless devices would be a theft magnet. I'm assuming that there are a dozen security cameras on the site, and the units looked very proprietary)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jrKX1tlmZz0

Emissions testing is free in Ohio. It used to be $20 but they subsidized it with the proceeds from a tobacco lawsuit. I don't get it either.

My '92 Mustang LX notchback passed emissions two times, two years apart, right on the HC limit of 60. I think your win was even more impressive - congrats!

going by that video, they don't really care what comes out of the tailpipe as long as the computer thinks it's ok?

novaderrik wrote: going by that video, they don't really care what comes out of the tailpipe as long as the computer thinks it's ok?

Yep. That is the beauty of OBD-II. It monitors everything, and if everything is within preprogrammed bounds, then a sniffer test is redundant. Obviously the kiosks are not for pre-OBD-II vehicles, but in 2014, that means only cars from 1989-1995 can't use it, and to be honest, they just ain't that many of them left, so who cares?

Sniffer tests don't check for evap leaks, too. Evap leaks are probably most emissions. You'd have to have something horrid like a dead ignition coil or two to get the emissions equivalent of an evaporative leak. Evap leaks pollute all the time, not just when the engine is running.

Knurled wrote: Ohio. Select emissions testing centers have DIY emissions testing. You drive up, and there is a touchscreen like an ATM, a barcode scanner for the VIN, and a cordless device you plug into the DLC. Hit Start, scan the VIN, put the scanner back into its receptacle, punch in your mileage, verify the license plate is correct, plug in the reader device, and it prints out your test results after you put the reader back. (Yeah, one would think that cordless devices would be a theft magnet. I'm assuming that there are a dozen security cameras on the site, and the units looked very proprietary) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jrKX1tlmZz0 Emissions testing is free in Ohio. It used to be $20 but they subsidized it with the proceeds from a tobacco lawsuit. I don't get it either.

no one does … many/most states took the windfall tobacco lawsuit $$ and used it for whatever they wanted … it was clearly marked for subsidizing the care of tobacco related illness patients … but then lots of $$ taken in by the state ( and federal government) are used for purposes other that those intended

Knurled wrote: that means only cars from 1989-1995 can't use it, and to be honest, they just ain't that many of them left, so who cares?

me, it's a pain in the butt to deal with the e-check morons in person. last week the employee of the state subsidized contracting company walked up to another one and said "this is front wheel drive right?" of my buick roadmonster.

one good thing i guess, my gas cap seal was bad so it failed on that. they went and got the manager, she busted out a new gas cap, gave it to me for $0 and printed out my passed test.

Oh yeah, that's the other thing Ohio does, free fuel caps if yours is failed. It probably saves time (money) compared to sending you out to the parts store to buy one, and then they have to do the whole test all over again.

This is my first OBD-II car. The last time I had a car tested was my Quantum in 2010. AWD, so the test was a 2500rpm idle, which anything with closed-loop fuel control and a half-functioning cat can pass. They couldn't figure out how to test the weird German fuel cap so they passed me to get me out of their hair.

You wouldn't believe what a pain it was to get my RX-7 tested properly. They kept running the test in 2nd gear. The Federal test cycle that Mazda had to pass in 1984 did not require the car to run over 2800rpm, so over 2800rpm Mazda cuts air pump flow and makes the car run rich in order to put the cats to sleep. Makes them last longer that way. I ended up modifying the emissions system to pass the state test, which is technically a violation of the Clean Air Act.

Anyway, I'll be really happy in a few more years when everything that needs a sniffer test is age-exempt. Will save lots of hassle at work.

will save lots of hassle with me too. most of my stuff is 95-down. i'm not bothering plating the vette for 2 more years, just going to lay it up, tear it down, and build what i want. the impala has collector plates to be exempt. my 90 pickup has commercial plates therefore exempt, and will be doing same with my avalanche because i don't want to get caught using it for work pulling my commercial plated trailer on non commercial plates. the WRX is going to need collector plates as well for the exemption, unless i can get the obd connector wires found and get one soldered back on and use the rom raider program to force pass all the monitors since there is no engine hooked to pcm anymore. that is where the 24 hour kiosk would help. i can rumble up, plug it in and hopefully pass, and rumble away.

the biggest issue i've had passing older vehicles was aftermarket cats are nowhere near as good as originals. we had a 90 suburban with duals, 2 cats, ran perfect, no CEL, new o2 sensor, monitored a/f ratio. wouldn't pass because catco cats are junk and should only be used where a visual test is required because the core is so small it doesn't remove crap from the exhaust. my blazer did same. had small aftermarket cat from someone before me, wouldn't pass.

patgizz wrote: the WRX is going to need collector plates as well for the exemption, unless i can get the obd connector wires found and get one soldered back on and use the rom raider program to force pass all the monitors since there is no engine hooked to pcm anymore. that is where the 24 hour kiosk would help. i can rumble up, plug it in and hopefully pass, and rumble away.

Nobody has EVER done that before... (grin)

The kiosk required that the engine be running for some reason. I could charitably think that this is to ensure that the PCM is powered up, since I've encountered cars that would power down the PCM if you left it key on/ignition off for too long, but it might also be to prevent such shenanigans. Most certainly the test will be polling the PCM to verify that the VIN is the same as the one you scanned in.

In the back of my mind, I'm picturing a way to connect the "dummy" PCM to a second crank sensor so that it thinks the engine is running... Strictly as a thought exercise of course.

the biggest issue i've had passing older vehicles was aftermarket cats are nowhere near as good as originals.

Likewise. Which is why I will be happy when roller test cars are finally off the menu. OEM cats are usually either too expensive or not available, so the next best bet is Walker, but they don't have 100% coverage. It sucks more when some poor guy has the awesome OEM converter stolen from his truck, and the only option is a Catco POS. The insurance company only covers the first cat, not a new cat every two years.

With the new STAR enhanced emissions testing in California they require all the monitors to be set or they will refuse to test the car because it counts against their STAR certification. Even cars that the monitors clear when you shut the car off (1996 Subaru, Volvo 850) or others that have issues are not exempt even if the EPA says they should be. So, that means that people are going to start being told to turn in cars to be crushed that are functioning exactly as they were intended to when new. I think it is very scary that something like that has been allowed to happen without most people even realizing it.

Ohio allows up to two monitors to be incomplete because for much of the year, some monitors may never actually run because it's too cold out. If you fail a test, however, then you have to have passed all but one in order to pass.

What is STAR certification?

Volvo epilogue: Cam phasing issue is gone. I think I degunked the phaser sufficiently to call it "repaired". Will have to remember my friend ATF next time I get this issue on a customer car.

Travis_K wrote: With the new STAR enhanced emissions testing in California they require all the monitors to be set or they will refuse to test the car because it counts against their STAR certification. Even cars that the monitors clear when you shut the car off (1996 Subaru, Volvo 850) or others that have issues are not exempt even if the EPA says they should be. So, that means that people are going to start being told to turn in cars to be crushed that are functioning exactly as they were intended to when new. I think it is very scary that something like that has been allowed to happen without most people even realizing it.

as though I needed any more reasons NOT to move to the PRC

What are people using ATF for?

In the past I thought it was high in solvents so had used it as a ghetto engine de-gunker. Empty the crank case, fill with ATF run at idle for 10 mins then drain and change the oil and filter. But after being over on 'Bobs the oil guy' that theory has been hevily de-bunked. Apparently ATF has less solvents and cleaners than modern oils. It may have worked 40-50 years ago with dino technology oil, butn ot today. Or at least that's what BITOG tells me, which is a pisser as I have a lot of bottles of ATF going dusty for just that purpose.

Well, theory is fine, but it cleaned out the Volvo and I have used it on VWs with lifter clatter to cure them of that clatter.

Don't leave it in for ten minutes. Leave it in, period. I've done 3k miles on nothing but ATF in the crankcase on a VW. My Volvo currently has two quarts of Agip 5W30 Synthetic and three quarts of synthetic Dexron VI. Because it was so nasty, I'll do an oil change later this week (maybe 1000mi on oil) with three quarts of Agip and two quarts of ATF, mainly because I'll be changing the filter anyway.

Maybe modern oils do have more/better additives. On the other hand, if they were so good, the gunk wouldn't be happening in the first place. Maybe ATF additives are better, or maybe they are different enough that the cross-species action cleans out the oil sludge that the oil's additives didn't touch.

http://www.smogcheck.ca.gov/Industry/STAR_Program/Report_Card_Terms.html

Took my IS300 to my normal spot to get smogged this weekend here in the PRC, guy plugs into the OBD2 port, idles for 5min and says I passed. No rollers, much confusion for me. Now if I can only get my MX6 idle to go down and pass the sniffer I'll be happy.

ATF is about a straight 15 weight oil, very thin, that's how it works. You'll get better results (if you insist upon it, or have a known gunked up engine) by adding a little (less than a quart) of diesel fuel to the oil shortly before changing it.