well guys im do for a smog check and honestly i dont think my SC is gona pass iv heard rumors of people passing by using fuel additives and such, any truth to this any thing I can do to improve my chances?

I understand the best thing to do would be get new cats and so on but I want to wight until I do a full exhaust.

 

most of those emissions additives are snake oils, not literally but figureatively. most of them either are an exygenator or something like touline that burns cleaner. might as well put it in and get double your money back if you fail. i think if you do fail you can always buy the new cats (bigger and more efiicient aftermarket units) and show the receipt and they will let u off till your next scheduled appointment. a buddy got away with that in La Jolla

 

Well I just put some lucas fuel additive in; I might be doing the smog check as soon as this weekend.

vipsoarer: I want to weight until I do a my exhaust to change my catts but I guess if I don’t pass my exhaust will come sooner.

 

Premium fuel, a fresh oil change, maybe a set of new spark plugs should get you there unless something is very wrong. A good, long, steady drive on the freeway should heat up the cats enough to burn off anything.

 

I always run premium fuel and have less then 1k on my oil (royal purple full synthetic)
I will drive it for a while making sure to get the catts up to temp, but my car dose have 220K

 

retarding the timing to the lowest required setting, i think it was like 8 degrees, and warm it up good before you bring it in. get the cat super hott!!! that did the trick for me. good luck

 

Tnx for the help guys, ill keep u posted on on how she dose.

 

Well guys she didn’t pass, I heated her up, used like 3 Lucas fuel additives on half a tank of gas and I was still over the legal emission limit I guess may exhaust will come sooner then anticipated or at least part of it.

And I wouldn’t recommend messing with the timing because they check the timing (in cali anyway)

 

you can adjust the timing mark to the lowest required degree. i did that when i had to smog my sc300 and it dropped the numbers by a bunch

post your readings up and it would be easier to see what needs to be done

 

here are the #'s

15mph
HC (ppm) MAX = 82
my Car = 176
CO% max = 0.48
my car = 0.44
NO (ppm) MAX = 687
my car = 2021

25Mph
HC (ppm) MAX = 48
my car = 217
CO% MAX = 0.45
my car = 0.35
NO (ppm) MAX = 701
My car = 1785

 

Becareful. Sometimes they get on your case about timing issues and end up charging you to have it adjusted.

 

What was the main reason for you not passing?? PS dont play with timing.

 

im suspecting a bad catt. my car dose have 220,000 miles on it, it faild 2 of the 3 things they test for.

 

Yeah I know it failed but did they say why? What 2 out of 3 things did you fail? I have to smog my car in year from now and I have over 245k miles on it so this piece of info my be useful for me.