High CO ~ Failed emission

[smufguy]

OKay here is the deal. I went to the Inspection and i failed for having too much CO in the exhaust gas. The max allowed was 1.8 points and mine was showing 5.06 points. So that sucks. I passed for CO2 by 3 points, which is real close.

I dont know what might be the problem. but to make things easier this is what i have on the car.

New Cat, New Header, New Muffler, Fuel pressure regulated to 40 psi, Brand new two Oxygen sensors.

SIDE NOTE: What i discovered before was that my ecu did not detect the second O2 sensor when unhooked. Seems like it was running on the 86-87 ECU even tho my engine and emissions are of the 88-89. I got a spare ECU which is the number Y-1 37820 - PJO - 668. Im gonna swap it for the old one in the car, see what happens and bump the fuel pressure to 35 psi and see how it goes.

Also i have a leaky Fuel Injector which i did not fix yet due to unavailability of the O-rings or new Supra injectors.

Anyone have any suggestions of how to fix it? thanks guys.

[POS carb]

lean out the mixture 1 turn, lower the timing 1 or 2 degrees, make sure your cooling system is up to par,

other than that try cleaning your tb and intake, new plugs (& wires if they're old), new o2 sensors, at least 89 octane, 92/93 if you can (in case your engine has preignition problems), make sure your tires are at max pressure if your car is tested on the dynos

[smufguy]

how do i lean out the mixture? I am efi. Im bumping down the fuel pressure to around 35 psi. Timing is another thing cause i messed with my distributor and i dont know where it was at. so i guess its fucked up. Also my cooling system is 100% coolent and im gonna change it today if i can if not tomorrow. to a min of 70%coolent. Im thinking of just draining the radiator and filling it with Distilled water to make the mixture.

I got new spark cables. Im gonna regap the plugs and see how it goes.

The two ecus i got do not recognize the absense of the O2 sensors on idle. thats fucked up.

Im running full 93 octane now so i should be good.

Im gonna check on the Tires and fill em up to 30 psi.

Thanks a bunch Eric

[rocky2]

Another thing that I think will help or say not hurt you. Is battery.


If your alternater kicks in when its in the middle of test due to a weak battery/alternater
might rob your engine of needed hp to get though test.

Check them for free at autozone

[shepherd79]

when you did the swap, did you use 86-87 or 88-89 EFI parts?

[smufguy]

i used all 88-89 parts. Block is still A20A1 which makes no difference.

Well we know that CO is the result of Incomplete combustion. So i talked to my mechanic and he said sometimes its the ignition system that is not strong enough and might be at fault. So i cleaned out my spark plugs. Those NGK R, looked like shit. I might be getting new ones soon. and the cap and rotor were the same. no insane dust in em. but they were coated good with oxides. So me and my friend sanded em. cleaned em good with alcohol. and regapped every plug to 1.1mm as specified in the shop manual. and i am getting it retorqued to 13ft-lbs once i go see him before the court.

ALso where is the good place to buy some new NGK R plugs or are they cheaper than BOSCH Platinums?

[Blkblurr]

I failed my last emission test as well so I'll tell you what I did to pass. Make sure that your car has been running for at least 10 minutes before going to get your test. Put a can of the emissions test stuff you can get at almost any auto parts store. (can't remember the name) in a full tank and burn it all. Get a new tank of gas and go to the test (engine warm). This does not fix the problem but it will pass. I then replaced both my oxygen sensors because I noticed a small amount of black smoke coming from the exhaust. The problem went away and I suspect it will pass next time without any problem. a high CO reading is a sign that the oxygen sensors are not working.

[carotman]

on idle, if you unplug the O2 sensor it will most of the time not detect it.

I'm 100% sure your ECU is ok because de 88-89 ecu will now work with the 86-87 idle control on the intake manifold (and vice-versa)

Just get new plugs at honda, they are not more expensive than anywhere else (at least where I live) They care pre-gapped and will work like a charm.

Adjust the timing... the timing is an important part of the combustion process. a new cap and rotor should be a good idea too.

[smufguy]

i have the ecu and all the parts for the swap from a 89 lxi model. So im good on that. Its just the ecu not detecting either one of the O2 sensors was kinda weird.

Im going for new plugs and i should be ordering them by tomorrow and have it shipped to my house. Im gonna install them, get new cap and rotor and ask my mechanic to change the timing cuz i dont have the timing light. I passed everythign besdies that stuipid CO.

I run now on 93 octane cuz where i live, the price for about 10 gallons of regular and Premium fuel is only a buc extra so i dont mind running knock free and smoother on 93 octane.

[RobT5580]

I failed once for the same thing but not off as much as you were and all i did was add a can of some cleaner (for emmisions stuff) and went to high grade gas before the test and passed with flying colors. They also have this new stuff in a can you hook to a vac source and it sucks this cleaner through and cleans everything up. I have not used it but a mechanic i know uses it at work when cars fail. CT has a new Emmisions program and it seems like a lot more cars are failing so the shops are just adding that cleaner if they fail and most are passing after.

Dont know if that helps but it worked for me and im going to do it cause i have to take both accords through in the next 4 weeks.