emissions failed

[long tall eta]

my eta totally failed nj emissions to the point that it set of the o2 alarm in the building. i have replaced the tb, icv, mass air sensor, and gave her a full tune up, plugs, wires, cap, rotor, as well as a cts. what would give her such a high reading? thye cat and or the oxegen sensor?? if so what can i do to get her a sticker w/o replacing the cat. the car runs great except for a high idle. would a vacume leek trigger high o2 readings?

[jlevie]

An intake leak will cause the DME to learn a higher fuel trim to compensate for the unmetered air. An aged O2 sensor will also cause the DME to run a high fuel trim. The useful life of an O2 sensor is 100k and it is a scheduled maintainence item. If the O2 sensor is at or has exceeded it's service life, replace it. And have a smoke test run on the intake to check for leaks.

Run the fuel system tests in the Bentely to make sure that the fuel system is operating correctly as higher than normal rail pressure will make the engine run rich. And check the cold start valve to make sure it isn't leaking and isn't on when the engine is warm. You might also want to pull the injector rail, jumper the fuel pump relay and see if any of the injectors are leaking.

Also check to make sure that the idle switch in the TPS closes (electrically) when the throttle arm is 0.030-0.060" off the stop screw.

[long tall eta]

would a chipped ecu elevate o2 readings because it is chipped.

[urbancynic]

It shouldn't mess with it to that point. Sounds like your cat and/or O2 sensor is shot.

I went through a long drawn out process on my eta... actually both eta's when I shouldn't have wasted my time or money.

The first one passed emissions (PO installed new generic cat (Magnaflow) and O2 sensor) after I did a tune up and installed a Mark D chip. This car failed once or twice prior.

Second one failed 5 times before I got it to pass. I replaced any vacuum line I felt was suspect, gave it a tune up (removed Bosch Platinum +4's and replaced with proper NGK plugs), and eventually replaced the cat with a generic one (Catco) I had a shop weld in. Also spliced in an o2 sensor from a Ford Mustang 5.0 (new of course).

That made all the difference. Passed with flying colors.

It should also be noted that both my ETA's failed on NOx.

Post your numbers so we can point you in the right direction.

[long tall eta]

It shouldn't mess with it to that point. Sounds like your cat and/or O2 sensor is shot.

I went through a long drawn out process on my eta... actually both eta's when I shouldn't have wasted my time or money.

The first one passed emissions (PO installed new generic cat (Magnaflow) and O2 sensor) after I did a tune up and installed a Mark D chip. This car failed once or twice prior.

Second one failed 5 times before I got it to pass. I replaced any vacuum line I felt was suspect, gave it a tune up (removed Bosch Platinum +4's and replaced with proper NGK plugs), and eventually replaced the cat with a generic one (Catco) I had a shop weld in. Also spliced in an o2 sensor from a Ford Mustang 5.0 (new of course).

That made all the difference. Passed with flying colors.

It should also be noted that both my ETA's failed on NOx.

Post your numbers so we can point you in the right direction.

when splicing in the ford sensor, are the wires color coded? and will it bolt right in?

[BewWoo]

it's Amurrrica! Pay a guy off!

[urbancynic]

when splicing in the ford sensor, are the wires color coded? and will it bolt right in?

There are two white and 1 black wire. The black wire must be connected to the black wire on the mustang sensor. The two white wires dont matter how they get connected as long as they are connected.

[long tall eta]

i have bin toying around with the set screw on the icv. would that cause an o2 reading out of the legal range? what does that set screw do anyway? it seems no mater how i adjust it the idle stays the same unless it's turned all the way in then she idles very high but in any other position there is no change.

[long tall eta]

It shouldn't mess with it to that point. Sounds like your cat and/or O2 sensor is shot.

I went through a long drawn out process on my eta... actually both eta's when I shouldn't have wasted my time or money.

The first one passed emissions (PO installed new generic cat (Magnaflow) and O2 sensor) after I did a tune up and installed a Mark D chip. This car failed once or twice prior.

Second one failed 5 times before I got it to pass. I replaced any vacuum line I felt was suspect, gave it a tune up (removed Bosch Platinum +4's and replaced with proper NGK plugs), and eventually replaced the cat with a generic one (Catco) I had a shop weld in. Also spliced in an o2 sensor from a Ford Mustang 5.0 (new of course).

That made all the difference. Passed with flying colors.

It should also be noted that both my ETA's failed on NOx.

Post your numbers so we can point you in the right direction.

is there any spacific mustang o2 sensor to be used? when trying to locate 1 over the phone they want to know either automatic or manual trans. does it make a difference? if anybody has a part # i would appreciate it. also would a bad charcoal canister contribute to a elevated o2 level?

[urbancynic]

i have bin toying around with the set screw on the icv. would that cause an o2 reading out of the legal range? what does that set screw do anyway? it seems no mater how i adjust it the idle stays the same unless it's turned all the way in then she idles very high but in any other position there is no change.

The set screw on the ICV is to change idle speed. At least that is what it does on my car. My current eta was idling at about 500. I advanced it to about 800. That helped, but only minimally.

A vacuum leak will also cause o2 to be higher.

13942 is the O2 sensor I used. its a Bosch number and I got it from Autozone for 40 bucks.

Not sure on the charcoal canister, but I doubt it.

Can you post the actual readings you got so that I can get a better idea of where you're at?

Also, does your car run hot at all?

[long tall eta]

The set screw on the ICV is to change idle speed. At least that is what it does on my car. My current eta was idling at about 500. I advanced it to about 800. That helped, but only minimally.

A vacuum leak will also cause o2 to be higher.

13942 is the O2 sensor I used. its a Bosch number and I got it from Autozone for 40 bucks.

Not sure on the charcoal canister, but I doubt it.

Can you post the actual readings you got so that I can get a better idea of where you're at?

Also, does your car run hot at all?

car only runs a little warm when sitting at high idle. i am assuming thats normal. they did not even perform the testing or if they did they did not enter the readings on the paper work. they said the car set off the o2 detectors in the building so i am assuming they shut the test down at that point.
i do have this high idle thing going on and changed out everything but the o2 sensor and the cat and charcoal canester that i can think of. need to get a smoke test but work schedule wont let that happen till next week. so i guess to answer your question, it read so high that it set off the o2 alarms in the inspection building so they never finished the test. this is driving me nuts cause she runs so good. grrrr

[urbancynic]

I'd perform a smoke test to determine if/where any vacuum leaks are.

Then I'd fix those if any are found.

Have the valves been adjusted recently? Sometimes a proper valve adjustment can help.

Do basic checks to see where youre at such as plugs (NO Platinum plugs whatsoever!), air filter, and oil change as needed.

Perhaps do a seafoam treatment (before plugs if youre doing them)

Then perform checks as per the Bentley manual on the coolant temp sensor for the ECU. If it is even close to not meeting spec replace it because theyre cheap.

Also wouldn't hurt to check the fan clutch. Doesn't sound like you're overheating, but doesn't hurt to check it. If it fails the newspaper test, you can buy a new one from rockauto.com for about 35 bucks.

If you aren't sure how old your o2 sensor is just replace it with the mustang sensor if you want to go cheap. Otherwise on ebay theres a stock style replacement for 60 bucks.

If you decide you need a cat too you have a few choices - rockauto.com has stock bolt in replacements for about 280 shipped, or find a local reputable exhaust shop (Not Midas or Meineke - they aren't cheap) to install a universal. I went for universal and paid 170 installed, including relocating the o2 bung to avoid rubbing on my transmission crossmember.

A lot of this is assuming you're failing on NOx, but a cat helps all around.

Also, whats the condition of the fuel filter? What grade fuel are you using?

[long tall eta]

first of all thanks
urbancynic for all your time helping me with this issue. second, coolent sensor is new, tb and mass air box are squeeky clean. no valve adjustment for a while but there is no tapping going on. looks like a smoke test then a oxegen sensor and a cat. any more advice will be greatly appreciated.

[urbancynic]

first of all thanks
urbancynic for all your time helping me with this issue. second, coolent sensor is new, tb and mass air box are squeeky clean. no valve adjustment for a while but there is no tapping going on. looks like a smoke test then a oxegen sensor and a cat. any more advice will be greatly appreciated.

I know you just said the coolant sensor is new, but I've had new parts not work right before. Why don't you test it just for kicks?

But it sounds like you're on the right track with the smoke test, o2 sensor, and cat.

Glad to help, let me know how it all works out for you.

[long tall eta]

hey guys, how much (if anything) does the charcoal canister filter come into play when talking about o2 levels. could 1 of my problems be an old filter?