SoCal General Chat

[squiggie]

That Sucks Mike

[Ayman]

Oh nevermind then :(
May the tc gods come down and bless your unlucky soul.

[mkcman17]

yeah, i was excited to finish and drive this car. instead i'm just pulling my hair out.

[reelizmpro]

Isn't the transfer case the Achille's heel of the iX?

[aje28]

Took the 86' 325e to get it smogged and it failed :curse: . Everything was good but the Nox was really high.

15mph Max: 886 Measure: 1661
25mph Max: 705 Measure: 1143

Any suggestions on what to replace or just any help? My first time failing a smog. I'm more leaning on the o2 sensor as it never has been replaced before and the cat should still be good, it's about 3 years old.

[reelizmpro]

You doubled up on the NOx homie. Looks like a bad cat to me. Aftermarket? time for a new one. They don't last that long especially if running rich. What are your HC's? If they are high...definitely the cat. If they are really low, you are running too lean.

[smooth]

don't start throwing money at it

things that can be done free:
first thing is to test the o2 with a multimeter
second thing is to test the cat at a shop. they'll do a before and after the cat and tell you if it's working

high NOx points to high combustion chamber temps
valve adjustment
leaning out
coolant issue

from easiest to difficult (more costly) to address, imo

we need the fail sheet to see the other numbers, can't just diagnose based from the NOx. what was the HC?

[mkcman17]

Isn't the transfer case the Achille's heel of the iX?

yep. one bad tow or prolonged use with uneven tires and it's toast. otherwise, should last the life of the car.

[reelizmpro]

Yeah, I remember reading a lot about that in the Roundel back in the day.

[aje28]

Here you go, took a picture of the results, thanks for the quick replies!

[einstein57]

shame man, I had similar issues sourcing my euro bumpers. only some of those guys over in UK didn't even bother sending me junk...just nothing at all :|

turned me off from working on my cabrio for a few years, didn't even participate on the boards for that long either. hope it doesn't affect your love of participating in the community because it made me sketch every time I pay someone for a really long time...only recently recovered. that's actually why I started selling a lot of my personal stuff that was intended for projects. just want to go back to driving for a bit and get out of the shady side of this hobby.

I know what you mean. People are goiing to be pissed when they realise I spent all their coilover money on crack. Oh well.

[smooth]

Here you go, took a picture of the results, thanks for the quick replies!

see how it measures up to this

http://www.catalyticconverter.org/news/news_page.cfm?Key=catalytic_converter-&News=216

did you do your oil change? spark plugs/gaps? valves?

valve adjustment: as they wear they get tighter. tighter valves mean they don't seat correctly. when they don't seat correctly they don't get rid of the heat through the exhaust valve adequately. higher temps > higher NOx

that's just one thing
many more tune-up things that need to be done to help emissions

most people buy a cat and it cleans up the crap enough to pass but doesn't get to the bottom of the problem. then they buy a new cat every other year instead of figuring out what the underlying issues are

[aje28]

see how it measures up to this

http://www.catalyticconverter.org/news/news_page.cfm?Key=catalytic_converter-&News=216

did you do your oil change? spark plugs/gaps? valves?

valve adjustment: as they wear they get tighter. tighter valves mean they don't seat correctly. when they don't seat correctly they don't get rid of the heat through the exhaust valve adequately. higher temps > higher NOx

that's just one thing
many more tune-up things that need to be done to help emissions

most people buy a cat and it cleans up the crap enough to pass but doesn't get to the bottom of the problem. then they buy a new cat every other year instead of figuring out what the underlying issues are

It's actually due for a oil change which i will be doing soon, spark plugs should still be good but i will check for correct gap. Valve adjustment not sure when the last time it was adjusted.

[smooth]

pull the plugs, clean them up.
clean your cap and rotor
change the oil
check for vacuum leaks
make sure your air filter is clean
check your coolant...make sure they running those big fans straight into your engine when you're testing some techs forget to do that

there's lots more you can do before you start throwing money at your car
do you have a bentley? if you don't, get one or ask a buddy to borrow one...then get your own.

[ethrtyiS]

anyone know the reason for high hc?