F@#cking SMOG
 

Man all I have to say is fuck California.

Also is there a way to test the 7MGE afm to see if the values are good? All I've found is the GTE. My shit failed this morning with high CO and HC, NOx was good .......

Sure, it's in the TSRM. There are links to online versions in the FAQ section, but here: http://www.cygnusx1.net/Supra/Library/TSRM/MK3/

Any diagnostic codes stored in the ECU?

Nope ECU is clean and clear. Last year the previous owner replaced the cat and o2 sensor. I've done plugs, fuel filter, valve cover gasket

Cali spec has two O2 sensors. Is the EGR system intact? Are you sure the cat was replaced? Have you checked both mechanical and ignition timing? Test the plug wires, inspect the cap and rotor and as you mentioned, yes, test the AFM.

And also make sure the cat was replaced with the correct one. Grab the part number off of it and make sure it's a Cali spec cat (not federal). If you have to replace it, be sure you buy the correct one. Cali requires any cat on any car that gets replaced must be with an obd2 cat. I'd probably stay away from buying one online, as I'm sure many people are probably trying to sell their old stock of cats that are no longer Cali compliant

ya i have the paper work for the shop repair, its a certified smog repair station and have the smog from them as well. however im not sure if it was dirty of not. i think im gonna just get a dirty smog and deal with it later.

theres a number of reasons it could have failed i believe
-i replaced the battery and drove it there the following day...im not sure if this system is a learning system or not
-that morning i drove straight there so the car might have been cold, maybe it was cramming more fuel down in the cold weather? i know my other car does that alot(rotary)


i cant tell if its a stock cat.....its new i can see that but they welded it on so yeah. i need to check the timing and cap and rotor. however the car runs great. EGR is intact, only thing is its hard starting but i believe its the cold start time/temp. after the second kick she turns on strong. usually in the cold she rumbles to get to idle for a few seconds.

Aw dude everybody knows that you suppose to make it go to opr temp then drive it for extra 20 mins, add booster ocance addtive and fill gas up to half tank then you should be able to pass and when did you change oil? If 2k ago then do it now will help.:bigthumb:

Yeah that's what I figure is going on. Im gonna change the coolant temp sensor and go again for a free retest. If it fails after that then screw it. I'll just do a dirty.

I changed my oil the day before the smog check lol

Cre or anyone else knowledgeable, I tested the afm per the link you gave me. My resistance is no where near those values. There supposed to be 200-400 or 200-600, I read only 60 on one and 84 on the other. Am I doing something wrong or is my afm toast?

The easier and more reliable way to test the VAFM (Vane Air Flow Meter) is to test the output voltage at the Vs input on the ECU harness. With the ignition "ON" but the engine off you should see a scale from ~.5v to ~4.8v as the vane is slowly opened from full closed to full open (or the other way around... :P ). Then test the temp sensor's resistance as specified in the manual.

The VAFM is a wear component unlike the GTE's KVAFM. There's a rheostat inside and the wiper and pad wear out over time as they're constantly moving. Watch for significant "flat spots" where the voltage changes less with the movement of the vane than it does elsewhere... These generally occur where the vane is less than 40% open as this is where the vane spends most of its time during normal operation.

Have you checked the ignition timing yet? Running great doesn't mean it's running optimally for peak performance or emissions compliance. Increasing the base timing a few degrees will have more effect than adding an octane booster (complete waste of money and if overdone can make your test results worse). Just don't go too far with the timing... As you increase the spark advance the NOx will increase while the others drop a bit. If you go too far though you may cause a significant amount of ping which will cause the ECU to retard timing and add a lot more fuel.

oh wow, thank you cre. i had no idea.

well i finally checked the ignition timing, i borrowed a gun from my neighbor. i was at 7!!!! i moved it to 11, seeings how the cyngus manual said i should be at 10. the car is running so amazing. i think im ready for a retest

this might be a off topic question but since we are on smog tests. here in florida there are no emmisions test, i know cali is anal about them. i heard from some where that if your car is 20 years or older you dont have to obay emmisions or safety standars since its a classic ( i belive the gov said " if your willing to drive a 20 year old death trap be our gusests" not that a mk3 is a death trap) is this the case for the entire US or just in florida?

Actually, there is no federal limit on TESTING for emissions. You may not under any circumstances circumvent or remove any original Fed or Cali required emissions equipment. States may offer an exemption from TESTING based on their own criteria; HOWEVER, most states froze the year before which a vehicle must have been made a very long time ago. In Colorado, for example, the year was frozen at 1974 or 1975 well after the fact and NO, you are not grandfathered into it. I actually have yet to find a state where they're still letting the counter run for "classic" vehicle status (formerly a designation for any vehicle once it's reached 20 or 25 years of age). For 99% of the US this is complete bullshit... and I don't know where the 1% is. Is your state doesn't require active emissions testing you are still accountable for obeying federal regulations and making sure the entire, original or newer emissions control system(s) is present and in tact... You can still get pulled over and ticketed. A "classic" status is not the blanket legal exemption so many people wish it to be.

And before someone brings it up, no, there is no 25 year law about importing cars either.

I know Nevada still is

anyways though. im gonna go for a retest tomorrow guys. im gonna make sure the car is nice and warm by the time its time for my test. wish me luck! :bigthumb:

YUP... BUT, you can't drive the car more than 5,000 miles in a year (and yes, they check... well, not always but you never know). ;)

Thanks for clearing that up. I was always curiouse to see if that was true and now I know it's not. I always assumed that if you had the blue classic plate you where exempt because here in my state at the Edison home all there classics don't have cats or any emissions control And there driving around. Well at least I can travle around the states knowing I would have to put my cats back, ( or my fake out cat ) to avoid a ticket. Thanks Cre

okay so i leaned the car to about 11 as mentioned. took the car back, failed again, however i passed 15mph test and barelly failed the 25mph. so i leaned out to about 13 since my NOx was still low. smogged it this morning and the check engine light came on, and my CO and HC jumped back up to were they were. i got check engine 21 and 51.

i think the O2 is an old code cause the new sensor was just put on, so 51....now i measured resistance and my values are way off according to cyngus manual. any help?

is there a way to adjust it? Or since my values weren't anywhere close does it need to be replaced?

I don't think you understand the proper definition of "lean" and what ignition advance affects. Lean refers to your air to fuel mixture ratio. Ignition advance (dumbed down as "timing"; not the best term as there's more than one type of timing) refers to WHEN the fuel mixture is ignited.

If you ignite the mixture too soon the engine soaks up more heat and the cooling system must evacuate it. If you ignite it too late the heat energy exits with the exhaust and the valve train, O2 sensor, turbo, cat must all deal with the extra wear and tear. Bumping the ignition timing beyond 14 isn't going to result in much difference if the O2 sensor checks out I would test the AFM and if that still good you may need to replace the cat. A lower octane fuel may help out as it's easier for the engine to burn... just baby it while it's in the tank.

Make sure the O2 sensor is very well crimped in place and that you clear the codes before getting the vehicle tested again. Do NOT solder the wiring for an O2 sensor. The dissimilar metals may cause a dielectric reaction skewing the O2 readings significantly. The MKIII uses a narrow band sensor which uses very small voltage signals to determine if the mixture is stoichiometric and that random and tiny voltage spike from a dielectric connection could cause the readings to be significantly off.

Do NOT reset the codes before testing.... give the car a day or two of MILD driving to learn the finer fuel adjustments needed for optimal power and emissions compatibility. You are VERY likely to fail on a car that in its learning mode if the sensors are all old and weathered.

The code 51 doesn't mean a whole lot. Code 51 only means that the IDL switch wasn't closed when the diagnostic mode was running, the TPS isn't properly calibrated, you stepped on the throttle or the A/C was on. This code will clear automatically cone the offending trigger is resolved. A worn TPS shouldn't cause you to fail a test completely... it's a minor trim sensor.

Okay, well I don't understand what happened. I advanced timing first, numbers went down. Advanced a few more degrees, cel comes on and my numbers go back up

Advance too much and you may cause pinging which causes the ecu to reduce timing advance significantly and add fuel.... Shouldn't happen from advanced an ignition timing increase of only 3? though. The O2 sensor also has a specific operating temperature range which must be met. As mentioned timing affects exhaust temp, but again 3? should have ZERO effect.

The only code stored was for the O2 sensor? Could have been knocking or excessive pinging. Is the mechanical timing spot on?

When you say "leaned out" are you just using the wrong term for ignition advance? Or are you using a fuel controller and adjusting the fuel for a specific AFR (for which that term is applicable)?



Remember, like I said, there's also the factor about the ECU needing a little time to learn the sensors and driving style. Also, make sure your spark plugs are in good shape and make sure there's no oil leaking in there with them.

Yes I mechanically advanced the timing to 13. My o2 is brand new, I replaced the gasket on it. The code stored was 21, as he was doing the 25mph pull on the dyno the light came on. Code was 51. I checked resistance between terminals and got bad results. However idk if it's my multimeter or the sensor.

Mechanical timing is different from ignition timing... You're adjusting the ignition timing not the mechanical. See the MKIII FAQ section.

Code 51 is not a typical fault error and will NEVER cause a CEL, it doesn't even remain in the ECU once the problem is remedied. I've already stated what it means and the only thing it really affects is transitioning into idle. There are two different circuits in the TPS. The IDL switch circuit (which is all that that error is for) and the TPS circuit which helps the ECU determine how the throttle is being applied. If the resistance is out of spec it may cause some issue with smooth handling but its affect on emissions should be extremely minimal. It is a wear component and should probably be replaced every 75K to 100K miles.

Gotcha im sorry. Well the engine is on 196XXX miles and I think it's the original one. Well the previous code was o2, and then 51. Im just confused cause the code turned on out of nowhere(on the smog test itself)

If there's no code stored it's possible it was excessive ping so make sure you're reading the ignition advance properly and make sure the mechanical timing is properly zeroed out.

I covered why you may get an O2 sensor code with a new sensor already, two possibilities.

If the TPS is bad enough to throw a code it'll be a code 41. Code 51 would only cause idle issues.

alright. Well the idle is fine. Once warmed up it goes down to about 830 to 750. I haven't experienced idle issues. The o2 they reused the half deteriorated gasket, so I put a new gasket on it. Its not soildered its connected from the connector

How would I set the mechanical timing?

I already said, it's in the FAQ section.