Need help passing Colorado Emissions

Posted by Nishiaizu@reddit | projectcar | View on Reddit | 50 comments

So for starters I’m 22, just bought my first project car and dream car and I need help passing emissions. I bought a 2003 Honda S2000 that is boosted and I’m struggling to get it to pass.

I’m new to project cars and hardly know what’s going on but I’ve gotten a little help from some family and friends. Unfortunately I’ve ran emissions multiple times and have gotten it close but I need ideas. So far I’ve done an oil change, new spark plugs, ran cleaner through the exhaust, fuel pump upgrade to a walbro450 on a new E85Tune.

There is a turbo kit that was installed by previous owner and I’ve cut a test pipe and had an exhaust shop weld VBand clamps for a cat which is how it dropped so much on the 31st with the prior tune but it seems like I can’t get it anywhere without Nox or Hydrocarbons switching on passing and failing

Correct me if I’m wrong but I believe I can get it to pass with the turbo kit on. I do however have all the OEM parts to put it back to stock but that’s a last resort as I don’t have much time anymore

I’ve spent probably around 3k on fixing the car from misfiring to majority of it being the Tune and Dyno running me about 1300$. Point is, I desperately need help and it’s getting real expensive.

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maks_b@reddit

I think your best bet is to find a stock exhaust with catalytic converter just to go pass and then swap back.

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Nishiaizu@reddit (OP)

I can dig through all the oem stuff that came with the car. I’ll look this weekend when I have time and probably try again as it’s been sat for a while and my temp tags are expired so I’ll need to get those too haha

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RJ45p@reddit

Swap injectors back and cats back, fuel rails if you have bigger on there. It's gonna take some work but if you have the OEM parts you might just pass

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Nickelsass@reddit

gif

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Terom84@reddit

Clip a 50 on the tailpipe and see the results drastically improve lmao

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LiquidAggression@reddit

diesel gate time

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D-Dubya@reddit

The high HC is from a rich mixture or poor combustion. My money is on a shitty tune, but it could just be worn plugs or some sensor issue causing the computer to command a rich fuel mixture (o2's, MAF, etc.)

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Nishiaizu@reddit (OP)

I’d hate to have to spend so much on a retune again😅

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grease_monkey@reddit

Well maybe that wouldn't be a problem if you hadn't already spent so much on guessing.

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phatassgato@reddit

Are you trying to pass on e85 and a tune?

HC is unburnt fuel and Nox is high cylinder temp.

Both can be expected with forced induction especially turbos.

How old is the cat?

I would imagine you could throw a fresh sacrificial cat at it and get it to squeak by smog.

But I’d be checking airfuel sensors and dialing back the tune for sure.

I feel like the car CANT be running good especially you talking about having fixed the miss maybe that burned up the cat. But to be that rich and that hot, you’ve got problems.

A good running tuned car typically won’t be super dirty, regardless what the guys who dump excess fuel and cant keep a car longer than a year say.

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FiatTuner@reddit

good running tuned car typically won’t be super dirty

depends on the injectors a lot

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Nishiaizu@reddit (OP)

We had swapped the 400cc to new ID1050’s if that helps

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Thirsty_Comment88@reddit

Go get the car tuned

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grease_monkey@reddit

They don't want to actually fix the problem, they just want to load the parts cannon up with dollar bills

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Agreeable_Victory_66@reddit

You cant just switch injectors without setting up the injector data in the calibration and redoing the VE table. Bring it to Brent at PFI speed, he will get it running proper and then you can bring it for emissions again.

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kevinatfms@reddit

You swapped injectors and didnt retune the car?

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Nishiaizu@reddit (OP)

Yeah I’m trying to get it to pass as is since I don’t know how to put the car back to stock with all the parts given and I wouldn’t know how to. I could learn of course but that’s my last option

As far as how old the cat is I’m not too sure, I wasn’t able to buy a new one as we can’t buy them unless they’re compliant with something here in CO.

I can’t say for sure that it’s running good as I’ve never owned one, it does drive better than the day I did take it though😅🥲

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phatassgato@reddit

I made a lot of expensive mistakes when I was a kid too.

Honestly as a 3rd party im a little upset with whatever shop took your money for that tune.

Did you talk about needing to pass emissions? It’s foolish.

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IGOR_ULANOV_55_BEST@reddit

Cats need lots of heat to work properly. Your turbo sucks a huge amount of heat out of the exhaust stream. It’s why every modern turbo car has the turbine as close to the cylinder head as possible and cat(s) immediately afterwards.

I would seriously consider removing the turbo in order to pass emissions. Get a transition made that connects the exhaust manifold right to the down pipe, throw a filter on the intake side somewhere, and tune it to pass emissions.

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glodde@reddit

You need a new catalytic converter

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Techlove92@reddit

Fuck smog bs, makes peoples life harder.

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bodhidharma132001@reddit

Register it in Wyoming.
I remember my Dad slipping a guy that works at one of the small smog booths a $100 to get his car to pass.

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basicKitsch@reddit

Or just a non smog city. I registered my car add a buddy's house in North Carolina for a decade just so I didn't have to worry about front plate

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Threedawg@reddit

I did this for years as well but I found out it is actually a terrible idea.

If you get caught in an accident and are found at fault your insurance wont pay. Meaning that you will be responsible for all damages and healthcare costs out of pocket, and they will go after your assets if you don't have enough cash on hand.

If you do this, you better get your story straight with your buddy, not have any pictures posted of the car in your state that are more than a few months old, not received any tickets or gone on any tolls, and not parked the car outside when google maps cars drive by.

Any one of those things is enough for insursnce to drop you, and they will.

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basicKitsch@reddit

100%! in VA it has to be here a consecutive 30 days to change the registration (obv different than insurance and they are sharks)

funnily enough i had it insured at my house and when the crazy flood came, and maybe because they had extra funding with VB being an official disaster zone (and were dealing with tons of claims), they gave me SO much for my hogged out daily/'racecar'. I couldn't sign fast enough.

https://i.imgur.com/uBmhscN.jpeg

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Threedawg@reddit

Sorry I want breath in the most polluted zip code in America.

We would go after the suncor plant but the current administration gutted the EPAs power to monitor them and then republicans in the big beautiful bill made it illegal for us as a state to monitor and fine them ourselves.

Passing stricter emissions laws was the only move we had left.

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No-Locksmith-9377@reddit

Id be very surprised if you pass on an E85 tune. You should grab a good cat and get a real tune.

Does Colorado make you pass a visual inspection as well? Like looking for oem exhaust components?

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Nishiaizu@reddit (OP)

As far as I know they just hook up to the port and drive the car. They’ve never looked at anything else besides searching for where the port is

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Boilermakingdude@reddit

If they are port checking then you wouldn't have an issue. They're tail pipe testing which is why you're seeing NOx values etc. you can't seriously think they get all this info from an O2.

Put 2 cats inline. I bet it passes.

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spaghetiwires@reddit

Setup an LLC in Montanna?

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Jacklunk@reddit

It works.

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Threedawg@reddit

I would prefer to be able to breath in the most polluted zip code in the country.

Colorado laws are incredibly fair, you only have to pass emissions if you live in the high emissions counties, and we really need to protect our air here.

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giddy_lincoln@reddit

Know of a guy with tons of project cars. He gets them to pass by driving past the emissions vans. Before he gets too close he will shift to neutral, turn the car off to coast through, then turn back on and shift into gear when he's past them. Not the safest or easiest but certainly a way to do it.

Link for locations of the vans if you try it https://aircarecolorado.com/locations/van-locations

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ShidOnABrick@reddit

Reg it in florida 😎

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InhumanYeti@reddit

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scroopydog@reddit

So this is on e85 with the e85 tune?!

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Nishiaizu@reddit (OP)

Yeah, we seen that that the tune it was on prior was running pretty poorly but the tuner a family member had recommended got it running better and somehow closer to passing emissions

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panopticon31@reddit

Honestly just get it retuned for 93 and baby it until you pass then reflash the e85 tune.

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kevinatfms@reddit

What type of catalyst did you install?

Id also question the tune on the car. Call PFI Speed and see if they can tune it to help pass emissions.
https://pfispeed.com/
They know Honda's very well.

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Nishiaizu@reddit (OP)

It was a cat that I had borrowed from my cousins Honda civic

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cookerz30@reddit

I kept failing emissions with my Miata until I bit the bullet and bought a new catalytic converter. You might save yourself a lot of headaches going that route.

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quinhook2@reddit

This guy is right. PFI will get you squared away.

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Sofa_King_L8@reddit

Do you want to actually pass the test like replace parts and tunes or "Pass" the test? Idk about Colorado but in MO if you go to the DMV with the rest of your paperwork minus inspections and tell them your vehicle is currently in another state they will have you sign an affidavit saying you "promise to get an inspection within 30 days of returning to the state" but they have no way to track when those 30days start or end...not illegal and uncle sam gets their money from you via taxes and fees so the DMV could care less and you get a clean registed and titled vehicle without the BS of smog testing that differs from county to county so win win. Ive done this for about 2 decades now even with cars that would easily pass just to avoid S#it like this. Good Luck! think outside the box!

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Nishiaizu@reddit (OP)

I’ll look into them, thank you!

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airhunger_rn@reddit

Got any friends in no-smog counties? Grand Junction, etc? Register it their address and give them $100 and a few cases of beer for their help

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Nishiaizu@reddit (OP)

Unfortunately not