Hehe, first time I failed smog. My registration's overdue as well. I thought I just needed it done before the end of August. It was due last August 8. :P Anyway, here are the details. I copied Juan's style:

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Existing conditions
- Idle seems normal. Idles around 800 and up.
- Car actually has a CEL 31. Reset it by disconnecting the negative terminal, drove around for 20 miles before going to inspection.
- Car is leaking oil, could possibly be burning it as well.
- Car is long overdue for an oil change. :P
- Car seems to be leaking coolant too, as I have to replenish coolant in the reservoir every once in awhile when I start hearing that whooshing sound...
- 154,100 miles on the clock, all 87 octane. Car is a 1997 RS.
- Spark plug wires are less than a year old, upstream O2 sensor replaced around last year too if I recall correctly.
- Catalytic converter has never been replaced as far as I know.
- Modifications directly related to performance are AEM CAI, Greddy EVO, and AF/X UDP and Accel Plug wires. The rest is just rice. :+
- Gas mileage is pretty decent, averaging 27 mpg, worst days I get 25 mpg, good days, I hit 30 mpg.

I think that's it regarding conditions. I didn't really do anything to prepare my car, besides drive around like a mad man for 20 miles after resetting the ECU. :P
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Here are the test results:

Test results:
_________|_rpm_|%CO2|%O2_|_HC (ppm)|_CO (%)|_ NO (ppm)___|
M1 15mph | 1863 | 14.65 | 0.00 |93 (9/54) | 0.56 (0.02/0.50) | 181 (57/430) |
M2 25mph | 1876 | 14.80 | 0.00 |37 (7/37) | 0.19 (0.03/0.47) | 87 (50/717) |

That's it. Highlighted in bold the parts where I failed. Oops, sorry for the sloppy table. Basically the HC and the CO @ 15mph, 93 ppm and 0.56 % respectively. Maximum is 54 ppm and 0.50% respectively. Tester said it was probably a failing Cat. I'm still happy I got away with the CEL for awhile. Too bad something else was wrong. :-( Any help would be appreciated guys. Thanks.

I would start by changing that dirty oil.

thats not too bad actually, Do the oilchange, use some cleaner burrning gas and some of that GTP stuff. Check the plugs, It might be worth it to try a new set.

Cleaner burning gas? You mean higher octane?

Hehe, I guess its time to do that oil change then. I'll prolly change the spark plugs while I'm at it. So how about my cat converter, anyone think it'll do for another two years? And what is this GTP stuff? Where do I put it in?

Man, I guess I have to do this reset ECU thingie again when I go back there. Can't believe that worked again the second time around... :P

no not higher octane, just something like 76. the GTP is a bottled thing guaranteed to pass, its sold like at autozone. Run it through a whole tank before you refill and go back.

IF the cat was recently replaced it should be good.

I would rather clear the code with a scanner, everytime you reset the ecu, it has to re-learn your car and how it runs. This could affect your emissions output.

Oh you mean the 76 brand. I gas up there everytime. Cool, gonna get a bottle of GTP then.

No, the cat hasn't been replaced ever since I owned the car in 2001. I doubt its been replaced before that. (its a 97)

So, uh, do you have a scanner I can borrow? :P

I have the laptop one.

Great. I'll prolly borrow it one of these days then.

Oh yeah, by GTP, did you mean STP? Just browsed through the Autozone catalog online, no such thing as GTP. There's a lot of STP products though, which one is it? Just any STP fuel injector cleaner? Or is it the complete fuel treatment?

go and walk in, its right next to those fuel injector cleaners.

Replace plugs with new OEM ones (champion or ngk), fill up with 76 brand 87 octane (more ethanol), and change your oil. Guaranteed-to-pass won't hurt either. Napa carries it, Autozone rarely does.



I would absolutely replace your cat. They don't last much over 100k/10 yrs. You can try again if you want (free retest) but its really not worth running around trying 40 different things when the bottom line is your cat's old.

Oh, "Guaranteed to Pass" = GTP. My bad. :+ Gonna be changing the oil this week then. I haven't bothered in awhile since I'm leaking oil so bad I fill it up every two weeks or so.

Is Juan done using Kaiser's cat? ;)

Oh yeah, noticed RRE has a high flow cat for $150. Will this directly bolt on to my car? I have a Greddy EVO, sized 2.5 I think. I was reading Juan's post and James said something about RRE's GST cat being compatible with our NTs. Now I wonder if I should just get a new cat, either high flow or a stock cat.

Edit: Just searched, looks like the GST cat isn't compatible? Something about the flange being 30 degrees off?

Anyway, recommendations for new cats welcome, either stock or high flow. Also post where to get them and how much. All I've seen from searching are Catco brands.

you disconnected your battery prior to going to smog driving 20 miles isn't going to do it.

My friend who is a smog technician said to drive your car in different conditions for about a week then the ECU will have learned again. You need to drive at certain amount of speed for a certain amount of time. The ecu needs to relearn again.

If I do that, drive one week for the ECU to relearn, the CEL would have been back already. It comes back after driving 30 miles or greater. The last time, this trick actually worked. I've had the CEL 31 for awhile now.

Also, since it didn't fail the initial pretest, (ie automatic fail if no fuel maps present) I was assuming that the ECU already had enough time to relearn, since it had enough data to make fuel maps to pass initial testing.

The ECU monitors in a DSM will set after about 5-30 minutes of driving in varied conditions. Usually warming up the cat by surface street and then highway driving will be enough to set the monitors.

Another trick... having a full fuel tank helps because your EVAP monitor won't check itself until 3/4 tank.

Replace your cat. GST cats won't work, I had mine cut and re-welded, but that's ghetto. RRE has a 2.5" cat for $100, you have to weld flanges on it though.

Well I just had a retest. Things changed since then:

Changed oil
Changed spark plugs. NGK BKR6E-11.
Changed Catalytic Converter. Magnaflow 2.5" from RRE. It was welded on, I guess the place I brought it to didn't feel like using the flanges I bought.
Changed two front tires. Brand New Kumho 711s.
Changed battery. Optima Blue top

The last two didn't really involve smog, just that my tires were close to blowing out and my red top was dead. :P

All this was done the day before the test.

I still failed the retest, but the numbers look promising. All numbers went down. I passed the CO test now which I failed previously. Downside was I failed the 15mph HC test by 0.04. Max was 0.54, I got 0.58. I'm hoping its just that the cat is still pretty new which is why it isn't that efficient yet. Drove the car with the new cat on for around 90 miles before retest and then left the car running for around half an hour while I was waiting for my turn.

I guess I'll drive the car for a week and then have it retested again. Prolly gonna try that GTP shit now.

And thanks for the tip Dan regarding that CEL 31. It sure doesn't show up as long as my tank's pretty full. :)

Originally posted by SonicYanDrove the car with the new cat on for around 90 miles before retest and then left the car running for around half an hour while I was waiting for my turn.

Try and find a place that is either empty (monday mornings are good for this) or will put you right on the dyno as soon as you get there. Waiting for 30min allows the cat to cool a bit, but I'm REALLY suprised you didn't pass with a new cat, oil, & plugs. :(

G2P and a tank of 87 octane, 76 brand fuel should take care of things.

Yup, filled up on 76 brand 87 Octane, its the closest and cheapest to me anyway. :) Bought that G2P stuff and put it in.

Most likely will have the retest on Monday , since it takes me a week to use up a full tank of gas. Here's to hoping the next retest will be the last... ;)