My Cadillac didn't pass the smog.

[Markus Kleis]

Re: My Cadillac didn't pass the smog.

What's a CEL?

Check Engine Light.

I too believe it is an automatic fail.

[ocmdiaz714]

Re: My Cadillac didn't pass the smog.

Check Engine Light.

I too believe it is an automatic fail.

Mine doesn't come on, I don't have any messages popping up as a matter of fact. Can anybody tell me how to clean out the EGR valve on it?

[Dier]

Re: My Cadillac didn't pass the smog.

I hope this makes it easier for you to understand the situation.

Obviously the seller just wanted to do a quick sell and priced it low enough that you wanted to deal with the headaches of buying a used car.

Starting from the front of the test result.

Measurements taken at:
15mph
25mph

%C02 = measures the air and fuel mixture (A/F).
- The 14.0 and 13.5 results state that you did use a higher octane fuel. 14.6 ~ 14.7 is the norm for SoCal since we only run 91 octane as our highest grade.

%02 = measured oxygen level.
- The 1.0 and 1.8 level states that you are running much richer from the ideal A/F mixture and the above result confirm this fact.

HC measuring well better then the average (motor seems healthy).

CO is some what concerning if it should increase in the future and %02 confirms CO results.

NOX.. Obviously the higher octane did not yield the PASS result. The CO confirms this. So using E85 is not going to yield anything better IMHO since you have other issues that should be addressed.

Did the seller due a tune up prior to selling the car to you? Can you verify new Air and Fuel Filter? More to it then just Grades of Fuel being used.

Background Info:
-1996 = OBD and +1996 = OBD-II: http://www.obdii.com/background.html
Stoichometric on Octane Levels: http://www.modularfords.com/forums/s...d.php?t=132628

[ocmdiaz714]

Re: My Cadillac didn't pass the smog.

I hope this makes it easier for you to understand the situation.

Obviously the seller just wanted to do a quick sell and priced it low enough that you wanted to deal with the headaches of buying a used car.

Starting from the front of the test result.

Measurements taken at:
15mph
25mph

%C02 = measures the air and fuel mixture (A/F).
- The 14.0 and 13.5 results state that you did use a higher octane fuel. 14.6 ~ 14.7 is the norm for SoCal since we only run 91 octane as our highest grade.

%02 = measured oxygen level.
- The 1.0 and 1.8 level states that you are running much richer from the ideal A/F mixture and the above result confirm this fact.

HC measuring well better then the average (motor seems healthy).

CO is some what concerning if it should increase in the future and %02 confirms CO results.

NOX.. Obviously the higher octane did not yield the PASS result. The CO confirms this. So using E85 is not going to yield anything better IMHO since you have other issues that should be addressed.

Did the seller due a tune up prior to selling the car to you? Can you verify new Air and Fuel Filter? More to it then just Grades of Fuel being used.

Background Info:
-1996 = OBD and +1996 = OBD-II: http://www.obdii.com/background.html
Stoichometric on Octane Levels: http://www.modularfords.com/forums/s...d.php?t=132628

He didn't do the tune-up and was sold as-is. The new filter and oil change, I went to have done on the car, myself. I'm going to be looking at the EGR vavle. I won't go with the ethanol, it seems it reduces everything except for Nox and all my other numbers are low enough as it is.

[roushstage2]

Re: My Cadillac didn't pass the smog.

No tune up? In that case: how are the spark plugs? Correct heat range as well?

[Dier]

Re: My Cadillac didn't pass the smog.

Excuse me. Should have not posted while having a hangover.

%02 ... since it took 14.0 : 1 @ 15mph and 13.5 : 1 @ 25mph A/F Ratio, the result netted un-burnt oxygen / possible a lean condition. Number of things could of caused this from Octane Level, Mis-Fire and or Ignition System.

rouschstage2 has a point. NOX is an indication of what is going in the cylinders and there after. Since no one on this board is specialized with the model and year of the car, I would highly suggest gonig to a specialist in getting the issue resolved. Believe that you only have a total of 2 changes to fix the issue at hand. No sense in spending countless of coins in chasing the issues if a specialist has all the right tools and materials to address it.

Good Luck.

[Michael Stoops]

Re: My Cadillac didn't pass the smog.

While it's true that certain fuel additives can have a positive effect on tailpipe emissions, when a car gets tagged as a "gross polluter" after failing a California smog check, it usually indicates an underlying issue of some sort. Sometimes it's a simple O2 sensor (been there, done that with a 1984 BWM 318i that just needed a new one and all was well), sometimes it's something a bit more involved.

Nonetheless, all the fuel additives in the world won't fix the issue, and left unchecked things can only get worse. Two years from now you'll be hard pressed to pass another smog check, even if you do manage get by today with the fuel additives. The best advice in a case like this - take the car to a mechanic and get it properly diagnosed and fixed. Bottom line.

[Michael Stoops]

Re: My Cadillac didn't pass the smog.

You may want to read up on the use of fuel additives, specifically ethanol or methanol, and the legality of doing so. This website touches on the fines that can be levied if caught doing so for the sole intent of passing a smog check. The practice is considered fraud in the State of California. Again, it appears the wise choice, the only choice, is to diagnose the underlying problem and correct it properly.

Meguiar's can not condone activity deemed fraudulent by the State of California, nor the recommendations to participate in such activity, and as such we are closing this discussion.