Failed Aircare High NOx

[ChuckNORRIS4Cup]

Any help would be great, since I don't have the money to take this to a shop and have them do all the tests and labor work costs. My car is a 1984 Honda Accord in great shape only has 105,000KM, but it failed bad on the Oxides of Nitrogen (NOx), reading was 4000.00 and max allowable is 2839.00. The car passed on everything else, just the driving test for the NOx.

Here's the story the lady who owned the car before me, failed aircare last year same thing NOx reading was 3433.00, so she took it to a shop and they said they couldn't guarantee her a pass but they installed a new Catalytic Convertor. So she took it through the test again and it passed with flying colors only read 88.00, way lower. So the car only went 6,000Km since the last time she had it tested last year because she barley drove it and I go and do the test and the reading is now 4000.00? How can it jump from 88.00 last year to 4000.00 this year in only 6,000KM? Oh and I looked under the car and it has 2 Catalytic Convertors, who ever she took it took just installed a 2nd one which is pretty stupid.

Anyways any help would be great, I did do some looking and did see people say Catalytic Convertor, EGR Valve, O2 Sensor, I do notice some gas fumes sometimes not sure if that has anything to do with it too.

Here are the results
Driving Test:
Hydrocarbons (HC): 28.00 = Max allowed 268.00 Pass
Carbon Monoxide (CO2) 0.00 = Max allowed 1.99 Pass
Oxides of Nitrogen (NOx) 4000.00 = Max allowed 2839.00 FAIL

Idle Test:
Hydrocarbons (HC) 95 = Max allowed 406 Pass
Carbon Monoxide (CO) 1.83 = Max allowed 4.59 Pass

[TOMapleLaughs]

Get one-time 3 months insurance to 'fix' problem.

Watch aircare go extinct in the meantime.

Party on.

[ChuckNORRIS4Cup]

Get one-time 3 months insurance to 'fix' problem.

Watch aircare go extinct in the meantime.

Party on.

lol I already did that I actually failed last month, so I have until mid october to find the problem, but was hoping aircare would of been done by then but I really don't know might not be until the end of the year now.

[Dion Phaneuf]

Out of Lower Mainland insurance or something similar to bypass AirCare for a few more months is your best bet if you don't want to spend money on the car (you shouldn't drop too much cash on it with three months remaining).

[Beastmode33]

Aircare is 100% for sure done as of Jnauary 1st, 2015. I know because I work for an insurance brokerage.

Your options are:

Spend $400 at a mechanics shop and they will pass your car.

Wait until January 1st, 2015 to insure it by using another car, or temp permits if you can handle not using your car often. EDIT: Car2Go is a good option if little driving is required.

(STRONGLY SUGGEST NOT TO USE THIS OPTION) Insure your vehicle as parked and used on the island (you will need an island address) however, if you have a claim, you will be charged 10 times the difference in premium for the island, which is a major savings, so you are looking at 5-6000 to cover any claim that occurs (which with bodily injury could be a large claim that you will have to use insurance for)

Good luck!

[Chalky]

If you have time, run your tank down and buy one of those guaranteed pass elixirs from the parts store (can tire has it) and follow the directions. High N0X is usually because you are burning too rich a gas mix, and if you smell gas sometimes it's likely your problem. If you are handy you can pick up an EGR valve from Lordco or Napa or wherever and replace it in less than a half hour (aprox. 10 min if you know what you are doing).

No matter what you do, fill up with the highest octane gas and get your car as hot as possible, go for a half hour rip on the highway before going to get tested again.

[aGENT]

http://lmgtfy.com/?q=how+to+fix+high+nox+emissions

Haven't replaced one in like 15 years but I seem to recall EGR valves being pretty cheap and easy to fix and something that might be causing your issue.

[ChuckNORRIS4Cup]

http://lmgtfy.com/?q=how+to+fix+high+nox+emissions

Haven't replaced one in like 15 years but I seem to recall EGR valves being pretty cheap and easy to fix and something that might be causing your issue.

Well this is what I was going to do but I am confused, I thought I knew where the egr valve was on my car look at the picture. I thought the egr valve was on the left hand side where the air tube is going into the air filter?

But when I go online to search for my 1984 accrod egr valve it looks the same on the top but the bottom is completely different, plus they show gaskets there's no where to put a gasket on the one I thought I was looking at in my car.

This is the one I keep finding online, but I don't have a place to mount it like the ones I keep seeing available...

[aGENT]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7zyH9rviFdI

[ChuckNORRIS4Cup]

If you have time, run your tank down and buy one of those guaranteed pass elixirs from the parts store (can tire has it) and follow the directions. High N0X is usually because you are burning too rich a gas mix, and if you smell gas sometimes it's likely your problem. If you are handy you can pick up an EGR valve from Lordco or Napa or wherever and replace it in less than a half hour (aprox. 10 min if you know what you are doing).

No matter what you do, fill up with the highest octane gas and get your car as hot as possible, go for a half hour rip on the highway before going to get tested again.

I think this is what I will end up doing. I see Canadian tire has the guaranteed to pass stuff, and basically all it is doing is cleaning the valves and gunk build up which is all I think is the problem, which isn't giving it the right mixture all the time, hence why I sell the fumes. I have worked on vehicles before using a Haynes Manual, but I don't have one and haven't found one available online yet either to just see a couple pictures, I don't mind doing the work but I want to know what I'm looking for and where and what to take off lol.

[ChuckNORRIS4Cup]

Just wanted to update the situation, after trying the "guarantee to pass" (from Canadian Tire) it didn't help fix my problem with the high NOx stayed exactly at 4000. Turned out my car didn't have an EGR valve, so that wasn't an option either, checked all fuel and air hoses no problems there, had to last resort take it to a mechanic to try and fix the problem or at least spend the $400 to get a conditional pass.

Ended up costing $280 at the shop, they said my timing was off by 40, so they had to reset my timing, and also said they couldn't find any previous marks, so they did the TDC from the spark plugs to find Top Dead Center. They also re adjusted my air and fuel mixture since it is a carburetor, anyways they were able to get it to pass in the end, brought the NOx down from 4000, to 2300.

[Offensive Threat]

Just wanted to update the situation, after trying the "guarantee to pass" (from Canadian Tire) it didn't help fix my problem with the high NOx stayed exactly at 4000. Turned out my car didn't have an EGR valve, so that wasn't an option either, checked all fuel and air hoses no problems there, had to last resort take it to a mechanic to try and fix the problem or at least spend the $400 to get a conditional pass.

Ended up costing $280 at the shop, they said my timing was off by 40, so they had to reset my timing, and also said they couldn't find any previous marks, so they did the TDC from the spark plugs to find Top Dead Center. They also re adjusted my air and fuel mixture since it is a carburetor, anyways they were able to get it to pass in the end, brought the NOx down from 4000, to 2300.

Well thankfully you and the rest of us will never have to worry about it again.

I can remember before 1992, when Aircare came along, on the radio along with the rest of the news and weather they would list the current air quality in Vancouver. Sometimes it would be bad. They havent needed to do that since then. Aircare, for all of our hatred of it, actually worked.