Date:         Fri, 16 Oct 2009 00:32:51 -0400
Reply-To:     Dennis Haynes <d23haynes57@HOTMAIL.COM>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Dennis Haynes <d23haynes57@HOTMAIL.COM>
Subject:      Re: California catalytic converter needed
Comments: To: Dug Smith <dug@DUGBERT.COM>
In-Reply-To:  <1F9D4F925A5B42B584F4A4D2CA0DAC04@Pinky>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

The combination of NOx, CO, and HC tells me the cat is gone. The next
question is why? The high NOx also tells me the ignition timing is probably
over advanced to make it run better and that may have contributed to the cat
failing. Did something else go wrong in the past 11,000 miles?

Dennis

-----Original Message-----
From: Vanagon Mailing List [mailto:vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com] On Behalf Of
Dug Smith
Sent: Thursday, October 01, 2009 6:03 PM
To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
Subject: California catalytic converter needed

So, I took my '85 for its smog test, and it failed:

15mph  14.1%CO2 0.3%O2 108HC 0.56%CO 2656NOx
25mph  14.4%CO2 0.1%O2  54HC 0.35%CO 1111NOx

The problem being the NOx at 15mph - 2656PPM where 1085 is allowed (at
25mph, 1120 is allowed, so I'm close on that, too).  I'm told that this is
probably a catalytic converter problem, and it's likely that my 11,000 mile,
3 year old Emico is dead.

I've started looking around for a cat, but it's hard to find one for
California, as they have the new laws about them that came into effect 1/1.


Any suggestions?  I'm tempted to get a Magnaflow that needs to be welded in
where the old one was... Does anybody have any experience with these?  Does
it even follow that the problem is definitely the catalytic converter?  I
understand the engine mechanics, but the emissions stuff is all Klingon to
me...

toodle pip,
--
       Dug Smith         | Terry Pratchett: It's almost
(mailto:dug@dugbert.com) |  impossible to ride a rock and roll
(http://www.dugbert.com) |  motorbike and stay on for three verses.