Need help with Smog Check Test Results

[ajkalian]

I've got a 2000 Camry LE, 1MZ-FE and got my car smogged a few days ago and it passed no problems.

But I've got some questions about the results. I asked the guys at the smog check place and they didn't seem to know too much about the numbers, what the ranges are, or what parts of the car affected what readings.

So, I'm here to ask you guys to help me decipher the report.

The first pic is the results. You can see the items highlighted in blue that I have questions about. I understand that there are many tests, and some apply and some don't apply.

What are these and how come they don't apply?
1. Fuel Evap Test
2. Thermostatic Air Cleaner
3. Air Injection System
4. Functional EGR (?)
5. Fill Pipe Restrictor
6. Duh on the carburetor
7. Ignition Timing:TDC

Now to the numbers. The measured CO2 at 15% seems high compared to the measured O2 at .04%. They don't show a minimum or a maximum so I was wondering what the high and low should be for the CO2 and O2.

It looks like I just squeeked by on the HC at 15mph at 49, 3 more and I would have been over the limit. Seems odd that the 15 mph one is so high, but the 25mph one is just a bit over normal. Wonder why. And what EPA dweeb decides on the PPM anyway. Why 52ppm, why not 238ppm?? I checked the CARB site to find out more info, but no luck.

The CO measurements are really close to the average, way below the max. What determines a high or low reading for Carbon Monoxide levels.

And finally the NO levels are pretty close to average, way below the max. What determines a high or low reading for Nitrogen Oxide levels.

I'd appreciate it if somebody can point me to a site that explains what all this means, or if you have first hand knowledge that would be even better.




I've included this shot of the my computer scan software that shows the various Monitors that are included in my ECU and you can see that even though some Monitors are present, they aren't used. On top of that, since I have a model year 2000 I can have 2 of the Monitors that have to be set, not be set and still pass that part of the smog check. Model years 2001 and later can only have one of the Monitors not set and pass. These things get set, or not set, after going through a Drive Cycle for your particular model year and make.

[71Corolla]

1. Fuel Evap Test - don't know how they would perform this?
2. Thermostatic Air Cleaner - Part of an air cleaner housing/bi-metallic valve used with carburated vehicles.
3. Air Injection System - Used with an air pump, injects fresh air into the exhaust manifold to help burn off fuel to improve emissions.
5. Fill Pipe Restrictor - A bypass or some other piping system as part of the catalytic I think?


The rest I have no idea, will leave to the experts.

[fenixus]

as per pic1
on top of what 71corolla posted, i think they simply do not test them (the rest), because either monitoring PIDs are not supported by the ECM or test requires some visual/manual check which asks for too much effort

as per pic2
our cars have no secondary air system.
also no a/c refrigerant monitoring which would be visible to the ECM (again no PID supported and also no such sensor)
same applies i think to heated TWC which (correct me if wrong) is used on calif specs (or maybe V6 engine, don't remember), however it is simply unmonitored (no sensors and no PIDs supported).

by the way ajkalian, i think you barely passed HC emission at low speed (15mph, 1761rpm).
your paper shows MAX (which i think is another word for "norm") states max. 52 and you passed with measured 49 at 9 on average.

HC emissions are reduced mostly by PVC and EVAP. cat converters also reduce them among all three "toxins" = (HC, CO and NOx) ... so if cat was failing i think it would heavily impact all 3 of them in some way.

[BMR]

I'm pretty sure "fill pipe restrictor" is referring to the size of the hole in the gas tank filling pipe. Back in the old days of leaded gas, the nozzles on the pumps with leaded were quite a bit bigger in diameter than on unleaded pumps. Cars that req'd unleaded had restrictors in the fill pipe that were too small to fit the leaded nozzels. They did that to keep people from putting leaded gas in their unleaded-only vehicles. *SOME* people got around that by ripping out the restriction in their fill pipe. Of course it's an obsolete inspection item these days, as there's nowhere to get leaded gas anymore.

[ajkalian]

Originally Posted by fenixus

as per pic1
on top of what 71corolla posted, i think they simply do not test them (the rest), because either monitoring PIDs are not supported by the ECM or test requires some visual/manual check which asks for too much effort

by the way ajkalian, i think you barely passed HC emission at low speed (15mph, 1761rpm).
your paper shows MAX (which i think is another word for "norm") states max. 52 and you passed with measured 49 at 9 on average.

HC emissions are reduced mostly by PVC and EVAP. cat converters also reduce them among all three "toxins" = (HC, CO and NOx) ... so if cat was failing i think it would heavily impact all 3 of them in some way.

So the HC's are a function of EVAP and PCV. I changed my charcol canister maybe a year ago, but I completely forgot about the PCV valve. Thanks for pointing that out. Changing out the PCV valve would have been a no-brainer, low cost fix before getting the car smogged. I wonder if that would have helped the high HC reading that I got?

In my case this time the EPA rules worked in my favor....get a 52 on HC and you Fail. But the EPA treats a 49 the same as a 4, 24, or a 0 for that matter

[fenixus]

Originally Posted by ajkalian

So the HC's are a function of EVAP and PCV. I changed my charcol canister maybe a year ago, but I completely forgot about the PCV valve. Thanks for pointing that out. Changing out the PCV valve would have been a no-brainer, low cost fix before getting the car smogged. I wonder if that would have helped the high HC reading that I got?

In my case this time the EPA rules worked in my favor....get a 52 on HC and you Fail. But the EPA treats a 49 the same as a 4, 24, or a 0 for that matter

yup pretty much that
replacing PCV valve should take only a few minutes. i think you should also replace the grommet around it. get both from dealer. i used autozone valve once and probably it worked fine, but after 3 months it looked like 100 years old (all rusty).

PCV may also mean the ventilation hose from valve cover to the intake air tube. not sure if you have it on a V6, but 5S-FE got it.

[ajkalian]

Originally Posted by BMR

I'm pretty sure "fill pipe restrictor" is referring to the size of the hole in the gas tank filling pipe. Back in the old days of leaded gas, the nozzles on the pumps with leaded were quite a bit bigger in diameter than on unleaded pumps. Cars that req'd unleaded had restrictors in the fill pipe that were too small to fit the leaded nozzels. They did that to keep people from putting leaded gas in their unleaded-only vehicles. *SOME* people got around that by ripping out the restriction in their fill pipe. Of course it's an obsolete inspection item these days, as there's nowhere to get leaded gas anymore.

Ya gotta wonder what the EPA is thinking by desigining software to include an obsolete item that nobody has? Probably for compatability to check for who knows what. Seems to me that whoever designed the software could do a simple "if then else" to the software like maybe "if car is after 1980 then suppress stupid filler neck item"

[ajkalian]

Originally Posted by fenixus

replacing PCV valve should take only a few minutes. i think you should also replace the grommet around it.

You just reminded me of what could have been one of the worst days of my life. My valve cover gaskets were leaking oil all over the back of the engine. They designed the engine configuration on a 6cyl to guarantee that the rear valve cover gaskets would fail, and leak oil. Mine leaked and made a mess so I bit the bullet and decided to replace both of them. It's a big deal to do it, at least it was for me. You have to remove the intake manifold, throttle body, wiring harness, and nothing is easy. It took me a full weekend to get it done. As I was cleaning up the mess in the garage I noticed the PCV valve buried under some stuff. I had forgot to replace it while I had the valve cover off. It goes in the valve cover in the back, so I had planned to replace it, while I had off, but I forgot.

NBD, I'll just do it. Once everything is together, the PCV valve is buried near the firewall, on the back valve cover. It's not too hard to get out, and I had a new grommet so I just figured I'd jam a screwdriver on the edge of the old one, loop it in the hole and pull it out. Like I've done many times before. Well I did that, but the grommet was hard and brittle and cracked and fell through the hole in the valve cover.

It was just hanging on by the smallest piece. And if I broke that piece it would fall in the valve cover and I'd have to re-do the entire valve cover job to get to it.

I got some 12" long forcepts and a couple of smaller ones, and managed to snag a good part of it and hold it while I manuvered the smaller ones in the hole to get a grip on the rest of the grommet. It looked like an operating room with forcepts sticking out of the rear valve cover. After some loud cussing I got the damn thing out, and put the new softer, pliable grommet in the valve cover.

So if you ever change the PCV valve on a 6cyl Camry, and you haven't done it in a while, be careful removing the grommet......

[fenixus]

hehe, that's why i used word "*should* take a few minutes"
i had my moments of terror with 5S-FE PCV grommet twice!

first when i was replacing PCV with aftermarket one (no new grommet) I almost dropped old stiff grommet into valve cover while installing new PCV. a screw driver helped me.

then a few months later after i removed valve cover for new gasket i decided to put new OEM PCV and grommet ... that wasn't the best experience to talk about ... the old grommet was so hard that i had to rip it out with pliers and screw drivers ... at some point I again almost dropped it inside the valve cover (it doesn't fall out at bottom of it which is even more scary).
the new one as you noticed is flexible, so no problem with it at all.

replacing that stuff on a 1MZ-FE is kind of more challenging, rear valve cover in general is on those engines