Help with smog

[jerrry1234]

Help with smog inspection please! I bought an 88 Turbo automatic as a bit of a basket case. Paint me stupid! Broken timing belt and a lot of the engine in the hatch. After assembly it runs fine but will not pass California smog inspection. Here are the results:


/CO2 /O2 / HCPPM / CO% / NO PPM
Test / RPM/ Meas/Meas/ Max/ Ave/ Meas/ Max / Ave / Meas / Max/ Meas / Meas/
15mph/1733/ 13.90/0.38 / 106 / 31 / 178 / 0.70 / 0.10 / 1.07 / 762 / 32 /
25mph/ 1708/ 13.69/0.35 / 81 / 20 / 194 / 0.57 / 0.09 / 1.27 / 701 / 64 /

I hope this failure report comes through readable. If it gets scrambled I will try again. As you can see, I failed on both Hydrocarbons and Carbon Monoxide.
I later found out that the car has a history of failing. Failed six consecutive inspections actually. Not sure what the owner thought he was doing.
So far I have replaced the O2 sensor, air filter, spark plugs and realize that I probably need a new Catalytic converter. I hesitate to do this right now because I believe that the car is running very rich. I wiped out the tail pipe and took the car on a 20 mile drive. By the time I got home the tail pipe was again coated with a heavy layer of fluffy soot. Seems to me that if it is running that rich, I am just going to poison the Catalytic if I put a new one in with the car in this condition?
I guess I have two questions. What would cause this thing to run so rich? Or, will a new catalytic fix the problem? I personally doubt it.
Any advice appreciated.

[Jeeves]

I doubt it will fix the problem, with it running as rich as you say it is, I wonder about a boost leak (would cause a rich condition) or an o2 sensor malfunctioning. However, if your catalytic converter is 'dead', it would definitely have HC issues.

[jerrry1234]

Jeeves,
Thanks for the reply.
Somewhere in the far back of my mind (more than yesterday), I seem to recall that some folks had EGR problems along this line. I think they were repairable rather that replaceable.
Would you happen to have the information on that?
Thanks and regards,
Jerry

[Jeeves]

I don't think EGR has much to do with it, but if you can get back there and take all the bolts off of it, you can pop it off, clean it up, and slap it back on. However, I'd expect that to be damn near impossible with everything that's in that vicinity.

[jerrry1234]

Thanks Jeeves, that would have been my next question. It does seem a tad crowded back there.
Jerry

[jerrry1234]

Thanks for the info. If my rich running were caused by a boost leak wouldt that be pretty loud? My boost will reach to very near 7lbs and holds as long as you stay on it. Any other possibilities? Thanks