AZCardinalsFTW

Hello I know I just reg'd but I've been around the honda scene for a while. I'm tryin' to help out my father in law with his 1990 Acura Integra LS. He can't seem to pass emissions out here in the Phoenix area. I was wondering if any locals could give me an idea to point him towards please.

Here are the readings he got from the emissions results.

Hydrocarbons 1.28 Standard is 1.00 Fail
Carbon Monoxide 10.67 Standard is 12.00 Pass
Oxides of Nitrogen 2.88 Standard is 2.50 Fail

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

TheOtherDave™

Assuming the car is in good shape and isn't burning oil, try the following first:
* Replace the spark plugs with OEM equivalent copper plugs gapped to factory spec. Replace the plug leads as well.

* Immediately prior to the test, get the catalytic converter as hot as possible. Set an appointment with a smog station close to a major freeway. Leave early and go take an energetic drive on the way over. Once the engine has come up to temperature, stay in the lower gears. If at all possible, include 15 mins worth of high speed freeway driving. Then roll straight off the road into the testing bay.

If that doesn't work, likely culprit is a dead catalytic converter (aka "cat"). The reactive metals that allow a catalytic converter to function degrade over time. If the original cat is still on the car, I'm not the slightest bit surprised if it's due for replacement.

By means of comparison, my Integra is 11 years old. On my last smog check in CA, I passed the 25mph HC test by one part per million. I know full well that I'll need to replace the cat before my next test. So 18 years is a damn good run.

Good luck and welcome to the board. :cheers:

AZCardinalsFTW

Thanks for the tips. Plugs and wires are all replaced. So more than likely the cat huh? I've been a member here for years, forgot my password on the old screen name as I've been out of the acura world for some time now. I'll see about the cat.

AZCardinalsFTW

any other insight on this issue, I'd really like to get this car fixed for the father in law

ADRONICUS

At this point, you have nothing to lose. So I would try one last thing. Run Honda Top End Cleaner (preferred) or Seafoam (local auto store) and blow as much crap out as you can through the tailpipe. Run a tank of gas through between the freeway and streets to help it all circulate through the system. Get the cat nice and hot, get it smogged and report back to us.

At my check 2 yrs. ago here in CA, the car was at about 90k. The cat had just been replaced at 79k due to factory defect, and at 90k it barely passed. I was like WTF? Well, the car was cold and the smog shop was down the road from the house and that sucked ass for the test. With that being stated, about 2wks. prior to my last smog, I ran Honda Top End Cleaner, ran it for about 2 weeks between the freeway and city, went to get it smogged and it passed with flying colors. I was like WTF? It worked.

I know my time line is messed up too, but at 79k I was pulled over and cited for an illegal header. I had to go through the whole BAR process and pass smog at BAR level, and after a whole basic tune-up, plus Honda Top End Cleaner, it came close but no cigar. So Acura replaced the cat for free since it had an 80k emissions warranty. The car passed at BAR level, but it did NOT count as my bi-annual smog test. I had to go back when it was due again and get it done which was around 90k.