Emission question

[Baldurs390]

i running a 2.5'' flex back and i just looked at my inspection sticker and i have 2 more months on it... would having no cat effect emission that much? i really dont feel like not passing inspection

from the state website
EMISSIONS INSPECTION PROCESS


The emissions test performed on the vehicle will be determined by the vehicle model year and equipment (drive type, traction control etc.) the vehicle will receive one of the following test types:

OBD

The OBD inspection evaluates your vehicle's emissions status via its onboard computer. The OBD inspection occurs through the connection of the OBD-II SAE standardized vehicle port to the inspection analyzer.

1. An on-board diagnosis system inspection failure occurs when either: Current Diagnostic Trouble Codes are indicated and the Malfunction Indicator Light is commanded on.

2. The malfunction indicator light (MIL) does not illuminate at all when the vehicle is in the key-on/engine-off condition, even if no diagnostic trouble codes are present and the MIL has not been commanded on.

3. (a) For 2001 and newer vehicles, more than one readiness monitor in a vehicle's on-board computer is not set as ready; or

(b) For 1996-2000 vehicles, more than two readiness monitors in a vehicle's on-board computer are not set as ready.

Connection: To start the procedure, the inspector connects a communication cable from emissions analyzer to the Diagnostic Link Connector located in your vehicle. The emissions analyzer simply reads data from your vehicle's computer; no changes are made to your vehicle or its data.

Communication: If the vehicle's OBD system is not communicating with the inspection analyzer do to a vehicle defect it is cause for failure.

About Readiness: The computer in your vehicle performs diagnostic tests on certain emissions systems while you are driving. These system monitors are usually "Ready" or "Complete", unless there's a pending problem with a particular system. Sometimes system monitors become not ready if the vehicle's battery has been disconnected or if the vehicle computer's memory has been erased. As part of the OBD-II test, the analyzer checks to see how many of these system monitors are "not ready", If more than one (1) monitor MY 2001 and more than two (2) monitors MY 1996-2000 read "not ready", then the vehicle will fail the OBD-II test.

Maintain Your OBD-II Vehicle's Readiness Status: Some vehicles require extensive driving to reset certain system readiness monitors. Do not disconnect the battery on your vehicle. If your vehicle is in for service, ask your technician not to clear the computer's memory, since this will only unset the system readiness monitors and result in your vehicle failing the OBD-II test.

About Your OBD-II Vehicle's MIL: If your vehicle's MIL is flashing or blinking, you should have the vehicle serviced as soon as possible. The flashing light may indicate that there is an engine misfire, and extensive driving with a misfire could damage your vehicle's catalytic converter.

The Enhanced (Dynamometer) Emissions Inspection Procedure

The enhanced (dynamometer) emissions inspection procedure entails driving the vehicle through a transient drive cycle to simulate driving conditions while measuring exhaust contaminants. The vehicle fails the inspection if measured contaminants exceed defined limits.

The Two-Speed Idle Emissions Inspection Procedure

The two-speed idle emissions inspection procedure entails running the vehicle for a period of time at each of two engine speeds while measuring exhaust contaminants. The vehicle fails the inspection if measured contaminants exceed defined limits.

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[Slammed_2.0]

does your state do the sniffer test?

[matz2453]

my state does not do the sniffer test but i have to do a visual check and if the cat is not there it fails, at least here

[Baldurs390]

not sure i just posted the info from website

[matz2453]

i know most states that run emissions you have to have a cat on it cause with out it its not environmental friendly, well at least cali and pa

[gtferrari]

the cat turns harmful NOx and Carbon monoxide along with hydrocarbons into carbon dioxide (plant friendly) and H2O (water). for every gallon of gas burned a gallon of water is produced. there are 2 sensors on the car that monitor emissions. the first (upper) is mainly used to monitor the rich/lean fuel trims. the second (lower) monitors the performance of the primary cat. a secondary cat is just used for extra cleaning and is not monitored. if you remove the cats all together there will be a code set that will show up in diagnostics of the OBD2 system=FAIL so having a look alike cat will not get the job done. there are some companies that sell fake o2 sensors that fake the system into believing there is a cat but the system is looking for a change in the output voltage which a dummy sensor cannot do.

eventually in every lie, it comes back to bite the owner in the butt..... some states and inspectors dont care and could let it slide if you are caught. but in this economy the state is after every penny it comes accross

[st12131]

if you have a Flex-Back and dont have a PZEV then you never removed a "2nd" cat! if you have a header then yes you removed a "CAT" and will have to do something about it
There is a misconception that we all have 2 cats, the mani-cat and a down stream cat after the flex. the only cars that might have had one are the PZEV cars.
As long as you dont have any codes in the system you should be fine.

[whimsicalpouch2]

theres that part for ORP that trick your car into having no codes run, so when you go through emissions, it wont catch that you don't have a cat. i know CFM sells it. i plan on doing this one day

btw i went to emissions testing today for the first time in my SVTF, the guy who did it looked like moe from the 3 stooges hahahha

[Dori89]

Hello
Iam driving a ford fous 1.6 engine petrol automatic....yesterday ODB light flashes conesculy around 30 second and then it turned off....now is off and not flashing....what can it be??

is it related with bad fuel quality ?? how to fix?

[Also-ran]

On my previous non-Ford car at least, a flashing OBD light was to signal misfiring.

ETA: Have the codes read because this previous non-Ford car would also store the cylinder number where the misfires happened (or read as multi-cylinder misfires) even though it didn't leave the light on solid. That can help you pinpoint the issue.