TX Emission Testing

No idea as to the particulars but it is imperative to pretune the settings using a 4 gas analyzer...

Once this is done the only other secrets are fresh oil, fresh gas, and take that thing in right after a spirited run! The hotter the better...

Although watching my Trans Am stationary on the rollers getting it hot wasn't a problem.....

 

there is supposedly a mileage waver. You fail, "spend" a certain amount (I think its $100), get retested and then can get the waiver. I’ll go that route until the car is 24 years old, then you don’t have to get the emission test and eventually I’ll go antique and avoid the whole nonsense. Cleaner air my ass.

 

Uh, I've researched that...it's $600.............sorry.

And you get to wait in line with the nicest class of people.........

A proper tune up should do it actually........we set my carbs using a 4 gas machine.....

 

A new Cat may take care of your problem. The other thing you can do is run you car to about 3 gallons and add about 2 gallons of Methanol. Your car will run like crap but emissions will be non existant. I did this a couple of years ago before my car was old enough to fall off testing. The car with from 4+ to barely registering, in fact the testing guy thought his equipment had malfunctioned

 

not sure where you get $600.

This from the TXDoT web site,

Low Mileage Waiver
There is a low mileage exemption for motorists who drive less than 5000 miles/year. To qualify for this exemption you must:
1. Fail both the initial test and free retest
2. Incur $100 of emissions related repairs
3. Drive less than 5,000 miles/year

If you meet these qualifications then you would qualify for the low mileage waiver. You can go to the DPS challenge station in your area for more information on the forms to complete.
http://www.txdps.state.tx.us/vi/Misc/rerf/emis_wav.htm#low_mileage

 

Having just been through this, here's the drill.

If you have a low mileage/year car and can prove it, then the limit is $100. Note that this does NOT include labor unless done at state-specified facilities.

Non-low-mileage cars have a $600 minimum repair requirement, and again, labor doesn't count unless it's a specified facility. Most Ferrari repair facilities aren't going to be a state certified emissions center.

 

If I had a Ferrari, I don't think I would want the State working on it...

 

You can just pay them the $100 to look at the car. In TX some shops sell an additive that I have used which seems to work, inasmuch as I lowered my counts by 50% after its use. If you want to try it send me a PM and I will look for my old bottle of the stuff.

 

Is it called RXP?

 

id like to know the name, thnx

 

Thanks, Tillman,

I knew I recalled the amount, but at the time was not persuing the mileage factor.....these days it's down to zero!

Good Luck Khayes!

Moorespeed couldn't bring the numbers closer???

 

Your car has a definite problem. It should be running at 1.2% before the cat with the O2 sensor unplugged. If it is not running that clean after the cat and with the O2 plugged in you are losing power, using a lot of gas and if cats are installed you are destroying those too.

Have it adjusted to 1.2% and less than 200 ppm HC and it will run better. Rich mixtures do not make HP.

 

Thanks Brian, that's what I was trying to offer...

I always KNOW what my numbers are BEFORE I even drive over to the State Inspection, even then it can be dicey on the old cars, one malfunctioning carb float and you are in trouble!

They track the VINs and you can become known as a repeat offender! Dunno the consequences, but it cannot be good.........

 

I'll futz around wiht it until 2010 and then its antique class. HATE the whole damned inspection process.

 

Yup that's it!

 

I have a 1987 Range Rover with well over 100,000 miles that I will need to get inspected as it is out of date and I plan on selling it. I assume I will have problems with having it pass emissions testing. I wish I owned a ranch outside of Travis or Williamson County that I could register it in so as to avoid this mess. I don’t know if registering your vehicle in another county where you own property is legal, but it might be worth researching as an option for those who own property in counties that don’t have the testing. For more information on the law you can go to http://www.txdps.state.tx.us/vi/ I would imagine that most Ferrari owners would be able to satisfy the low mileage waiver (less than 5,000 miles a year) found at http://www.txdps.state.tx.us/vi/Misc/rerf/emis_wav.htm#indiv

In light of this tread and my Rover situation, I did some minimal research and the following recommendations kept coming as options to consider before engaging in costly repairs such as catalytic converter replacements and valve jobs:

Clean your fuel system/engine using Techron etc, but do it well before the test so that the entire additive is out of the fuel at the time of the test.

Change oil, oil filter and air filter before test. If your car has a charcoal/carbon canister as part of the emissions system you may want to replace with new canister. (You may want to use a heavier weight oil to reduce emissions.)

Make sure you have fresh spark plugs and ignition system working properly to ensure complete combustion.

Consider adjusting air/fuel mixture so the car runs lean. (May cause car to run poorly)

Consider additives to gas such as RXP and/or running extremely clean running fuel such as ethanol. (Ethanol may cause car to run poorly)

Heat up your cat by running your car at high rpms right before the test and make sure your car is warm/hot during the test. Cold cars are likely to run rich and have horrible emissions. Do NOT let the car sit while waiting to get your car inspected.

Empty your car! Less weight = less load on your car. Remove the spare tire. Don’t fill up gas tank.

Increase the air pressure in tires to 40 psi. If they put you on the rolling load the higher pressure will mean less rolling resistance.

I am not a mechanic and can not vouch for any of these ideas, but they do present some options. The best thread I found on the issue was at the following site: http://www.unofficialbmw.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic&f=1&t=002723
There were similar, but less well thought out discussions at the following sites:
http://www.corvettecrew.com/forums/printthread.php?t=4012&page=1&pp=10 and
http://www.nsxprime.com/forums/printthread.php?t=46751 and http://tech.bentleypublishers.com/thread.jspa?messageID=105181

If you want more information on the RXP additive you may want to check out the following:

http://www.rxp.com/4.htm

http://www.rxp.com/master.htm

http://www.tampatrib.com/FloridaMetro/MGBCDFNZKDE.html

 

some good info Lloyd. I'll try the low mileage route. i put on WAY less than 5,000 a year on my car. I would imagine a number of people in the same situation who own multiple vehicles.

 

Congrats! Glad to hear it worked out.

Clear engine cover soon?

 

When it comes to emission testing RXP is the real deal! I had a car that just fell short of passing the test. I did nothing but run two tanks of gas each with a bottle of RXP and then resubmitted it for testing and it passed without any problems. You can find it many places for about $7.00/bottle but that is money well spent.

 

Thanks Kelly for the kind words. Are we going to see you Saturday morning for the Tech Session? We are discussing tuning and the TSI showing how it works.....I know we just did it on your car, but you know it's more of an excuse to get all the Fcars together and hang out at the shop.

FYI to others, we did not tune the car before Kelly took it to get it inspected. Regardless, he also has a "non-stock" system in addition to the muffler.

Bottom line, we got it to pass after we tuned it with our 5-gas computerized Emmissions and TSI simulator.

d