Re: 164S Passes CA Smog Test

[Ian Lomax <sfalfisto@domain.elided>]

Here's a quick and dirty way to confirm a power
increase.

Run 50-70 mph full throttle acceleration runs in top
gear (or 4th), on a flat stretch of road.  Record the
time it takes, repeat 5-10 times, and average the
times.

Swap parts.  Repeat.

If you control the variables (same stretch of road,
same ambient temp, etc) you will get an idea if the
mod really worked, or was just marketing hype. 
Replacing the plugged cat on my old Verde resulted in
a measurable performance increase using this method,
and confirmed the seat-of-the pants feeling that the
car was quicker. 

Glad to hear your 164 is back on the road Rich!

Cheers,
Ian Lomax
SF, CA


--- Rich Lasner <rlasner@domain.elided> wrote:
> I posted a couple of weeks back that my 1992 164S
> had failed CA smog
> testing. I passed the 2500 RPM test, but failed the
> idle test. The
> opinion of the tester was that the cat was bad. Tom
> Sahines' tip to
> check the input and output temperatures at the cat
> with an infrared heat
> sensing gun was a good one: The temperature exiting
> the cat was over 50
> degrees cooler than the input temperature. Tom
> advised that the output
> temperature should be at least 100 degrees hotter
> than the input. Time
> for a new one.
> 
> I checked into getting the OEM part and found it was
> around $1100. I
> also found that the OEM cat came integrated with a
> large resonator,
> which I didn't want. My mechanic referred me to
> Mufflers Unlimited in
> San Rafael, CA. They were able to fit a high-flow,
> 2-in, 2-out cat with
> 2" pipes (to replace the huge OEM resonator) for
> around $350, including
> labor.
> 
> I took the car into the smog station this afternoon
> and passed easily.
> Here are the dead cat/failed numbers, followed by
> the new cat/passed #s:
> 
> Old catalyst, 2500 RPM test: pass
> HC (ppm)- 64	Max. allowable= 140
> CO (%)- 0.20	Max. allowable= 1.00
> CO2 (%)- 12.3
> O2 (%)- 5.0
> Old catalyst, idle test: fail
> HC (ppm)- 166	Max. allowable= 120
> CO (%)- 1.77	Max. allowable= 1.00
> CO2 (%)- 11.3
> O2 (%)- 4.9
> 
> New catalyst, 2500 RPM test: pass
> HC (ppm)- 17	Max. allowable= 140
> CO (%)- 0.02	Max. allowable= 1.00
> CO2 (%)- 15.3
> O2 (%)- 4.3
> New catalyst, idle test: pass
> HC (ppm)- 12	Max. allowable= 120
> CO (%)- 0.01	Max. allowable= 1.00
> CO2 (%)- 12.9
> O2 (%)- 5.6
> 
> The high-flow cat without the resonator adds a deep
> rumble to the
> already mean-sounding Stebro exhaust system I have
> on the car. The old
> cat was clogged as well. The car feels more willing
> to pull with the
> less restrictive converter, though I don't have any
> real data to
> quantify that
> 
> 
> Rich Lasner
> 92 164S
> ARA
> AROC
> Mill Valley CA
> 
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