[98twofourty]

So I went ahead and installed some longtube headers on my Camaro and now have no cats on the car. Any ideas what I can do to pass. Obvious answer is buying 2 cats and having to cut them in somewhere, but i was wondering if anyone here had an ingenious idea that might save me the 400$ right there.

[fliptuner]

Well, given the fact that a ton of Camaros didn't come with cats, it might be a good idea to post what year the car is and what motor's in it.

[Phatmobile]

maybe this can help you

http://www.revscene.net/forums/having-problems-air-t153591.html?p=2203419#post2203419

[hchang]

I don't know what this does, but my parents do this everytime before they have to aircare, and have never failed. So I assume it might help? Correct me if I'm wrong.

Basically they fill up about half a tank of 91 gasoline and drive it for a stretch on the highway then proceed to aircare.

Thoughts of how this works? Or even if it works at all?

[Volvo-brickster]

I don't know what this does, but my parents do this everytime before they have to aircare, and have never failed. So I assume it might help? Correct me if I'm wrong.

Basically they fill up about half a tank of 91 gasoline and drive it for a stretch on the highway then proceed to aircare.

Thoughts of how this works? Or even if it works at all?

if you don't have cats, you don't stand a chance passing

1 = the do a visual, no cats = fail
2 = if you have ODB I, you go on the rollers, no cat = fail
3 = if you have ODB2, if the O2 sensors are off, they will read as not ready = fail
4 = if you ODB2 and MIL eliminators, you possibly stand a chance? that i dont know

[SumAznGuy]

if you don't have cats, you don't stand a chance passing

1 = the do a visual, no cats = fail

99.99999% chance will happen.

Best bet would be to move to somewhere where aircare is not required. IE Squampton.

[fishing666]

is cats a catalytic converter?

if so, you must have 1 otherwise it'll be pretty hard to keep your NOx, CO, and unburned gasoline from exiting your exhaust

[98twofourty]

sorry i was a little vague it is a 99 z28 ,so ls1 car. i think the best way to go for me would be to put on some cats i can install and remove anytime inbetween aircares. and a set of 02s after the cat so my CEL goes away.

thanks for all the responses.

[Wykydtron]

2 of my friends with 2002 aftermarket turbo'd cars rolled in and out of aircare with passes without cats somehow. Went through in N.Van if that counts for anything.

[underscore]

^ well it depends on your emissions. If you run clean enough to not need a cat then you can have a fake one welded in to pass a visual inspection (but you still worry about codes being thrown depending on the car)

for this you're probably best off cutting out sections for a bolt in cat/test pipe. bolt in the cat for your test, then once you're done remove it and bolt in the straight piece of pipe.

[billboa]

If ur decent at fabricating you could hook up a aftermarket airpump into ur exhaust that will turn on with a switch. Then when u go to aircare, turn it on, and it pumps shit loads of fresh air into ur exhaust.

Or register ur car under territory Z.

[bcrdukes]

A jug of Methylhydrate from Rona, Home Depot, or Canadian tire.

[jlenko]

Since the OP's car is an OBD2 car... it doesn't matter WTF he does to 'pump air' or methyl hydrate or whatever crap you come up with. WTF some of you idiots are smoking... geez...

If there's a Check Engine light on - it's an instant fail. No cats will also fail the visual inspection, as previously noted.

So.. put some cats on, put some oxygen sensors on so the light goes away... or do the illegal and fabricate some metal boxes that LOOK identical to cats to pass the visual, and have someone with a programming tool disable the OBD2 codes in your PCM for the O2 sensors. Then the MIL lamp will go away, and you'll pass the OBD2 plug-in check. As long as your OBD2 monitors are set, you're good to go.

Aside.. why the fuck are you running no cats? Run a good high-flow cat instead, you don't lose that much power (really!). And you might live another 75 years to enjoy this world you didn't kill...

[underscore]

^ don't they actually check your cars output levels though? or do they just bank on the car telling them everything is alright?

[jlenko]

^ don't they actually check your cars output levels though? or do they just bank on the car telling them everything is alright?

They don't do a sniffer test if your OBD2 system is working properly and your car is 1998 model year or newer.

Go check out the Aircare website: http://www.aircare.ca/inspinfo-desc.php

Here's the basics:

On-Board Diagnostic (OBD) Test

Eligible 1998 and newer light-duty vehicles receive a scan of the vehicle's built-in OBD monitoring system to ensure there are no defects with any of the vehicle's emissions control systems.

If you have no codes set (and therefore, no Check Engine light or Malfunction Indicator Lamp, MIL) AND all the emissions monitors are running... all they do is plug in and see that everything is working properly. The 'test' then is very quick... kind of a rip off actually - I mean, I can see that the Check Engine light is on or off myself... why do I pay these jerks $$$ to do it for me?!?

On my Cavalier, IIRC there's 4 or 5 emissions monitors. If I take off the battery, and clear everything... it takes about 2 days of regular driving to set all of them. I did my Aircare test after 1 day, and I was missing one of the monitors. They did a very short (like, 10 seconds) driving test with the sniffer. But the next time I went, I had all the monitors set. No driving test. Insta-pass!

Physically removing the bulb on the Check Engine indicator won't work, because they actually plug into your OBD2 port. If you reset your computer recently, you may not be allowed to test (if the monitors are not all set), but you may also experience what I did - the short driving test.

[seekerbeta]

do what alot of guys do... you usually have 2 O2 Sensors (one before and one after the cat), get a couple of o2 Bungs welded in, then a couple of o2 Defoulers in with the second o2 sensor, then the second o2 will read cleaner air than the first, and the readiness indicators will activate.

[underscore]

They don't do a sniffer test if your OBD2 system is working properly and your car is 1998 model year or newer.

Go check out the Aircare website: http://www.aircare.ca/inspinfo-desc.php

Wow...I'm pretty sure I could bypass all that quite easily then, especially if all that's off is one O2 sensor

[98twofourty]

do what alot of guys do... you usually have 2 O2 Sensors (one before and one after the cat), get a couple of o2 Bungs welded in, then a couple of o2 Defoulers in with the second o2 sensor, then the second o2 will read cleaner air than the first, and the readiness indicators will activate.

Ok I just googles 02 sensor defouler but i would like to know where to buy two of these.

So I called mopac and got a price of 200$ for 2 02 sims, is this defouler the same sort of thing?

Thanks for the help everyone I really want to get this car on the road in the next couple weeks, i miss driving something fast!

[BEEB]

^find out the thread of your O2, then head to lordco and find these HELP brand stuff (red in packing) and look for spark plug anti foul spacer. Drill a hole on one of it and stack two of them together, insert back into your O2 sensor and pipe.

[98twofourty]

^find out the thread of your O2, then head to lordco and find these HELP brand stuff (red in packing) and look for spark plug anti foul spacer. Drill a hole on one of it and stack two of them together, insert back into your O2 sensor and pipe.


So if i understand correctly these spacers will make the 02 sensor sit father out of the way ( recessed into the bung) of the flowing exhaust and therefore read cleaner air?

[underscore]

they aren't reading cleaner air, just less of it. I could see how that might work, or it might not do anything.

[jlenko]

Wow...I'm pretty sure I could bypass all that quite easily then, especially if all that's off is one O2 sensor

I have no rear O2 sensor either... but I do have a catalytic converter.

The PCM in my car has been programmed to basically ignore the rear O2 sensor being missing. So it will not set a check engine light for the missing signal. The car runs great, though the fuel economy could be better :rolleyes: The OP could do this too... I'd offer my services but my Powrtuner won't work for his V8.. only the GM 3800 V6's.

(FYI, I do plan on putting a rear O2 sensor in when I bring the car out of storage in a month.. needs a new exhaust from the cat-back as it is... there is currently no bung in the piping for the cat... which is why I have no rear sensor ATM.)

The big difference is.. I can pass a visual inspection since I do have a cat... but the OP wouldn't IF they were to check.

[!LittleDragon]

I don't know what this does, but my parents do this everytime before they have to aircare, and have never failed. So I assume it might help? Correct me if I'm wrong.

Basically they fill up about half a tank of 91 gasoline and drive it for a stretch on the highway then proceed to aircare.

Thoughts of how this works? Or even if it works at all?

That just heats the cats up to the proper tempurature.

[!LittleDragon]

I thought you can buy fake OBDII ports that spat out the OK signal.

[jlenko]

I thought you can buy fake OBDII ports that spat out the OK signal.

I don't know how that works... as I don't know what information the Aircare computer looks for.

[underscore]

I thought you can buy fake OBDII ports that spat out the OK signal.

That would be more generic, but more expensive than simply having fake sensors sending the right signal values to pass.

[some_punk]

just have the codes tuned out by someone like racing greed, or jawanda motorsports. there are a few LS1 tuners around here. As for the cats just get a catted-y, it sounds nicer with cats anyways, and gut that if you want but have the rear O2's there just to pass visual

[underscore]

^ I'm wondering, is that legal for them to do? Cause really, the entire aircare system is a joke if you can legally go get the codes removed and then only have to pass a visual inspection.

[Volvo-brickster]

just have the codes tuned out by someone like racing greed, or jawanda motorsports. there are a few LS1 tuners around here. As for the cats just get a catted-y, it sounds nicer with cats anyways, and gut that if you want but have the rear O2's there just to pass visual

o2 sensors work on voltage , but they constantly fluctuate don't they?

if you remove the cats , how does a tune or code keep the O2 functional while keeping the CEL from going on?

i have an off road H but just ended up having the rear 02s turned off

[some_punk]

o2 sensors work on voltage , but they constantly fluctuate don't they?

if you remove the cats , how does a tune or code keep the O2 functional while keeping the CEL from going on?

i have an off road H but just ended up having the rear 02s turned off

THe front O2s constantly switches from .1 to .9 volts. The rear O2s are at a more constant voltage to tell the computer that the cat is working. And from what I know, a tune is used to turn off the codes so that it wont set off a the CEL or SES. and there are at least 2 O2s on every car now for OBD 2 1 pre-cat and 1 post cat.

[CorneringArtist]

Bumping an old thread since the question is kinda relevant.

So I'm taking my car to AirCare for the first time, and this time around it'll be tested for sure (my last car blew blue smoke). Any tips to prep the car for the test (ie. driving the car around beforehard to get it hot)? Also, my idle is kind of rough, but it's barely noticeable if the car is warm, unless the car is shut off and restarted. Do they ever shut off the car during the test?

Thanks.

[PuYang]

I don't know what this does, but my parents do this everytime before they have to aircare, and have never failed. So I assume it might help? Correct me if I'm wrong.

Basically they fill up about half a tank of 91 gasoline and drive it for a stretch on the highway then proceed to aircare.

Thoughts of how this works? Or even if it works at all?

I was told by someone that if you fill up your tank with any gas 87, 89, 91 etc etc, WITH 10% ethanol, and drive it for a while, it can help alot.

i only add gas at 1 gas station ever, and all of them (87, 91) have 10% ethanol already. so im not sure if other gas stations have ones without the 10%.

supposedly, they failed aircare, and then went and added 10% ethanol gas, they passed with flying colors xD

[EmOne]

Since the OP's car is an OBD2 car... it doesn't matter WTF he does to 'pump air' or methyl hydrate or whatever crap you come up with. WTF some of you idiots are smoking... geez...

If there's a Check Engine light on - it's an instant fail. No cats will also fail the visual inspection, as previously noted.

So.. put some cats on, put some oxygen sensors on so the light goes away... or do the illegal and fabricate some metal boxes that LOOK identical to cats to pass the visual, and have someone with a programming tool disable the OBD2 codes in your PCM for the O2 sensors. Then the MIL lamp will go away, and you'll pass the OBD2 plug-in check. As long as your OBD2 monitors are set, you're good to go.

Aside.. why the fuck are you running no cats? Run a good high-flow cat instead, you don't lose that much power (really!). And you might live another 75 years to enjoy this world you didn't kill...
but but but....if you fill up half a tank and drive for a little bit it will pass bro!



































I fucking hate revscene sometimes.

[fliptuner]

Oil change, plugs, air filter, 40 psi in the tires and a hard drive beforehand. That's given the car is in decent mechanical condition to begin with.

[CRS]

I was told by someone that if you fill up your tank with any gas 87, 89, 91 etc etc, WITH 10% ethanol, and drive it for a while, it can help alot.

i only add gas at 1 gas station ever, and all of them (87, 91) have 10% ethanol already. so im not sure if other gas stations have ones without the 10%.

supposedly, they failed aircare, and then went and added 10% ethanol gas, they passed with flying colors xD

How does this make any sense...?

[PuYang]

^i have no clue... all i was told was they added 10% ethanol, and did nothing else, and passed.

was hoping someone here would enlighten me xD

[some_punk]

husky gas station's gas has 10% ethanol. The ethanol is supposed to help clean up the cats.

[lexluthor09]

husky gas station's gas has 10% ethanol. The ethanol is supposed to help clean up the cats.

Please tell me what it is you're cleaning in the cat? Considering the precious CLEAN the exhaust gases as it passes through it.