Does that rotor mount thing just pop off? Or is there a release on the inside? I was at a junkyard a while back and couldn't get it off. I think it was just stuck but I couldn't remember how I got it off years ago.

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Eugene

10 E63 AMG
93 300te 4matic
07 BMW X3
14 Ford F-150 Fx2

There is one Allen bolt through the middle and you gotta work it out slowly. I think over time it expands and fights you upon removal. There is an updated part # for it that corrected some that sheared off.

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2016 Monsoon Gray Audi Allroad - 21k
2008 Black Mercedes E350 4Matic Sport - 131k
2014 Jeep Wranger Unlimited Sahara - 62k
2003 Gray Mercedes ML350 - 122k

Well...much better, but still back to the borderline NOx failure I had last emissions check 2 years ago. I did the r16/1 resistor short and plug ezl vacuum...

Any ideas if the mixture looks about right now? I set the x11 @ ~46%.

So the below shows with new plugs, rotor, cap, o2 sensor, air filter oil change and mixture reset.



Any suggestions from here?

FWIW...I did notice they ran the test twice. I believe after they did the same thing last year, if one variable is within a certain margin, they re-run the driving test. The first failure they did NOT run it a second time, but this time they did. Last year on both borderline failures, they ran it twice. So I when I saw them run the test again, I thought to myself OK its gotta be CLOSE!!

On a happier note, I spilled about 3 gallons of oil all over the floor, and took the opportunity to hose down, simple green, scrub with a big broom and rinse off the garage floor. Looks beautiful now!

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2016 Monsoon Gray Audi Allroad - 21k
2008 Black Mercedes E350 4Matic Sport - 131k
2014 Jeep Wranger Unlimited Sahara - 62k
2003 Gray Mercedes ML350 - 122k

I just looked and I did take the screw out. That piece got completely stuck in my parts engine. Weird because I knew I was doing it right.

It looks like you got the main offenders. I would give it an Italian tune up and try again. Sometimes the m103 just needs a bit of time to adjust to the new parts.

Start keeping track of your mileage now. You will probably notice a significant improvement.

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Eugene

10 E63 AMG
93 300te 4matic
07 BMW X3
14 Ford F-150 Fx2

I ran it at 80-85mph for 15miles then held 4-5k rpm 2nd gear for the remaining few miles (luckily its off some back road in the desert so no cars around)...so it definitely got the italian tune up. Once again photos showed no cars and I pull up to 2 in line. I bet had I not sat for 10mins, I would have passed, albeit still borderline.

Something else is amiss here...

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2016 Monsoon Gray Audi Allroad - 21k
2008 Black Mercedes E350 4Matic Sport - 131k
2014 Jeep Wranger Unlimited Sahara - 62k
2003 Gray Mercedes ML350 - 122k

Was the 2011 test with the OE or replacement catalyst?

Is the replacement catalyst a proper three-way type, and is it approved for your car?

Do you have any test results dating back to when the car had the OE catalyst to compare with current test data?

Even in 2011 NOx was near the limit. Also, the NOx limit seems low for a 1988. I know of one case in California where the CARB screwed up and set too low a limit on one gas, which caused a lot of grief.

Shorting the R16/1 plug and blocking the vacuum advance reduced NOx on my '88 190E 2.6 by 90 percent, but my problem was HC close to the limit, which was reduced 50 percent. Given that both our engines have the same basic emission control setup, I don't understand how your NOx is so high, which is why I am questioning the standard.

California's test report lists averages for the year group. I suggest you contact your emission test authorities and discuss this issue with them. Is there a high incidence of NOx failure in your year group, and how was the NOx standard established?

Duke

2011 result with the same replacement cat.

Maybe its simply because I have no precats and that takes the NOx load?
I do notice though when temperatures rise, the car gets much slower...is that normal due to timing?

Here is the one I have:
MagnaFlow Catalytic Converters - 49-STATE & CANADA Catalytic Converters For Trucks, Suv's, American Muscle, Diesel, & Sport Compact Vehicles




Let me dig my paperwork and find some old California test #'s before I had the cat replaced...

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2016 Monsoon Gray Audi Allroad - 21k
2008 Black Mercedes E350 4Matic Sport - 131k
2014 Jeep Wranger Unlimited Sahara - 62k
2003 Gray Mercedes ML350 - 122k

Found them quicker than I expected:

My old 87 260E got these numbers in 2011 Arizona emissions it had OE cat and precats very similar maintenance history (did idle better than my wagon does though):
.......Mine // standard
HC: 0.31 // 1.60
CO: 5.42 // 15.00
NOx: 1.25 // 2.50

Here are the wagons: Note the high 02 -- that's why I got the cat replaced. It barely passed...This was my last California Emissions I did before I moved to Arizona in 2011:

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2016 Monsoon Gray Audi Allroad - 21k
2008 Black Mercedes E350 4Matic Sport - 131k
2014 Jeep Wranger Unlimited Sahara - 62k
2003 Gray Mercedes ML350 - 122k

My understanding is that the precats just below the exhaust manifolds are oxidizing only and are supposed to reduce warm-up emissions, but without supplemental air injection I don't see how they can do much. Maybe that's why they disappeared from later M103s.

There's no useful technical data on the Magnoflow catalyst other than it is 49-state and Canada. I believe aftermarket cats have to be certified with the California BAR via a test program, so I expect this catalyst in not CA approved, and I have no idea if it is two or three-way, but most replacement cats nowadays are three way since they have been nearly universally used by OEs since the early to mid-eighties.

You last CA ASM test shows high HC and NOx at 15 MPH relative to 25 MPH. That's probably the result of catalyst aging. It was degraded and not hot enough to enable all reactions during the 15 MPH test, but heats up enough at 15 MPH to do much better on the following 25 MPH test. The high O2 content means that the catalyst is not operating at maximum efficiency; 0.0 percent O2 means that it is.

My recommendation back then would have been to keep the OE cat and tweak the spark advance map per my recommendations to give you more margin. The OE cat should only be replaced as an absolute last resort.

With the R16/1 plug shorted and the vacuum advance blocked, the engine will be extremely sluggish below about 2000 revs. EGT will go up which heats up the catalyst, but it also throws additional heat into the cooling system as exhaust gas passes through the exhaust ports, so hotter running in low speed driving is normal.

During my recent CA ASM test the auxiliary fans did not come on during the test and the temp gage was at about 100C when he drove it off the rollers and shut it down. Five minutes later when I stated the engine to drive off the temp was about 110C due to heat soak and the aux. fans came on immediately, but cooled it down to 100C and shut off after about 60 seconds. I drove the couple of miles back home and immediately returned to my normal spark advance map - no resistor in the R16/1 plug and normal vacuum advance function.

I'm out of ideas, but I still think you should talk to your state emission test administrators - equivalent to the CA BAR - and find out why the NOx limit is so low and the percentage failures in your year group.

Duke

I threw 5 bottles of ISOheet in 1/2 tank of gas and it did the trick.



Until next test, I will chip away at more stuff and see if I can nail it first time then
If I ever get some time, I will contact the state and ask about failure rates for this model, particularly on NOx.

__________________
2016 Monsoon Gray Audi Allroad - 21k
2008 Black Mercedes E350 4Matic Sport - 131k
2014 Jeep Wranger Unlimited Sahara - 62k
2003 Gray Mercedes ML350 - 122k

Was the ISOheet in the tank during the inspection, or did you run it through the engine, then fill up and redo the inspection?

?

What about the RXP fuel additive

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83 500 SEC Euro 198K

In the tank. Its supposed to be burning in the combustion chamber during the test. The higher concentration the better.

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2016 Monsoon Gray Audi Allroad - 21k
2008 Black Mercedes E350 4Matic Sport - 131k
2014 Jeep Wranger Unlimited Sahara - 62k
2003 Gray Mercedes ML350 - 122k