I have been battling Colorado emissions for months now, and as a result my 94 has been sitting in the driveway.
I purchased a set of magna-flow cats and had a local shop add flanges to make them bolt right up in place of the old cats. The shop did a good job and I gained almost 2 inches of ground clearance under the cats. Everything was great until I got to the testing location in Parker.
Immediately I noticed the inspector taking a long time to look at my cats, then reading the emissions equipment label under my hood. Then he had another guy looking, then the manager came over and was looking as well.
They pulled my rig out without even testing it, and the manager summoned me over. He informed me that my cats were wrong. He showed me the sticker and told me that I needed 2 "Three way cats". I informed him that I had 2 three way cats. Brand new ones in fact. We proceeded to argue in the parking lot for 10 minutes, it became very obvious that he didn't know what he was talking about. He gave me the number to a state office, and told me I could get a state inspection there and they would determine if my cats were kosher or not. I left the facility and immediately called the number.
I was connected with a fellow named Loyd (I think) and I explained the situation. He asked me if my cats "Looked like glass packs". I told him that they look exactly like glass packs. He said that must be the source of the confusion. He then informed me that "If you got some magnaflows or something, I can guarantee that they aren't EPA certified, and they will not be legal to use". I knew they were EPA certified when I bought them, so I just made an appointment to get them checked at the Technical inspection facility in Highlands ranch.
Luck would have it that I got a appointment same day.
I met a inspector at the state inspection station who was very knowledgeable and helpful. He took my cruiser into his bay for over an hour, I was very concerned at first because I just thought he was going to check out my aftermarket cats, but about 45 minutes into my wait I heard the unmistakable sound of duratracs on a dyno and I relaxed.
He came out and gave me a wealth of information. Mark is not your run of the mill emissions "expert" who was fired from 3 different McDonalds before finding his true calling. He has decades of experience working for a independent shop before taking his state job. The first thing he told me was that 80's are some of the most problematic cars in Colorado, especially the OBDI variants. He assured me that it was a great vehicle, but they just don't get along with Colorado emissions standards.
Mark did a full diagnostic on my truck. He determined that my O2 sensors were not the problem, and he ran my truck on the dyno and found it to be over the limit on NOX and CO. He told me that it was running rich and that he thought the AFM was to blame. He even described to me in detail how the trap door AFM works, and that there was a way to internally adjust it. His official advice was to find a good independent Toyota shop and have them adjust the AFM.
This was the first I had heard about the AFM being adjustable, so I came home and did some searching. I performed the on vehicle test of the AFM according to the FSM, and it passed. I then removed the AFM (DON'T REMOVE THE TWO SCREWS) and did the off vehicle test. I initially thought it was failing the off vehicle test, so I decided to open the unit up and have a look at the guts. I did so by cutting the silicone seal around the cap and prying it off. Everything inside looked fine so I studied the FSM again. That is when I discovered that the FSM has a error in it. Look at these 2 pages. Notice that the pinouts don't match!
.
So If I test it using the pinout diagram from the first page to identify "E2" and "VS" then the ohms change as I move the flap, and the readings I get are within spec.
I continue my research about the AFM and find this guide for adjusting it. Looks easy enough so I give it 2 clicks in the lean direction. I put everything back together and used electrical tape to seal up the AFM temporarily until I can get it to the test center again.
So I wanted to ask some the guru's on here if Marks advice holds water. It makes sense to me that the spring in the AFM would wear out over time resulting the AFM reporting a higher volume of air than what the engine was getting. The follow up emissions test will be the real tell, but I won't be able to get it in for a full week.
Other things I already did recently in my emissions saga: Replace cap and rotor, plugs and wires. Replace EGR modulator and several shady looking vacuum lines. None of these items effected my emissions readings, and neither did replacing my cat's
.
I purchased a set of magna-flow cats and had a local shop add flanges to make them bolt right up in place of the old cats. The shop did a good job and I gained almost 2 inches of ground clearance under the cats. Everything was great until I got to the testing location in Parker.
Immediately I noticed the inspector taking a long time to look at my cats, then reading the emissions equipment label under my hood. Then he had another guy looking, then the manager came over and was looking as well.
They pulled my rig out without even testing it, and the manager summoned me over. He informed me that my cats were wrong. He showed me the sticker and told me that I needed 2 "Three way cats". I informed him that I had 2 three way cats. Brand new ones in fact. We proceeded to argue in the parking lot for 10 minutes, it became very obvious that he didn't know what he was talking about. He gave me the number to a state office, and told me I could get a state inspection there and they would determine if my cats were kosher or not. I left the facility and immediately called the number.
I was connected with a fellow named Loyd (I think) and I explained the situation. He asked me if my cats "Looked like glass packs". I told him that they look exactly like glass packs. He said that must be the source of the confusion. He then informed me that "If you got some magnaflows or something, I can guarantee that they aren't EPA certified, and they will not be legal to use". I knew they were EPA certified when I bought them, so I just made an appointment to get them checked at the Technical inspection facility in Highlands ranch.
Luck would have it that I got a appointment same day.
I met a inspector at the state inspection station who was very knowledgeable and helpful. He took my cruiser into his bay for over an hour, I was very concerned at first because I just thought he was going to check out my aftermarket cats, but about 45 minutes into my wait I heard the unmistakable sound of duratracs on a dyno and I relaxed.
He came out and gave me a wealth of information. Mark is not your run of the mill emissions "expert" who was fired from 3 different McDonalds before finding his true calling. He has decades of experience working for a independent shop before taking his state job. The first thing he told me was that 80's are some of the most problematic cars in Colorado, especially the OBDI variants. He assured me that it was a great vehicle, but they just don't get along with Colorado emissions standards.
Mark did a full diagnostic on my truck. He determined that my O2 sensors were not the problem, and he ran my truck on the dyno and found it to be over the limit on NOX and CO. He told me that it was running rich and that he thought the AFM was to blame. He even described to me in detail how the trap door AFM works, and that there was a way to internally adjust it. His official advice was to find a good independent Toyota shop and have them adjust the AFM.
This was the first I had heard about the AFM being adjustable, so I came home and did some searching. I performed the on vehicle test of the AFM according to the FSM, and it passed. I then removed the AFM (DON'T REMOVE THE TWO SCREWS) and did the off vehicle test. I initially thought it was failing the off vehicle test, so I decided to open the unit up and have a look at the guts. I did so by cutting the silicone seal around the cap and prying it off. Everything inside looked fine so I studied the FSM again. That is when I discovered that the FSM has a error in it. Look at these 2 pages. Notice that the pinouts don't match!
. So If I test it using the pinout diagram from the first page to identify "E2" and "VS" then the ohms change as I move the flap, and the readings I get are within spec.
I continue my research about the AFM and find this guide for adjusting it. Looks easy enough so I give it 2 clicks in the lean direction. I put everything back together and used electrical tape to seal up the AFM temporarily until I can get it to the test center again.
So I wanted to ask some the guru's on here if Marks advice holds water. It makes sense to me that the spring in the AFM would wear out over time resulting the AFM reporting a higher volume of air than what the engine was getting. The follow up emissions test will be the real tell, but I won't be able to get it in for a full week.
Other things I already did recently in my emissions saga: Replace cap and rotor, plugs and wires. Replace EGR modulator and several shady looking vacuum lines. None of these items effected my emissions readings, and neither did replacing my cat's
.
