Emissions Testing

[anupaum]

Although I've been running a blower on my truck for several years now, I'm ALWAYS concerned when I have to go through the semi-annual emissions test. When I first installed the supercharger, I had a lot of trouble because of bogging and stalling off idle. This was caused by the interplay of the mass airflow and O2 sensors. Many of you remember that this issue caused me to abandon the factory computer entirely.

This is my fourth year running Megasquirt. I still have some issues with afterstart enrichments and a rather annoying tendency for the truck to stall after it's first fired up, or after coming down a long downhill stretch, but everything else is running pretty well. I thought, perhaps that my tuning problems with the LC-1 might have toasted my catalytic converter, but I got through the emissions test with no problem this afternoon.

Here are my readings:

Hydrocarbons: .462 gm / km (max= .99)

CO: 8.5 gm / km (max = 12.43)

NOx: .996 g / km (max 1.55)

This illustrates that even after 230 000 km, a modified, non-dyno-tuned engine can easily pass a pretty strict emissions test. I've owned my truck for better than 10 years now, and even with the blower on it, the vehicle still burns pretty clean! (It's at least as good as it was with the factory computer and NO blower.)

There is NO need, then, to dump the catalytic converter, the EGR or any of the other emissions equipment. We can enjoy "higher performance" without compromising environmental quality any further than would be the case with a stock engine.

 

[scotts90ranger]

it helps a LOT that they only test emissions at idle, if under power it would be a different story...

if I don't move by february when I have to renew my plates I'm going to have to run through emissions, but I'm not too worried since all I need to do is get the dang thing to run decent again, I'm going to put a bigger cat in and I'll put the 5 gas analyzer from work on it to make sure I'm good to go.

 

[anupaum]

it helps a LOT that they only test emissions at idle, if under power it would be a different story...

Oh, not here. In the Lower Mainland of BC they put the cars on a dyno and sniff the exhaust under varying loads. It takes nearly ten minutes of "simulated driving" for the test to be completed.

if I don't move by february when I have to renew my plates I'm going to have to run through emissions, but I'm not too worried since all I need to do is get the dang thing to run decent again, I'm going to put a bigger cat in and I'll put the 5 gas analyzer from work on it to make sure I'm good to go.

I wish I had one of those for tuning!

 

[scotts90ranger]

you'd be really jealous of some of the "toys" I get to play with, that's probably the only one I could get my hands on to use for personal stuff. We have 3 engine dyno cells, one water dyno cell, one 500 horse eddy current cell and a really cool 150 horse A/C dyno that can motor the engine. I've ran anything from our 1.6L gas/LP engine to our supercharged 6.2L Cadillac engine rated at like 530 horse... soon to be playing with a turbocharged LP and NG 8.1L... A couple weeks ago I got volunteered as a calibration engineer since the rest of ours kinda moved on and we're running out of money to pay the farmed out engineers (I'm cheaper, once the economy picks up I should get a raise to go with my increased responsibilities)

 

[anupaum]

you'd be really jealous of some of the "toys" I get to play with, that's probably the only one I could get my hands on to use for personal stuff. We have 3 engine dyno cells, one water dyno cell, one 500 horse eddy current cell and a really cool 150 horse A/C dyno that can motor the engine. I've ran anything from our 1.6L gas/LP engine to our supercharged 6.2L Cadillac engine rated at like 530 horse... soon to be playing with a turbocharged LP and NG 8.1L... A couple weeks ago I got volunteered as a calibration engineer since the rest of ours kinda moved on and we're running out of money to pay the farmed out engineers (I'm cheaper, once the economy picks up I should get a raise to go with my increased responsibilities)

Oh yeah! NICE toys! And good luck on that promotion!

 

[anupaum]

An update on emissions testing . . .

Today I took my truck in for its final Air Care testing. (The provincial government will be ending the program before I have to test the truck again.) Here were my results:

Hydrocarbons: .276 gm / km (max= .99)

CO: 8.6 gm / km (max = 12.43)

NOx: .79 g / km (max 1.55)

I think that's pretty good for a home brew project! I've now had my blower installed for 10 years, and it still runs strong. The truck is showing its age and will probably have to be replaced within the next few years, but it sure has served me well.

This proves that you don't have to dump your emissions-control equipment (especially the catalytic converter) just because you want to go fast . . .