93 LS failed Smog on HCs and NO....need help?

[facechubb]

Hey everyone, with there being new regulations on Smog (apparently) my car failed!
It failed the HC reading and the NO reading...from what I've gathered, typically NO fails if HC does, so it's safe to assume that the problem is related to whatever caused the HC problem?
Here were the readings:
HC Max: 71 HC Measured: 96
NO Max: 708 NO Measured: 727

I took it to a mechanic and he said based on the tests he did and what he saw, he told me he was 80% sure a new O2 Sensor would do the trick....
He then quoted me $400.00 dollars - 242.00 for the part, 130something for labor, and the rest taxes.

I will not pay $400....especially not when I can buy a Bosch O2 sensor brand new for 66.99 at Auto Zone of all places... Can anyone with any experience let me know if they think its the O2 sensor? Some other problem?

Any help would be greatly appreciated. I am not a mechanic, or car repair savvy, but I am frugal and would LOVE to do this myself if I can.
Thanks for any help!

 

[treybombRW]

does your car have an engine light on? if so check the code. o2 sensors give of an engine light when they are no good. i to am failing emissions right now. at first it was just nox and now its all readings at 40 kph. and that is after alot of repair. try running seafoam through your brake booster vac line. and if that isn't good enough look into terra clean. its a high power cleaner that some company's run through your engine in place of gasoline and it apparently cleans all emissions based parts. if all else fails cat converter or egr valve.

 

[jesusfreeke]

This is coming from a EPA certified emissions specialist. Not a tester, but the guy who repairs vehicles that do not pass emissions. We are going to cover the easy and cheap things first to set you up for success at the testing station.
1. Are you using 87 octane fuel?

2. Do you or anyone else that might help you have a way of checking ignition timing (spark timing)? If so what is it at?

3. When was the last time you had a tune up i.e. spark plugs, oil change, distributor rotor, fuel filter, and air filter?

4. Have you used any kind of fuel additives or oil additives within the month you were tested, including sea foam or heat? If so which ones and how much and roughly how much fuel was in the tank when you added it?

If you reply with answers to my questions above we can work through this without jumping into expensive parts and labor (hopefully)

 

[treybombRW]

i don't know about facechubb but i have still not passed emissions. as for the questions.
i was using 87 octane because higher octane burns hotter thus raising nox.
i have not had my timing checked but they said my misfires were at 40kph and they also said i could be due to carbon build up.
i have done an over the top tune up accel wires, good plugs, dist cap and rotor, air filter, valve cover gasket, synthetic oil change, terra clean was ran through my fuel system in place of gas to remove any harmful carbon deposits on all internals and emissions parts, sea foam prior, to the terra clean, and all the seafoam and terra clean was burned off while driving the car for a week or so before going for an emissions test.
i ran "guaranteed to pass" through a full tank of gas as well prior but no other fuel additives.
i also have a full brand new cooling system (rad, low temp t-stat, temp sensor, fan relay, and switch)
also have a brand new egr valve and pcv valve, and i've searched high and low for a vac leak but had no success.
the car runs great the idle is smooth and it drives nice and has plenty of kick, the only thing i can think of is that the car runs slightly hotter than i'm used to in my last da9, only like a 16th to an 8th of an inch higher. and the base idle is about 50-75 rpm higher than the idle should be. even though sometimes it sits directly on 750 rpm.
no new cat or o2 sensor and only 1 engine light has come on for egr valve failure prior to installing my new egr.
i think i've covered everything but if you have any questions lemme know so i can figure this out asap.

 

[facechubb]

In response to jesusfreeke:

1) I do use 87 octane

2) Unfortunately, I have no way to check my ignition timing.

3) I had a tune up fairly recently. I had gotten the spark plugs replaced, and received a new oil filter and air filter. The last major repair I had done was to replace the entire distributor. Whats interesting is that I actually passed a different smog test about 6-8 months ago. I had to get a salvage title for my car, and it passed. When the time came for my bi-annual smog though is when it failed.

4) I have not used any fuel or oil additives. It does seem as though I may have an oil leak soewhere...I find myself adding oil more often than I should be.

 

[Samurai_Blue]

you will be able to see an oil leak, you may be burning oil. Ask the technition to tell you where your timing is