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Old 02-28-2013, 07:47 PM   #43 (permalink)
AaronMartinSole
Your car looks ridiculous
 
Join Date: Jul 2012
Location: Northern California
Posts: 96

The Fantastic Festiva - '90 Ford Festiva L
90 day: 43.16 mpg (US)

A Civic Duty - '96 Honda Civic LX
90 day: 34.9 mpg (US)

Ranger Danger - '96 Ford Ranger XL
90 day: 17.42 mpg (US)
Thanks: 23
Thanked 5 Times in 4 Posts
Got a Magnaflow carb legal CAT: 36304 - universal for about $140 shipped.

Just passed today about an hour ago with flying colors!



Mechanic had an odd way of testing the cat, apparently it's Honda's procedure to have the car crank for 15 seconds, with the fuel working and dumping loads of gas into the cylinders (I saw 30,000 ppm I think of HC), quickly taking off the distributor cap, and then jumping some lead to the little spring inside there. Something like that. And I think the CO2 or something was supposed to be at a certain level and it was not. Catalytic converter condemned. Of course, it's so much better and easier with OBDII and mode 6 and stuff like that. Kind of crude and crass and old school, but it gets the job done.

Man, the tailpipe smells so fresh now. I feel like hooking up an oxygen mask up to that thing! It's like breathing a soft green meadow! (just kidding. don't anyone do this. you will fall asleep and you will die.)

Man, when I passed I was exuberant and in shock. Didn't want to get my hopes up. And I didn't even barely pass, I passed with flying colors. Man, it feels good. I like catalytic converters. I love everything about them. I love smog repair. I love being able to breathe outside. I like seeing the numbers improve on those sheets. I wonder about performance driven motoring enthusiasts. Why modify your car to add horsepower if you don't run it on the dyno and know how much more horsepower you're actually getting? For instance, I read somewhere where they performed tests and a straight pipe adds so so little horsepower, I think it was around 1 or 2%, over a catalytic converter. I love fuel economy, but I wouldn't enjoy it half as much if I didn't know my real numbers, and see real improvements. But anyway, I am really happy and really pleased. Smogging is one rollercoaster of an experience, from anguish to hopelessness to anger to suspense, to absolute surprise and joy. Makes it all worthwhile. Feels good.

Last edited by AaronMartinSole; 02-28-2013 at 07:55 PM..
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