Failed emissions high CO Where to start? Legacy 1992 wgn Auto AWD

[propane]

 1992 Legacy Wgn, Auto trans, hi mi 266K just failed emissions due to hi carbon monoxide -23.04  grams per mile-  limit: 15.0 GPM (fail),  hydro carbon also seemed high at .70 GM (standard, 1.5 pass)

  No CEL on, starts way hard- must crank & crank when cold, seems to flood exhaust smells like gas

even warm takes 2 tries. Would this be ECM temp sensor (2 wire) ? (from other posts)

Prior to test I put NGK copper  plugs in , wires were after Mkt. Aired tires to 32psi &changed oil ( dyno test),  The sludge that was in there was fuel smelling so.. it got changed.

  Prior to plug change the CEL had occasionally come on, during long drawn out crank to starts, I figure its over whelming the cat w/ un burnt fuel. Once running idles smooth, full power,

only work other than to change out badly gapped Autolite plugs (sooty) was battery got disconnected when I replaced bad seat belt retractor. Do injectors wear out at this mileage?

where to start looking? Thx

Edited February 5, 2014 by propane

[afterbang]

fill your gas tank with denatured alcohol and retest. problem solved

[propane]

 

I have heard of this temporary fix to pass emissions, since
its running rich, smells rich when it tries to start, I figure it will put fuel
in the oil and shorten the life of the engine, plus it wont be very good gas
mileage 
 

Looking for diagnosis of possible emission control  fault, or tests to see what is causing hard
start thx

I have a 96 2.2 eng for parts, I believe it to be OBDII, wondering if ECM temp sensor will swap to my 92 car I'm trying to fix

 

 

Edited February 4, 2014 by propane

[Bushwick]

fill your gas tank with denatured alcohol and retest. problem solved

 

^This doesn't work and should not be done.

 

 

Give the car a tune up (plugs, wires, oil change, fuel filter, and air filter- just replace ALL this regardless of the plugs you put in as they are probably fouled out now- make SURE they are hand gapped by YOU and just stick the factory OEM style plugs in- nothing exotic as that might actually hurt things). If it still doesn't pass after that or run right, your catalytic converter might be bad. If it's still running the factory cat at 266k miles, it's probably time for a new one. You can run a universal cat. Summit Racing sells a bunch of them in the $80 to $100 range that work, just make sure you get the correct style meant for that year engine. 

 

After all that, run it good on the highway for 30-50 miles to break it in and burn any oils off that might be in the pipe from manufacturing to inhibit rust while sitting. If your cat is failing or failed, you'll get a raw gas smell out the exhaust (after it's warmed up) as it can't convert the gases anymore.

 

FYI, your factory cat is worth $100-$200 easy (even if it failed) from a "cat core" buyer. Junkyards will but them, but you won't get as much. Basically a junk yard will buy it for $50, then sell to a core guy/place for 2-3 times as much. Cut the junk yard middle man out and go straight to a core place. What ever you do, do NOT throw it away.

 

Universal cats are cheaper since they don't have the same level of platinum as OEM. But they'll still get your car to pass. I ran one on my turbo'd Saab and it passed with flying colors. Think I paid $100 for it. Keep in mind though, universal cats won't get a premium like OEM if you ever scrap it.

Edited February 5, 2014 by Bushwick

[propane]

Spot on the life & times of Catalytic converters, price over all is determined by world  market price posted in London along side Gold & Silver.
I HAVE done most of “tune up” steps recommended, including oil &filter, I choose OEM type plugs, NGK copper, (V groove) they come gapped @.035 I think, I expanded it out to .043. Not too concerned w/ air filter, & seem to be getting plenty of fuel thru line, fuel pump sounds like it ‘s working, and will check if it smells rich after it starts & warms up to temp.
So, I have answered my own question, if temp sensor was inter changeable(90-99) w/ later model OBDII, it is (from cross checking on Rock Auto) and is less than $19 USPS shipped.
In the mean time, will unplug current sensor, check to see if it starts easier,(from other posts)  and maybe  sub in a used one, wondering if  I could experiment, and put a heat gun to the sub while its still out of eng, yet plugged into harness.(before I pull original one)
Was hoping for diagnostic insight , have 5of 6 volumes of 1991 Factory manuals, naturally am missing the one on eng & emissions thx

[Bushwick]

Biggest advantage of doing a full tune-up all at once is it can rule out many things while helping keep the engine in top running shape. If an air filter is dirty or you can't see light through all the rows, then it needs replaced. Another thing to consider is the O2 sensors might be failing or not doing a proper job.

 

Given your high mileage, it definitely wouldn't hurt replacing the cat(s) and O2 sensors as they are both crucial to emissions as well as MPG. If either fails, you'll get too lean, too rich, damaged cat, excessively high EGT, etc., all of which can damage an engine if ignored too long. If you plan on keeping the car for awhile, then the preventative maintenance now will go a long way (that's assuming something isn't totally bad).

[Fairtax4me]

Starting problem should be addressed, especially if its loading the oil with raw fuel.

 

High CO is either too much fuel, or not enough oxygen.

Search for the method here to get the CEL to flash codes and see what comes up.

At minimum I would try replacing the ECT sensor if you have a spare or can get one cheap.

[Bushwick]

Starting problem should be addressed, especially if its loading the oil with raw fuel.

 

Reread what he wrote I think you misunderstood. The other person suggested alcohol to "cure" it, and OP was stating he didn't want raw fuel in the oil, or at least that's how I took it. If his cat isn't working correctly, he'd get a raw smell like a cat-less car would.

 

High CO could be a number of things like clogged air filter, bad cat, bad O2, etc.

Edited February 7, 2014 by Bushwick

[afterbang]

actually, using alcohol does work to get cars to pass emissions. the subaru shop I work at did this to get an old jeep to pass for the owner's friend that kept failing and had no money to fix it... It works.

 

I offered this "remedy" lightheartedly and where did I ever say that it would "cure" the problem?

[Fairtax4me]

Reread what he wrote I think you misunderstood. The other person suggested alcohol to "cure" it, and OP was stating he didn't want raw fuel in the oil, or at least that's how I took it. If his cat isn't working correctly, he'd get a raw smell like a cat-less car would.

 

High CO could be a number of things like clogged air filter, bad cat, bad O2, etc.

Cats dont even work until they're about 600-800 degrees anyway, so the exhaust will always smell very strong of fuel when the car is cold. The cold start fuel mixture has to be extra rich because cold air doesnt vaporize the fuel as well. Most of the fuel that gets injected into the engine when its cold doesn't actually burn, as a result these cars tend to smell kinda strongly of fuel anyway. That doesn't mean the cats arent working normally when it is warm.

 

It sounds to me the OP is saying the car has a hard time starting when cold, the engine has to crank for several seconds before starting. Kinda sounds like it needs an ECT sensor.