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Aye, then i'm afraid a cat it's probably going to be then nick. You can't fool the almighty sniffer like you can fool a scan tool

If it failed after he did them repairs he would have had to give you a refund because the work is supposed to be woriented.(sp?) At least thats how i think it works. Either way congrats.

20 Gallon Long:
Aquaclear 300
2 Bolivian Rams, Mikrogeophagus altispinosus: Gumby and Pokey

Are you in Massachusetts?

Yup, I had already used the second after I had done some minor repairs on my own (an O2 sensor and cleaned the K&N air charger)stupidly thinking it would have done something. But then, I was retested again and yes I would have had a free test, but the guy that took over the repairs took it upon himself to do it for me. Guess he didn't want me to come back and tell them I failed again...that would have been bad

Either way it's over now and i'm quite happy that it is...Stupid ozone layer]:| Just kidding

It's really odd that they told you that you couldn't get an aftermarket Cat... state laws must be different there as there are several cats to fit that vehicle available here.

State inspection here just went up beginning 2005, from 14 bucks to 21 due to the computer crap they make you do now. Where i live we don't have to get sniffed, but in the city i think you do.

If you fail the first time, your retests only cost 10 bucks.

Are you in Massachusetts? In that state you pay the $29 for the first test and if it fails again you can take it to an approved shop and get it fixxed and not have to pay the $29 again.

20 Gallon Long:
Aquaclear 300
2 Bolivian Rams, Mikrogeophagus altispinosus: Gumby and Pokey

V6 3.9 Liter

glad to hear you had it resolved what engine is in it?

I actually used to use the stuff all the time, but haven't lately just because i've been busy. It had nothing to do with it though. The problem has been resolved....finally. After a complaint to the company HQ of the shop I took it to, which by the way state law states that if you don't go to one of their approved shops, any repairs you make will not be counted towards the amount of money they think you should spend on repairs depending on the year of your vehicle. Anyways, when I first failed the test back in October, I took it to this shop to have it diagnosed on their "state approved" computer. I was told it was an EGR valve, which was an inexpensive repair at about $190. After the repair was made I was told to drive it for at least 1500 miles before getting tested again to allow the part to do whatever it had to do. I did that, and retested about a week and a half ago where I failed again. This got me thinking that this "state approved" shop and computer diagnosed my truck wrong and I essentially paid for a repair I didn't need. Needless to say I wasn't happy. So after a call to coporate, my truck was taken in the following Monday. After all morning of not finding out why it was failing, they finally decided to take a look at the catalytic converter. It was junk and no after market part was available, so it had to be purchased at a dealer for $225. I paid for the part and everything else they did that day, which included a fuel-injection cleaning, replaced translucer(part of the EGR valve that was already repaired), was not charged to me. So i paid $225 that day and $190 for the previous repair....I don't think it ended up that bad for me. eh *****shrug*****


Edit: oh yeah and they gave it an inspection and gave me my sticker for free (usually $29)



Last edited by Jessnick at 19-Jan-2006 21:04

My car almost failed NOX because i had put some of that fuel cleaner stuff in it the day before. Did you?

20 Gallon Long:
Aquaclear 300
2 Bolivian Rams, Mikrogeophagus altispinosus: Gumby and Pokey

I have a question concerning my truck. It's a 1994 Dodge Dakota, and I had a problem passing the state inspection for emmisions. I know a catalytic (hope I spelled that right) converter is kind of a major deal, but I want to know how major. How much would a repair of that type cost on a vehicle like that? Thanks in advance.

tim, i don't think they can do an emissions test without the exhaust hookup on cars older than 96, so they probably *did* "sniff" it.

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"That's the trouble with political jokes in this country... they get elected!" -- Dave Lippman

Did they "sniff" your car? Meaning hooking up pollution detection devices on your exhaust?

I think so, that's what keeps failing it, NOX was too high. A dyno machine? does that make sense?




Last edited by Jessnick at 17-Jan-2006 11:02

A catalytic converter is a major deal. It's a piece of exhaust that reduces pollutants in the exhaust by oxidizing them into water and carbon dioxide, mainly. Your truck should have 1, being it's OBD1 and made after 1991 (onboard diagnostics, the 'computer'). This means there is one oxygen sensor before the cat, but nothing after. OBD2 (1996-present) saw the use of 2 oxygen sensors per cat, one before and one after to see how effective the cat was being, and adjusting fuel curves for lower emissions.

Depending on what converter you go with, and the related pipe, the part alone can be had for as low as 70 or so US dollars. You could also spend upwards of 300 if you wanted to. The work to put it in, however, will vary depending on your local service stations. mOOndaWg isn't that far off. I just put two new cats in my vehicle, and they were 250 apiece alone :$ I put them in myself, so it saved me there. In a vehicle that is more than 5 years old or that has more than 50,000 miles on it, you do NOT have to get a 'stock' cat from the dealer. You can purchase an 'aftermarket' cat that will work just as well for 1/6th the price. (at least in NY)

Diagnosing emissions problems is tricky in OBD1, because you have no sensor after the cat to monitor it's function. Replacing EGR and AIR (if equipped) components and O2 sensors is usually enough, but every vehicle is different.

Did they "sniff" your car? Meaning hooking up pollution detection devices on your exhaust?

Hi,
Those critters are very expensive because of the rare
metals that they contain.
Try going to cartalk.com and see what you can find out
by asking there. I think you will find you probably don't
have a "major beef" with anyone.

Frank


-->>> The Confidence of Amateurs, is the Envy of Professionals <<<--

i guess i am basing my estimate on a slightly older car i had a catalytic converter fixed on an 86 corolla and it was about $150, and i've never had any problems with the converter on any of my other cars, so that's the only thing i have to go by...

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"That's the trouble with political jokes in this country... they get elected!" -- Dave Lippman

Hubby said around here (yeah I know it's Canada and all, but I'm trying to help.. ) you'd be looking at between 500 and 700 dollars installed!!

He said that Moondog better be talking about the resinator- either that or we're going to come down to where he is and buy car parts to sell up here in the winter time to pay for our heat...

Can I have your address??

I'm positive because the work has already been done and passed inspection....that was after the EGR valve was fixed and a couple of other small things as well. Also I was told that an aftermarket converter was not available, so it had to be purchased at a dealer. Are you sure about that figure, because if you are....I have a major beef.

find a good muffler shop in your area that does cheap work and it shouldn't be much more than about $150 parts &amp; labor. at least, that's about how much i would expect to pay for my car, it's all about the same when you're dealing with exhaust. are you sure it's the catalytic converter though?

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"That's the trouble with political jokes in this country... they get elected!" -- Dave Lippman