emissions fail

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the village eld

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Hi everyone
New to the forum here,just bought a Gen 1 SHO with 100,000 miles,but it failed emissions due to high Nitrogen Oxides.I am completely new to these cars,the car has sat for about 6 months,just wondering if it could be the EGR valve(no warning light) or carbon buildup,all other readings passed with flying colors.Any help would be appreciated.It is definately an overwhelming sight looking at the engine for the first time

many thanks
Vince
 

TYSHO

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Did you use the same gas that was sitting for the past 6 months? If so, fill the tank with new gas and throw a can of seafoam in the tank, following the instructions. I've witnessed this dropped a huge amount in numbers under the same circumstances.

Second, there is a SPOUT connector that you can pull out, this will allow you to pass the emissions 99.9% of the time. If I recall, there's a thread where someone posted pictures of the location and what plug to remove.

If it was my car and my decisions on what to do, I would do both things I've just told you before testing again. Any more questions, feel free to ask away!
 

fitefanSHO

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What was the NOX level on your SHO and what is the passable limit? It should be on the paperwork they gave you. I just went through this myself.

SPOUT JUMPER FTW
 

the village eld

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What was the NOX level on your SHO and what is the passable limit? It should be on the paperwork they gave you. I just went through this myself.

SPOUT JUMPER FTW

The NOX levels were 1421ppm........maximum allowable is 960ppm.Here are the rest of the readings:Hydrocarbons 21.00..........allowable 88.00
Carbon Monox 0.01............allowable 0.65
Hydrocarbons 21...............allowable 103
Carbon Monox(idle) 0.00............allowable 0.76

thanks for the help
 

the village eld

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TYSHO...........thanks for the info,I will pull the spout and use the Seafoam before taking it through again

Rocket 455..........many thanks for the link;)


you guys have been a great help,I can't help feeling intimidated every time I look at the SHO engine,can't decide if I want to eat off the beautiful looking manifold or shut the hood and call it a day:)
 

Lorenr

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Tune up

Tune this car up. With only 100,000 miles on it, the car and motor should be in great condition and have many miles left on it. Cleaning up the exhaust should be easy.

Do this:

1. Run the codes. This should really help and give you clues as to what it needs. It may say something about the oxygen sensors. If not, look to dirty catalytic converters. Sea Foam will help this but in the long run it may need a new Y pipe w/converters and O2 sensors. It may sound like a lot of money but you'll get it all back with much better fuel economy. I've worked on motors for about 40 years and have never found any short cuts.
2. Replace the spark plugs and check the plug wells for oil. Check the plug wires.
3. Replace the air filter.
4. Change oil and filter.
5. BE SURE it has had the REQUIRED maintenance, especially the timing belt, pulley belts, water pump and crank/cam sensors.

Also, do yourself a favor and replace the transmission fluid. Do a search here and install the "transmission drain plug".

There is a real good chance that you'll have a great car IF you just take care of it. With gas getting to be more than $4.00 a gallon (You do use premium don't you) there is no excuse for not passing the emissions requirements. If you read this site all of the "How To" is here and easy to follow.

:salute:
 

the village eld

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Lorenr...........most of everything you mention have been done,just from driving the car around for the past week,I feel that it was maintained to a certain degree,but not by anyone who really knows these cars,just alot of tiny issues.I will replace the tranny fluid,hopefuuly it will get rid of the getting into REVERSE grind,quite a few of the sensors were replaced according to the previous owner's relative,as the previous owner passed away.I'm not sure if the 60k was done as the motor is abit noisy at startup,but quiets done when warm,there was an extended warranty purchased at time of sale,hopefully Ford did the 60k service.I have alot of creaking and rattles by the rear strut,rotors will have to be replaced as I think they are warped,but first things first.....gettting it through emissions!
 

TYSHO

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I will replace the tranny fluid,hopefuuly it will get rid of the getting into REVERSE grind.

I'm not sure if the 60k was done as the motor is abit noisy at startup,but quiets done when warm.

I have alot of creaking and rattles by the rear strut

Reverse grinds in every SHO, the owners manual will even tell you how to avoid the situation. Once you press the clutch pedal down, select any forward gear to engage and hold for a few seconds, then select and engage reverse following right after.

You need to determine the start up noise, as it can be valve train related or rod bearing related (rod bearings being more serious). As SHO's keep aging and owners changing, the history of oil changes and oil levels become unknown and bad practices make for the rod bearings to be more prone to failure than a well kept engine. Luckily, the SHO engine can have it's bearings replaced within a few hours without tearing the motor apart or removing it. For future reference, you can click on this link to see just how easy it is to replace the bearings: www.kurtmetros.com/bearings.html

These old cars like to rattle, and subframe connectors can help fix that problem and eliminate the majority of chassis flex, which causes creaks and squeaks. A bad strut mount can also give you unwanted noises coming from the strut area.
 

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