The Beast's first bout with Ct emissions

[Jeremy]

Now, the Ct emissions was non-existent for several years, so this e28 has NEVER been through Ct emissions, period. I was sweating it because I tuned the car just before 5erFest05 and haven't touched the tune since. Plus it's a highly modified car at this point, so I didn't know what to expect.

Just to give it every easy advantage I could, I put a working O2 sensor in it today (I'd been running open loop for a long time), tossed a bottle of Techron and filled it up about 3/4 with premium. Didn't have enough time to do plugs, but they're almost new, and the oil was changed not too long ago.

Test was on a roller dyno at 2090rpm.

Results:

HC(ppm) CO% NOx(ppm)
Limit 143 .46 1000
Tested 58 .01 725

Car was tuned to run a bit lean at cruise (~15:1 or a little higher), the NOx seem to indicate that it was a bit lean. The car also sat for about 5-10 minutes before being taken in. Since I live in dense suburban area and got stuck behind a slow moving dump truck on the way over, I'm guessing the cat wasn't fully warmed up, thus the HC perhaps being a little higher than expected for a lean burn. The results seem to bear all that out.

Anyway, I'm happy, now I can renew my registration and the car will be legal to drive when I come back. I just wanted to share my experience so other turbo guys facing emissions perhaps won't dread them quite as much as I did.

Jeremy

[russc]

[QUOTE="Jeremy"]Now, the Ct emissions was non-existent for several years, so this e28 has NEVER been through Ct emissions, period. I was sweating it because I tuned the car just before 5erFest05 and haven't touched the tune since. Plus it's a highly modified car at this point, so I didn't know what to expect.

Just to give it every easy advantage I could, I put a working O2 sensor in it today (I'd been running open loop for a long time), tossed a bottle of Techron and filled it up about 3/4 with premium. Didn't have enough time to do plugs, but they're almost new, and the oil was changed not too long ago.

Test was on a roller dyno at 2090rpm.

Results:

HC(ppm) CO% NOx(ppm)
Limit 143 .46 1000
Tested 58 .01 725

Car was tuned to run a bit lean at cruise (~15:1 or a little higher), the NOx seem to indicate that it was a bit lean. The car also sat for about 5-10 minutes before being taken in. Since I live in dense suburban area and got stuck behind a slow moving dump truck on the way over, I'm guessing the cat wasn't fully warmed up, thus the HC perhaps being a little higher than expected for a lean burn. The results seem to bear all that out.

Anyway, I'm happy, now I can renew my registration and the car will be legal to drive when I come back. I just wanted to share my experience so other turbo guys facing emissions perhaps won't dread them quite as much as I did.

Jeremy[/QUOTE]

Looks OK, my only comment is not running the car closed loop ever. Usally my experience running these cars without O2 control thell run rich, which will shorten the cat's life and foul plugs quicker. Are you tuning it open loop to run lean all the time?

RussC

[Jeremy]

When I got done tuning using the LM-1, I wound up with a cruise a touch over 15:1, an idle close to 16:1, and between 13:1 to 12:1 from 0 psi to full boost. With the 30lb injectors and no intercooler, the car was curiously difficult to get not to run pig rich. Apparently the car really wants more boost or cooler charge, hehe. I would've liked the idle a little bit richer, but I couldn't get it to change much without throwing all the other settings way off (going pig rich under boost) as the only way to change it was to loosen the AFM, which brought boost AFRs to 10-11:1. Adjusting the AFM bypass screw had zero effect on idle AFR. This is all open loop.

The only reason I was open loop is because I got lazy. My O2 sensor was flaky and old, so I just disconnected it. The car ran very well without it, and I got 22-24mpg going to NC and back, so I don't think it was running really rich. Now that I have a new unit in there, I'll be leaving it connected. If I get a chance, I'll hook up the wideband again to see where I'm at running closed loop.

Jeremy

[Jesse]

I'm over due for my CT emissions. Supposedly they have not started the penalty system yet for overdue cars. My problem is that I have no cat. I have a euro car that never had a cat in the first place so I hope I will be exempt!! I have a straight through 3" exhaust on it right now too because of the turbo system. I hope I get lucky and just get through. It will be the last time I will ever have to do it.

My euro L-jet controls do not have O2 capability either. It's a real (nice) OE open loop system though! The Motec conversion is comming very soon. I need to apply real control to this thing before I blow it up. I'd rather blow it up running 20psi with a Motec then 5 psi running the euro OE controls. BTW, the OE 82' 525i L-jet system is running on a turbocharged US3.5L engine right now!! I'm crazy, I know, but it works surprisingly well!

Congrats on passing!

[Jeremy]

I don't think you'll be able to get an exemption because the car "came that way", unfortunately. You're right in that there's no penalties for being late yet. I only took the BMW in because the registration is due for renewal and they won't process it without proof that you passed emissions.

You want to consider having a removable cat section put in the middle of the exhaust somewhere. Put it on for emissions and then take it off after. They probably won't even test if it doesn't have a cat. I can almost guarantee their book will say all 5-series from 82 on are supposed to have one, and the exemption is only for vehicles 25 years and older. It was 20 years, but they bumped it up another 5 in '00 or '01 just so I'd have to take my '82 eta through again, lol.

Jeremy

[Skeen]

My dad's E12 M535 had a letter from the EPA for emissions exemption when it was originally grey marketed over. Last year he managed to get it exempt here in NC, but all pre-OBD2 cars in January 06 will be exempt from emissions, so it might have been easier than it normally would have been.

Edit: that means every car in our family will be exempt...hehehe :p

[Edit by Skeen on [TIME]1124374835[/TIME]]

[Nana535i]

Just curious is the whole state of CT required to have emissions testing? In TX depending on the county you live in, you do not have to do an emissions test.

[Jesse]

Yes, all of Connecticut has to be tested with cars dating back 25 years as stated above. Gotta love the Liberal North East!!

CT is a small(er) well-populated state so it does not really make sense to exempt some counties.