TIP… Use CATACLEAN 7 – 10 days (one full fuel tank cycle) prior to scheduling your emissions test.

CATACLEAN has been scientifically proven in both laboratory and expert field testing to reduce emissions by up to 60% (see testing). Even in some of the cleanest cars we have tested, Cataclean has proven itself to further reduce vehicle emissions output.

What does this mean? Our results translate to improved overall engine performance, ability to restore lost fuel efficiency and a reduction in emissions. Even in third world countries, an emission testing has become mandatory as a means of regulating vehicles that are polluting the atmosphere with green house gases. This forces vehicle owners to have emission problems repaired that might otherwise be ignored. So when a vehicle fails an emissions test, most motorists are not exactly overjoyed to learn that repairs are needed.

Even in third world countries, an emission testing has become mandatory as a means of regulating vehicles that are polluting the atmosphere with green house gases. This forces vehicle owners to have emission problems repaired that might otherwise be ignored. So when a vehicle fails an emissions test, most motorists are not exactly overjoyed to learn that repairs are needed.

The primary emissions of a combustible car engine are:

• Nitrogen gas (N2) - Air is 78-percent nitrogen gas, and most of this passes right through the car engine.
• Carbon dioxide (CO2) - This is one product of combustion. The carbon in the fuel bonds with the oxygen in the air.
• Water vapor (H2O) - This is another product of combustion. The hydrogen in the fuel bonds with the oxygen in the air.

These emissions are mostly benign, although carbon dioxide emissions are believed to contribute to global warming. Because the combustion process is never perfect, some smaller amounts of more harmful emissions are also produced in car engines. Catalytic converters are designed to reduce all three:

• Carbon monoxide (CO) is a poisonous gas that is colorless and odorless.
• Hydrocarbons or volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are a major component of smog produced mostly
  from evaporated, unburned fuel.
• Nitrogen oxides (NO and NO2, together called NOx) are a contributor to smog and acid rain, which also
  causes irritation to human mucus membranes.

Once a vehicle is out of warranty, the burden of paying for emission repairs becomes the sole responsibility of the vehicle owner. Most inspection programs include "waiver" provisions that limit the amount of money motorists have to spend on emission repairs. If an emissions problem cannot be resolved within the specified waiver limit (which may be anywhere from $50 up to $450 depending on the local regulations and applicable model year), the vehicle gets a "pass" even though it may still be a polluter.

EMISSIONS TESTING: WHAT IS INVOLVED

• Each state or municipality determines its own cut points for emissions testing as well as the specific tests that must be performed. Most test programs look at only two pollutants: unburned hydrocarbons (HC) and carbon monoxide (CO). Most also measure carbon dioxide (CO2) but only for diagnostic purposes since CO2 is not a pollutant (though it is a "greenhouse gas" that may contribute to global warming).

EMISSIONS TEST STANDARDS

The cut points for acceptable HC and CO levels are generally based on the emission standards that a vehicle was required to meet when it was new, so older vehicles have more lenient emission standards than new ones (see chart).

EMISSIONS AGE CHART

FAILING AN EMISSIONS TEST
When a vehicle fails an emissions test, the motorist usually receives a printout that show the test results of the vehicles emissions as well as the applicable cut points. From this, you can determine if too much HC and/or CO caused the vehicle to fail.

Hydrocarbon failures mean unburned petrol is passing through the engine and entering the exhaust. The three most common causes include ignition misfire, lean misfire and low compression. Ignition misfire can be caused by worn or fouled spark plugs, bad plug wires or a weak coil. Lean misfire results where there is too much air and not enough fuel, so check for vacuum leaks, dirty injectors or a fuel delivery problem. In addition to these, hydrocarbon failures can also be caused by oil burning due to worn valve guides, valve guide seals and/or rings.

Carbon monoxide failures indicate an overly rich fuel mixture. On older carbureted engines without electronic feedback controls, look for things like a stuck choke, misadjusted or fuel saturated float or a rich idle mixture adjustment. On newer vehicles with electronic carburetors or fuel injection, the system may not be going into closed loop because of a bad coolant or oxygen sensor.

NOX failures are usually EGR-related, since the EGR system is primarily responsible for reducing oxides of nitrogen. But NOX emissions can also be caused by a bad three-way converter or a computer control system that remains in open loop.

WHY SOME VEHICLES THAT SHOULD PASS AN EMISSIONS TEST DO NOT
Most vehicles that are in good running condition and properly maintained should pass an emissions test. In some cases, though, minor problems may cause the vehicle to fail an emissions test. These include:

• Engine and/or converter not at operating temperature. If a vehicle is only driven a short distance to the test facility, it may not be warm enough for the engine to be at normal operating temperature and/or the converter at light-off temperature. This will affect the emissions of the engine and may cause it to fail. Excessive idling while waiting in a test lane may also cause the catalytic converter and/or oxygen sensor to cool down enough where they may not control emissions properly causing higher than normal readings.
• Idle speed too high. A few hundred rpm can sometimes make the difference between passing and failing an emissions test if emissions are marginal.
• Dirty air filter. A restricted air filter will choke off the engines air supply, causing higher than normal CO readings.
• Worn or dirty spark plugs. Excessive plug gap and fouling deposits can create ignition misfire resulting in excessive HC emissions.
• Dirty oil. The oil in the crankcase can become badly contaminated with petrol if a vehicle has been subject to a lot of short trip driving, especially during cold weather. These vapors can siphon back through the PCV system and cause elevated CO readings.
• Pattern failures. Some vehicles tend to be dirtier than others for a given model year because that is the way they were built. It may be the design of the engine, or the calibration of the fuel or engine control system. These kinds of problems may require special "fixes" that can only be found in factory technical service bulletins.

In areas that have plug-in OBD II emissions testing for 1996 and newer vehicles, the vehicle will be rejected for testing if all of the required OBD II readiness monitors have not run. This may require driving the vehicle for several days until all the monitors have run. The vehicle will also fail the test if (1) the test computer cannot establish communication with the vehicle PCM (defective or disabled diagnostic connector), (2) if the Malfunction Indicator Lamp (MIL) is on, or there are fault codes in the PCM. If the OBD II system is working properly, the MIL is not on and there are no codes, the vehicle should pass the test.

Home | News | FAQ | Store Locator | Contact Us | How it Works | Proof it Works | Independent Testing | Save Some Green | Learn More

Website © 2011 CataClean Global Ltd. All Rights Reserved