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I finally got my $300 Miata to pass emissions with a trick from a guy at a car meet in Phoenix
My 1991 Miata kept failing the smog test on the hydrocarbons part and I was about to give up and sell it. A guy at a Cars and Coffee in Phoenix told me to run a bottle of Chevron Techron through it and drive it hard on the freeway for 20 minutes right before the test. I did exactly that and the numbers dropped from 180 down to 62, which passed with room to spare. Anyone else use the drive it hard trick before a smog check, or is there a better way to clean out the carbon?
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hugo_jones25d ago
Did you check the cat before throwing parts at it? Those old Miatas are known for burning a little oil, and oil kills the cat over time. Techron helps with injector gunk but if the cat is on its way out you're just masking the problem for one test. The freeway run works because you're getting the cat nice and hot, that's the real trick there. Next time get it good and warm, no sitting in line with the engine off, and keep it in a lower gear on the way over.
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