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Post by themorgster on Jan 24, 2020 15:00:04 GMT
Hunter 4 wheel tracking / alignment and headlight alignment done.   |
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Post by bewgy on Feb 6, 2020 10:41:09 GMT
Good luck for today.
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Post by themorgster on Feb 6, 2020 14:02:46 GMT
IVA write up I left the house at 6am, it was dark, very cold and loads of fog. The first 20 miles was both terrifying and very, very cold. I did however make it to the test on time!  First was the weigh in, followed by the ‘short’ emissions test, which it failed, but then he asked how old the engine was, I said 20years and had to show him the donor V5. He then checked the engine number and re-ran the test for an older car, still a fail😕. The tester said it happens a lot and that we’ll give the ‘long’ test a go at the end.   Next was the external projections test, which it failed 😔. The retro-reflectors needed a rounded edge and he could touch the engine through the chassis! He was properly going over the car and said it was clear that I had read the IVA manual. It turns out the other guy that was with him was a trainee, so it was ALL by the book. Next was a quick check of the lights (just to see if they worked), then various contraptions were brought out (one named Nigel) to check the height of the steering wheel and seatbelt anchorage points. after that the headlight alignment was checked, then up on the ramp for a good look underneath (30mins I was sitting in the car 7ft in the air!). All good.  Next was the brake test and speed calibration tests, both passed.   At this point the tester wasn’t happy with the side repeater because he thought the side mirror was obscuring it from behind, so another guy was called and various bits of string and tape measures proved this not to be the case! After that, outside for the dB test and mirrors check. 94dB @ 4850rpm. All good there.   They then drove it round the car park a bit, slamming on the brakes etc and back in for the ‘long’ emissions test. Baarrrgggh.... it FAILED!!! CO levels were twice what they need to be.   I think the lamda sensor is telling the ECU lies and it’s running rich. It’s the only sensor I haven’t replaced! |
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Post by Stiggy on Feb 6, 2020 15:37:54 GMT
sorry to hear it failed. Emissions tests for IVA are the same as basic MOT so it is easy to get it checked before retest. However as your donor had 10 months MOT I wonder why it should be so high. Perhaps it's just an earth issue.
Shame he felt that the reflectors were "dangerous"! They could be mounted from behind the grp or the edges knocked off with a file as the manual states:
"3. Protrusions less than 5mm contactable with a 100mm sphere must
have blunted edges."
I am not aware of 20 mm round reflectors being available without the "dangerous" edges.
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Post by themorgster on Feb 6, 2020 16:21:10 GMT
The MOT my donor came with wasn’t worth the paper... I found that out as soon as I saw the horrendous state of the brakes! Looking at the Mot history online, it failed on CO (and a shed load of other things) in 2016, 4K miles ago, then miraculously passed with a clean sheet in 2017!! It was probably never fixed. The valve stem seals were shot (so I replaced them), but that oil probably wasn’t good for the lambda sensor (or the cat...) - buying a shoddy donor can be cheap... but also expensive!
The reflectors weren’t really an issue, I had a file and sandpaper with me, I’d just forgotten to do it before the test.
Bearing in mind that I have replaced all the sensors (but the lambda) plugs and leads are new, and have tested the injectors, what else could my CO be down to? There are no exhaust leaks or intake air leaks. It’s fine on idle and the other emissions are all ok. The guy said that if my cone air filter is too free flowing then that could be a cause, or maybe the catalytic converter... I’ll replace the lambda and get it tested at an Mot garage, but if it’s still too high, what’s next?
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Post by themorgster on Feb 6, 2020 22:49:06 GMT
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Post by camspeed on Feb 7, 2020 9:38:27 GMT
Emissions will be tough to pass is the cars been burning oil. The lambda may be out but also was the CAT from the old car? they don't like filtering burnt engine oil. I had problems with my race car turbo seals. It cost me a race CAT. I tried to clean it etc but it was only ever a temporary fix. So a few start ups in and out of the garage over winter and it failed MOT again.
Hopefully you have a friendly MOT station who will give it a sniff for you in between tests.
Having read your build I assumed the car would fly through. Feel for you mate....but nearly there. You will have a stunning car on the road in the end.
John
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Post by bewgy on Feb 7, 2020 12:32:27 GMT
Bad luck mate, I am sure you will get the emissions fixed and the car would fly through the test then.
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Post by stuli on Feb 7, 2020 13:37:07 GMT
Thanks for giving thorough feedback especially as I will be at the same centre in a month or so. Can I ask about being able to touch the engine through the chassis? Was this a fail? If so what is proposed to fix it? Cheers!
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Post by themorgster on Feb 7, 2020 14:47:31 GMT
Thanks for giving thorough feedback especially as I will be at the same centre in a month or so. Can I ask about being able to touch the engine through the chassis? Was this a fail? If so what is proposed to fix it? Cheers! It was a fail. The tester said that by the letter of the manual, he can only reach 200mm inside the cockpit (for ‘external’ edges), but there is no limit to being able to reach inside the engine bay (the manual does not reference it), so he stuck his arm in and contacted the inlet manifold bracket! He agreed that if you got any part of you in there you were probably already dead, but he follows the book... I’m going to get some mesh (see link below) and use p-clips and Pu adhesive to fill in the triangles. rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ebay.co.uk%2Fulk%2Fitm%2F382219739480One piece of advice I would give is, when you have the 4 wheel alignment done, get the emissions tested... I wish I did! |
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Post by stuli on Feb 7, 2020 15:09:48 GMT
Thanks for giving thorough feedback especially as I will be at the same centre in a month or so. Can I ask about being able to touch the engine through the chassis? Was this a fail? If so what is proposed to fix it? Cheers! It was a fail. The tester said that by the letter of the manual, he can only reach 200mm inside the cockpit (for ‘external’ edges), but there is no limit to being able to reach inside the engine bay (the manual does not reference it), so he stuck his arm in and contacted the inlet manifold bracket! He agreed that if you got any part of you in there you were probably already dead, but he follows the book... I’m going to get some mesh (see link below) and use p-clips and Pu adhesive to fill in the triangles. rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ebay.co.uk%2Fulk%2Fitm%2F382219739480One piece of advice I would give is, when you have the 4 wheel alignment done, get the emissions tested... I wish I did! Thanks sounds like good advice. Will go for the mesh option as well |
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Post by themorgster on Feb 7, 2020 16:08:55 GMT
Has anybody ever cleaned a cat? 😺
I’m thinking that if my cat is not rattling or totally clogged, then a good washing might help with emissions.
I was planning on soaking it in a hot water/washing up liquid/ammonia solution overnight, then rinsing it and letting it dry.
I’ll test it first however. When the engine is warm (20mins idle) the output temp should be hotter than the input, if it’s not, then it’s not working properly.
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Post by ian85 on Feb 7, 2020 21:30:50 GMT
Looking at the results, the cat is the problem. In my opinion washing a 20 year old cat through will be a waste of time.
Unlucky with the engine bay part, as I had my test there last year and they didn't say anything about my one and my one is completely open on the sides of the engine bay
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Post by themorgster on Feb 7, 2020 22:05:58 GMT
You are right, a stuffed 20 year old cat is beyond resurrection, however...the cat looks newish (i.e. still shinny). Looking at the Mot history it failed on emissions in 2017, then passed 1 week later. I’m thinking they replaced the cat, but it was still burning oil (valve stem seals) so it could have coated the new cat in crud, rendering it inoperable. Then again it could be a cheapo-crapo cat, either way a good wash can’t hurt! If it gets past IVA emissions I have 3 years of Mot grace before it needs replacing.
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Post by camspeed on Feb 8, 2020 7:59:29 GMT
You are right, a stuffed 20 year old cat is beyond resurrection, however...the cat looks newish (i.e. still shinny). Looking at the Mot history it failed on emissions in 2017, then passed 1 week later. I’m thinking they replaced the cat, but it was still burning oil (valve stem seals) so it could have coated the new cat in crud, rendering it inoperable. Then again it could be a cheapo-crapo cat, either way a good wash can’t hurt! If it gets past IVA emissions I have 3 years of Mot grace before it needs replacing. We tried truck wash, thinners, degreaser and just about anything else we could find and then steam cleaned it and it did work for a sort time. The need huge amounts of heat to clean them. I took a CAT out of a Nissan Figaro that was blocked, they look clean enough inside. But they aren't! Cant you get a sensible priced race CAT from somewhere? I see online adverts for cleaning CATs and I sent a Focus 1.6D for cleaning. It helped clear the fault code but never passed the next MOT. So I have a low confidence in cleaning them. |
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