Car failed (Bmw e36) emissions on CO2

[Vince70]

My old E36 has just failed the emissions on the MOT today and apart from that everything was ok which I’m happy about.

The garage were brilliant to be honest and are going to have a look on Monday and previously some monkey has bodged up fitting my new exhaust and its always has sounded throaty but I put that down to it being a Ti but the tester said it’s leaking on the joints and has been bodged up with silicone by the previous garage so that’s where they are looking at first.

 

So I just wondered if that doesn’t work where should I look next.

Here’s the failure for the co2.

 

[jonathan_dyane]

CO is carbon monoxide not CO2 and is the gas of incompete combustion so it must be running inefficiently, bad plugs, burnt valves etc.

[clayts450]

Italian tune-up then straight onto the emissions machine.

[meggersdog]

what they said.

exhaust leak would give a high lambda reading.

plugs and air filter then a damn good thrashing just before the retest.

[Vince70]

The plugs and filters should be like new as I only changed them about 1000miles ago.

Plus I even threw on a set of leads and another Maf plus a couple of new sensors etc as it’s always felt a bit lumpy and I should of given it an Italian tune up as it hasn’t been used in about 7 months but it’s good news a guess that they found it’s leaking.

But it needs a good run that’s for sure as water is pouring out the exhaust but I’m hoping It’s nothing bad and just condensation.

[Scruffy Bodger]

As above, I'd stick some premium fuel in it along with the all the suggestions above and then rag the shit out of it and try it again.

[Bren]

Air filter first. Does it consume oil?

[Vince70]

It never uses a drop of oil but I’m worried about the amount of water/steam coming out the exhaust.

My other half has just reminded me it hasn’t been used since the previous August as I had the rover of doom last winter so no wonder it hasn’t done many miles and the ticket ran out a few months ago.

[twosmoke300]

That’s got a slight exh blow and either a poor or cold cat .

Seal her up and a good road test before the restest

[sierraman]

Bottle of Cataclean wouldn’t be wasted either, worked for me numerous times.

[jonathan_dyane]

It’s magic that cataclean shit although I suspect it cheats the test rather than actually clean or fix anything

[twosmoke300]

Cataclean - nothing works as well !

[abelw44]

When my A4 failed catastrophically on emissions, it needed a new oxygen sensor (pre cat) so that might be something to check?

 

 

Sent from my TA-1024 using Tapatalk

[dieselassist]

jiggerd 02/Lambda sensor usually shows up as high HC (hydro carbons/unburnt fuel)

 

Id get the exhaust sealed up, n give it a razz 20mins before the test; where this isnt 'advisable' eg lack of road test / long time since test elapsed, I used to get jacking it up at home n warm up the cat with a heat gun..

[richardmorris]

The lambda sensor reading is on the high side, but that could be the leaky exhaust as mentioned above. If not, new o2 sensor.

[twosmoke300]

High lambda is the exhaust leak . You can confirm this by jamming a rag round the probe in the end of the exhaust . The back pressure makes the gasses leak out rather than sick air in

[Vince70]

I changed the oxygen sensor last year I think and bought a genuine one and it still failed the previous year and I had a Cat and exhaust fitted previously and it did have to go back a couple of times as it was knocking on the bodywork.

 

The exhaust though was a cheapo made by ThyssenKrupp but I bought the same make previously for my Z3 and it fitted like a glove and it’s been on that car for 3 years now and sounds lovely on that car.

 

I’ve got an appointment at hospital early Monday so the car has to go in early at 8am but I might take it for a quick drive first if I can but it will be great if they sort it as it never felt as quick or pulled as well as my Z3 and both have the same M44 engine and done approximately 60000 each.

 

I’ve got to admit though after jumping into it after all that time it really is a nice car to drive and is in fantastic condition and doubt I would ever be able to afford another Ti in that condition again if I could find another one.

 

[The Reverend Bluejeans]

 I had a Cat fitted 

 

 

Non genuine? They're fuckers for MOT's as they don't have the valuable metals that allow them to heat up. I only just got one though with the MOT tester holding it at 4000 rpm for about 3 minutes.

[nisfan]

It says in the BMW handbook to give the car a hoon every so often to clear out a build up of crap, always noticed a difference after a couple of days of hard driving in my e36

[louiepj]

Cataclean - nothing works as well !

This on a quarter tank of fresh fuel, Is it also still running on the stale fuel that was in it when laid up?

[Isaac Hunt]

I put my money on a Cat that's Shat.

 

I put a car in to test with an aftermarket Sports Cat on it, not our doing, car came to us already modified, failed with high CO, higher than yours. HC and Lambda all OK.

 

I did nothing but go out and get a good used second hand standard OE Cat (Loads available for our car cos the lads run de-cat M8 innit and the testa is a M9 bro) and lobbed it back in for the re-test, sweet as a nut.

 

There was deffo a honeycomb in our sports Cat but it probably started out life as a metal pan scourer

 

I've never used Cataclean but the advice of the chaps is good, rag it down the nearest Motorway and blow the cobwebs out, get it all nice and hot and get it straight on the tester.

[DodgeRover]

Cataclean - nothing works as well !

Except for pulling the probe out.....

[lisbon_road]

I read somewhere about cats benefitting from a good wash with washing powder.  Er, obviously only if off the car.  It might be worthwhile if a car has been burning oil and the cat is sooty.  I was wondering about rigging up some sort of pump and a load of hot water with washing powder in it, but I'll probably never actually do it!

[wuvvum]

Bottle of Cataclean wouldn’t be wasted either, worked for me numerous times.

I almost bought a bottle of Cataclean when the C4 kept blowing just over the CO limit.  Glad I didn't though as it turned out the car didn't actually have a cat on it so would have been a total waste of money.

[tommotech]

I have an aftermarket cat on the Pug 207 and it only just scraped through this year. It had to be red hot to get anywhere near a pass. I have never tried cataclean yet but will give it a go at next MOT.

 

As others have said, a good sealed system, an Italian road test and being red hot when tested should get it under the limit. However, don’t expect it to duck too far under though.

[1duck]

Cataclean gets another vote from me, pretty sure it's just posh nail varnish remover or equivilant that burns slightly hotter or burns with lower emissions. Almost certainly a con, but then again so is the bloody emissions test.

[Dave_Q]

Cataclean in £20 of V-power, thrash the living bejeebus out of it and make sure they do the emissions the second you pull up.

 

Sounds like the cat is marginal, either because its old or because aftermarket ones skimp on dat pricey platinum/palladium to make them cheap.

[sierraman]

Needs to be absolutely roasting to pass the emissions sometimes on an indifferent cat. Some cataclean then 10 minutes giving it some cosh in 2nd and 3rd then put in for emissions. Or failing that find something in the forecourt of the test station that will pass and stick the gas analyser on that instead.

[Tetleysmooth]

This Cataclean sounds like good stuff.

I might just have to shove a bottle of that into the Red Baron.

 

 

[sierraman]

It’s not a bodge, if it causes it to pass the test it’s done it’s job. Unless you like chucking £300 at an OE spec cat to get it through the test.