my k10 988cc failed the MOT emissions test

[Jonathan]

my little K10 failed its MOT yester day on the one thing i have no idea how to fix. it failed its emission test. does anyone know how to put it right?

its a k10 988cc LS fourspeed


cheers Jonathan

 

[quickdraw]

tip some brake fluid down the carb. and then run it for around 15 minutes on high revs

clears the guts nice and shiney

then throw some redex straight down the carb aswell..,

the car will be running schmooth from that

 

[Andrew]

The guy in the garage should have given you a little printout like a receipt with the numbers on. Then you can see why it failed emissions, and target the problem properly.

 

[Ed]

I would just like to point out that you do NOT want to do something like that. I have never even heard of that before. Do not do it. EVER.

As Andrew mentioned you will have a print out. I suspect it failed on CO emissions. Your limit being 3.5% your HC level may also have been high but that is related to CO anyway.

There are many things you can do to get CO levels down. One check and replace if necessary the air filter (or do it anyway they are cheap). Whilst doing this check that once the engine is hot the choke is fully open. Next check the condition of the ignition system, most importantly the timing and idle RPM. The next thing is to check all vacume pipes. There are not many you just need to look for splits If all of this does not help then you may need to ajust the idle CO which is a screw on the bottom of the carb. This should really only be touched if you have the tools to measure the idle CO.

Ed

 

[Jonathan]

so it may only need a tune up not a whole new catalytic converter.

i didn't get a printout from the MOT test station all i got was a hand written note saying

"exhaust emissions too high

CO - .559%
max .35%"

bar this my little car is perfect

 

[Mat.T]

so it may only need a tune up not a whole new catalytic converter.

it won't need a new cat, because it doesn't have one in the first place :laugh:

 

[Jonathan]

i'm sure the manual refers a cat *


*somewhere

 

[quickdraw]

if its a super S which it isnt it would but otherwise no u dont have one

yours is only a 1 ltr which determins it as not a super S and thus not needing a cat. and it is also a non cat test either which way as the law for it never came in untill late '92-'93 time i believe.

I would just like to point out that you do NOT want to do something like that. I have never even heard of that before. Do not do it. EVER.

Ed

what u refering to ED??

come on must say which u are talking about!!
if its the brake fluid..
then sorry but it does work. and does no harm to the engine what so ever

 

[Ed]

Woah your MOT guy has tested it WRONG. If it is a K10, EVERY K10 INCLUDING K10 1.2's with a cat ALL have a NON CAT test - Even the K plate 1993 registered versions.

Ed

 

[Jonathan]

well mine is a 1990 ls 1lr.


hmmmm. i got the test done at the local council MOT test station.


does anyone know what MOT class the micra is?

because bury m.b.c have got it down as a class IV vehicle

 

[Ed]

Without a doubt it is NOT a cat test then. I would go back there and demand a retest as that was a fault of the operator.

Ed

 

[Slim]

err. dont put brake fluid down the carb

im pretty sure a 93 K10 WILL have to go for a cat emissions test, certainly a 93K

However, for a 1990 car, the CO should be under 3.5%.

a quick and simple fix take your air filter out and takeit back again.

 

[Ed]

No slim it doesnt. I know that for a fact. Next time you goto a MOT station have a look for the wall charts. The K10 is not even mentioned under any of the car cat tests regardless of year, a good friend of mine also worked in an mot station for years. I had him check and again this is what was said.

Again as for break fluid DO NOT DO IT. I cannot put it any other way. This is potentially a very bad thing to do. Why do you think that every other kind of carb cleaner is vapour based (except for stuff you put in the fuel)? There is a very good reason for that. Break fluid will cause problems. Sorry wayne you say some really supid suff sometimes and I cannot have people taking advice like this and trying it with terrible results on their cars.

 

[quickdraw]

does it nout
done it for years and done it plenty of times. does no harm what so ever!!!
not had a single problem once from doiing it!""
except results.

untill you actually know from doing this or have ANY reason to be able to prove me wrong dont dissagree because you dont know!!!

this again i know has worked thousands of times before, and know plenty of people that do it. through garages and non garage people.

and if everything is vapourbased, then what is redex, thats not, that goes down carb.

so sorry ED but if that is the way you wish to say things then so be it well see how things go from now on then eh!"!

byeeee

 

[DoomPixie]

I have used brake fluid a couple of times when i havent had any redex, never had any problems. A mate of mine who used to be a mechanic for Ford told me about it when i tried to blag some redex from him a year or so back when i had the Black Uno Turbo ie.

 

[quickdraw]

all it does is clears all the carbon build up etc and burns it instantly through the system.

you get big smoke clouds for around 10 minutes then from there it runs clear as ne thing!
though i recomend running redex afterwards to clear the rest from the system.

im sorry ED but this technique has been used in the industry (especially on older cars) for years and years.

your wrong im afraid

 

[Ed]

Older cars have much looser tolerances, simpler designs and MUCH MUCH less complicated carbs. Like so many things there are old unproven wives tales of cheap garage bodges for cars.

I'm warning those here who are likely to take comments from here as FACT that this is a very stupid thing to do. Break fluid does not burn cleanly, its porpose is NOT to clean engines. I must point out also that this would not help a carb in any case. The purpose of this would have been to decoke an engine and this is simply not necessary with todays moden and clean running engines. In any case it would not help emissions and would also be very very likely to foul up a CAT if one were fitted.

Even more to the point the fact is this car failed on emissions with a too high fuel to air ratio. Although it appears it was subjected to the wrong kind of test which it should have passed, a blocked carb would result in an AFR that is too lean NOT rich. Therefor the first things to look at are things that casue a blockage of air to the carb. As I said eariler the first being the air filter.

Ed

 

[Jonathan]

i'm going to give the test station a ring tomorrow and ask what kind of test should be done on a Cat-less car and what the tollerances should be for it. plus i'm get someone to give the engine a once over to see if it can be made to run any better.


thanks everyone

 

[clyde]

sorry ed, i respect your position but your way out of line. ive done this for years and years. i have always been a diy sort of chap and heard about this over 10 yrs ago when i first started my own maintanence to my cars due to the introduction of injection cars, where garages upped there prices, and i decided it cheaper to do it on my own.

i agree with quikdraw here, ask many old school mechanics, and you'll find the truth.

brake fluid is of the same viscosity as redex and redex flies through the system with no problems.....

 

[Ed]

Doing something for years and years does not prove anything to say it works! Many even question REDEX. Old school mechanics worked on very different engines low compression push rod side valve engines etc, and have no idea about the chemical reactions in catalytic converters or the effects of unknown compounds may have on them. Like so many things myths were formed and ideas came about from no where (fuel line magnets anyone, slick 50 engine treatment (this has written of more moden engines than many would admit)

Many people even believed that putting sawdust in the oil to quieten it up would help (or infact knew it wouldnt but would do it anyway when trying to sell a noisy car). Break oil is corrosive. Leave it on metal even stainless steel which also has access to air and it will corrode. If you have ever seen metal say on a brake servo with a leaking cylendar you will see the result - its not good. Can you tell me how pouring this does anything? It would sit at the bottom of the carb and eventually be washed away by the fuel vapour mix. Also viscosity has nothing to do with it!

Thing you have to remember is that if these things did work then they would be recommeneded by the major motor manufactures, and they are not. Infact they say not to use them.

Now one way to decarbon an engine that I know does work is to get a plant water spray gun set it to a mist and fill up the bottle if you spray this mist through an engine at around 2000 rpm untill its all gone it will clean alot of the carbon out. This has been observed many times from peformance engines running water injection with high power turbos etc.

I would just finally like to say would you ever consider using redex as break fluid? I know I wouldnt.