1993 J30t failed emissions...need catalytic converters...?

[sml10023]

my '93 J30t failed NY emissions (NOx reading 2.66, limit is 2.00)...mechanic says i need new cats...$900 to fix. Is replacing cats a DIY operation (relatively good with my hands), or do i bite the bullet and pay $900 to replace (parts and labor)....is there a good site to buy cats?

[dickie]

what mechanic, dealership? take your car to an exhaust-only shop and get a quote from them...

post this in the j30 section for more specific info and a better chance of solving your issue.

[elwesso]

I moved this to the J30 forum

NOx is usually related to your EGR, your cats are probably fine!!

[sml10023]

ok, I'll bite....what is the EGR and how much is it? is this an item for a DIY, can it be bought on line? etc....many thanks

[elwesso]

Really all it needs is to be cleaned... Technically it wont cost you ANYTHING and you can do it yourself. might as well try it before dropping coin on the cat converters...... over time the passages get caked with carbon and it wont do its job...

Theres some writeups here on cleaning the EGR... The EGR takes exhaust gas and recirculates it into the intake (EGR stands for exhaust gas recirculation)...

See if you can search the forum for some procedures..

[yodawill2000]

Are you getting a check engine light when you get up to about 50 MPH ?Then it goes away ?If so its the clogged tube syndrome

[sml10023]

ok...i will search other strings on DIY EGR cleaning...thanks. no lights on the dash come on while driving....great site, many thanks to all....if other thoughts come up, pls post.

[sml10023]

one more Question: are there two EGR valves that need to be replaced/cleaned? if so, where are they located (pictures would be excellent).....slightly off topic, but my accelerator pedal sticks (i was told it is a carbon buildup as it lessens as the car heats up...still there but to a lesse degree of "stick")...how do i fix that problem so i can have a smooth pedal?

[elwesso]

There arent 2 EGR valves, theres one valve that has dual outputs to both plenums.. the throttle stick could be due to dirty throttle bodies, which you should clean anyway...

Sounds like you need a free weekend and a case of carb cleaner!!!

A mostly clogged EGR could definitely fail emissions but not throw a CEL...FYI

heres some threads to get you started (I couldnt resist)

zerothread?id=213057

This is a good onehttp://forums.nicoclub.com/zerothread?id=197227

zerothread?id=145098http://forums.nicoc ... ?id=190325

[DominickJ30]

I think it could be the cats.

Remember high nox is caused by high heat.

So try taking your car in when its barely warmed up and see how that effects the readings.

When I got to play with a 5 gas analyzer at school its really easy to skew the reading by doing the simplest things.

[jehiatt2]

the $900 for a CAT is 3 to 4 times too high also

[J30Guy612]

I'm pretty sure that for $900 you can replace the entire H pipe on the J30 with an OEM replacement, which isn't a bad idea anyway if you plan on keeping the car.

I wouldn't pay $900 just for cats though.

[DominickJ30]

Defenitely could for that much.

Hell you could probably get a whole new exhaust WITH headers for that much.

Find another muffler shop. A more honest one.

[elan]

I have replaced both cats with the after market ones for $220 including labour at a muffler shop. I believe they are not the best but we will check it when the next checkup comes... 900 seems to be too high. Even if you get OEM ones which were about 200 each it would be around 500 max including labour costs, so the other 400 guys were expecting as a tip which is a bit high I think.