1995 Saturn SL1 SMOG FAILED

[quote:d853c9129b="eriks805"]Engine Performance problem
1995 Saturn SL1 4 cyl Front Wheel Drive Manual 185000 miles

I failed the SMOG TEST idling at 798rpm.... I passed it at 2500 rpm....I changed my oil used oil additive and fuel additive...my engine was hot when i went... anybody know why i don't pass when my car is idling?[/quote:d853c9129b]
its more common to fail at low speed i need some info from u first does ur car burn oil if so how much in 3,000 miles.do u have the orignial cat?when was the last time u changed the plugs in miles?what were ur readings from ur smog hcs co's at idle?let me know.

IDLE(765RPM)-->HC(PPM)= MAX:100/GP:250/MEAS:476 CO%=MAX:1.0/GP:2.5/MEAS:0.47 ((seems like the CO% is good except for HC))-------the car did burn oil and I barely got the car not too long ago...I'd say about 1 qt every month and a half? Put new spark plugs in about 1500miles ago if that....original cat? Thanks

[quote:b9a8ef4cee="eriks805"]IDLE(765RPM)-->HC(PPM)= MAX:100/GP:250/MEAS:476 CO%=MAX:1.0/GP:2.5/MEAS:0.47 ((seems like the CO% is good except for HC))-------the car did burn oil and I barely got the car not too long ago...I'd say about 1 qt every month and a half? Put new spark plugs in about 1500miles ago if that....original cat? Thanks[/quote:b9a8ef4cee]
sounds like ur burning some oil that will affect emissions.what kind of oil additive did u put in?when i say cat its short for catalyatic convertor burning oil will destroy ur cat o2 sensor etc.i ask if u have the cat the car came with because if u do then it cant be any good anymore especially burning oil u should have the cat checked.also i would change ur coolant temp sensor just because they go bad alot and there under 20.u have some really high emission i know a bad cat would make them really high but iam not sure if it would even pass with a new cat.ur in luck though 95 and down are the cheap cats.let me know what u find.

The oil additive was RISOLINE... it said it was like a ring sealer....the place that smogged it didnt say much on what i can do to fix the problem except that he thinks the rings in these saturns burn up and go out and all i can do is replace the whole engine...I will look into changing the cat and should i try changing the oxygen sensor? also...about the coolant temp sensor... would that help with the emissions, and my gauge in the car never moves and says its always cold no matter how much i drive

[quote:f37c82564c="eriks805"]The oil additive was RISOLINE... it said it was like a ring sealer....the place that smogged it didnt say much on what i can do to fix the problem except that he thinks the rings in these saturns burn up and go out and all i can do is replace the whole engine...I will look into changing the cat and should i try changing the oxygen sensor? also...about the coolant temp sensor... would that help with the emissions, and my gauge in the car never moves and says its always cold no matter how much i drive[/quote:f37c82564c]
never heard of that risoline i use lucas its a oil stablizer it helps cars that burn oil it slows down the oil burning.we used to sell it at the saturn dealer i worked at.works good.as far as the rings burning up they dont do that i have taken apart alot of these engines and what i have seen is they have two small thin oil rings a top and bottom one with a baffle between them to keep them seperate.what happens is they get stuck in the retracted postion so they dont scrape the cyclinder wall so good anymore and allow oil to get into the combustion chamber and burn.if ur o2 sensor has never been changed then i would say it wouldnt hurt to get one its bad by now with the oil burning and age.u can get one where u have to wire it in if ur handy with wires and have stippers and crimper pliers.iam intrested in in ur temp gauge u say it never moves off cold does it move at all?if ur coolant temp sensor is bad it could greatly affect ur emissions make it run rich.i would change it just because its common for them to go bad.i belive ur car only has one sensor the earlier ones have two.just make sure u change the one with two wires it will have a black wire and a yellow wire going to it.its screwed into the head below where the upper hose goes.when u change it make sure u get a brass tipped one the plastic tip ones crack and leak coolant into the the connector.when u take the old one out see if its cracked.there under 20 there pretty cheap.also u could have a thermostate stuck open not allow ur car to get to the proper temp another thing to look into i have had that happen before.if its never been changed which i doubt it has i would change it too.also have that cat checked out.let me know what u find.