96 993 smog inpection in north carolina

[rjm428]

just got a cel and tech says its my sai. he said valve job, so i'm stuck with car just bought and not reg yet. i said i'd marinate on the problem and took the car home. the cel lite is not on now and i assume it was reset after the tech inspected check valves and other stuff.
i have never had smog inspection with obd and i understand that the 96 will give them the codes to fail inspection. is ther any way out of this short of cleaning the system or valve job??

[planeguy67]

In California, we never ever pay for a car without a current smog certificate. But since you're beyond that point, I wouldn't resign to a valve job just yet. It all depends on how bad the ports are plugged.

There is a great deal of info regarding the SAI, CEL, OBD2, etc. on Rennlist.com for 993 drivers. You may be able to flush the system clean, build a small circuit that bypasses the SAI test (probably illegal, but so is speeding), or even get an emissions referee to sign off on your car the way it is. Just don't plunk down $5,000 yet on a valve job until you are armed with all the facts and technical info.

Good luck.

[tam911]

first find out what the code(s) are causing the CEL.
If it really is the secondary air injection system you can most probably flush (clean) the system before a rebuild.
I had that problem too. I found that part of the SAI failed, it was a check valve stuck wide open. which in turn cause the ports to be used for an exhaust system which it wasn't designed for :-))
I did some flush technique which took some time and all has been well for thousands of miles. I don't buy that automatic rebuild BS from people. The only time I'd tear down one down is if your oil consumption is overly high. Otherwise try the flush route and check the SAI syst. first.

[Don Plumley]

If you have a smog referee in NC, I have an option for you. email me for details.