# California emissions



## ukrkoz (Dec 31, 2010)

i can tell you right now that anything that will "improve" your emissions will decrease your mpg. :no::no::no:

well, i have to clarify this. anything that is an emission improving upgrade on a otherwise well working vehicle. different story for a neglected car that was driven into poor performance, resulting in high emissions and poor mpg.

as of the rest of it, california folk here will tell you. all reasonably new cars are "california" certified. at least, were when they were made. VIN number and phone call to dealership clears that. 

on a side note, every time you swap O2 sensors, your ECM has to re-learn driving parameters. :whistling2:


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## phantasm72 (Jul 19, 2010)

ukrkoz said:


> on a side note, every time you swap O2 sensors, your ECM has to re-learn driving parameters. :whistling2:


So in a nutshell, it doesnt matter which O2 sensor goes in, as the computer will just recalculate all the numbers anyways?


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## ukrkoz (Dec 31, 2010)

here's the thing.

every time you change plugs, wires, air filter, sensors, etc, etc, it is wise to pull ECM fuse out for a minute or 2. what you are doing is you are resetting onboard computer to a virgin state. they say, newer cars have ECMs with learning capability. so, they take a few days to develop a new algorithm based on changes you have done. 

in a nutshell, all you'll be doing is confusing your ECM with routine O2 sensor swaps. not that it will make a heck of a difference, but it i betcha it will not improve your vehicle performance. 

as of the emissions controls in general. well daah, they greatly choke engines. Ford T had average mpg 25 mpg, 2 years ago, average mpg for a modern American car was 23. ask anyone - emissions controls/gasoline formulation geared towards emissions standards satisfaction/winter to summer gasoline formulations/ethanol in gasoline. 

so, i bet you with O2 sensor geared towards California standards, your overall engine performance will simply drop. now, mind you, most likely you will see no difference, as it takes dyno and long term driving with exact mileage log properly taken to have it documented. it's minute differences that add up to few things - your expense for a new, unnecessary O2 sensor (I'd never touch one off salvage yard) and for more gasolino spent over extended period of time.

use good quality oils, high air flow air filter, keep your tires properly inflated, stay away from "cost efficient" petrol, drive as a wise person, not a lunatic, cruise as much as possible, plan trips ahead, stay away from a/c, be happy. :thumbup: run can of seafoam through tankful once a year. :thumbsup:


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## phantasm72 (Jul 19, 2010)

ukrkoz said:


> seafoam


 Never heard of it before.
Looking at their website, one product goes both into the crankcase and fuel tank? They make it sound like a wonder-product. But I take if you are recommending it, it must have some noticable effect you have seen


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## ukrkoz (Dec 31, 2010)

for starters, I am in no ways financially interested in Seafoam.
I was introduced to it by one of my patients in AL, a very kind gent. In those blessed times, Seafoam was around $2.30 a can.

It is not a snake oil or a wonder product. Multiple uses are made possible based on what it is made out of. Due to its nature, it is compatible - and harmless - with any oils or oil based products. As a result, it can be mixed with petrol, engine oil, and ATF. They also have a product called TransTune for transmissions.

Both Seafoam and TT have a great feature - they can be driven on for, basically, indefinite time. I had 2000 miles logged with Seafoam in crankcase, just out of curiosity.

So far, both products have proven themselves to be very good quality cleaning agents. Personally, I prime gas system with it once a year on all of my cars; add it to crankcase 500 miles before oil change; transmission 500 miles before ATF change. I believe that extended use in "live" system, under higher lubricants pressure, allows it to get into tiny areas that otherwise can not be reached and flushed.
I have no idea why it's 500 miles, not 100 or 650. I like listening to a hunch. 
So far, in years of use, I never ever had any issues related to it. It is very expensive now, but I shall keep using it. It's a "keeper" product. I had a lot of positive feedback from people I had it recommended to.


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## Bigplanz (Apr 10, 2009)

Guy I know puts seafoam in his intake manifold through the brake vacuum line. Blew smoke like a factory for about twenty minutes after he started the car but sure did make his valve train sound better. Car ran better too. I wish I had a video of it. It was hysterically funny! Looked like a big fog bank rolling in.


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## ukrkoz (Dec 31, 2010)

yes, i had similar. you can restore compression by pouring good solvent into combustion chambers and leaving it overnight. eats crud off compression rings and re-seals pistons. oil needs to be changed thereafter. i had it done on my 91 civic, she did start harsh, but then picked up and smoked white cloud for about 10 minutes. didn't hurt her at all.

btw, there's oldtimers way to clean engines. remove air intake and have buddy run engine at maybe 2500 rpms. SPRAY water into throttle body intake. engine wants to stall, but buddy should keep it running.

here's the thing. BLACK CRUD starts pouring outta the exhaust pipe. it is brutal but very efficient cleaning. 

for cars here, cat needs to be disconnected for this. or crud will kill it. 

cleans combustion chambers, everything anywhere water droplets will reach. water has no compression, it's like sending billions of tiny sledgehammers down into the engine.


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