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Does anyone know a good, honest place to bring my car for analysis on why it failed driveclean? I normally bring my car to Paul at True Tech but i dont think they are certified. Anyone know if Paul is DriveClean certified? I know he doesnt do the testing.
I brought my car to the oilchangers on main for the test and it failed.
They said I need to bring it to a driveclean certified facility who can tell me what needs to be repaired. Unfortunatly when I asked what places are certified he said Canadian Tire and I refuse to bring my car there.

What is the yr, make and model?

2000 Honda Civic SE 4dr

Hey Greg. No, Paul doesn't have a DriveClean facility.

What is the mileage on the engine? Is your Check Engine Light on? If so, and you need a free scan, let me know, as I have the scan tool so you won't get charged by a mechanic. This is Will, by the way; we played basketball together back in early 2008.

One of my two cars is a 2000 Civic, and even though they are generally very solid and don't fail DriveClean tests very often, they are notorious for a few things that could affect your DriveClean:

1. Cracked exhaust manifolds, and the kicker with this one is that the replacement manifold is a one-piece unit with the catalytic converter attached to it, so it drives up parts costs. When there is a crack, it can be confirmed with a visual inspection, and you'll get clattering and ticking when the engine is cold until it warms up. Also, with this crack, it creates an exhaust leak, and also causes the engine to run richer, which will clog the catalytic converter faster, reduce fuel economy, and marr Driveclean results.

2. These engines like to burn oil with age, and depending on how much oil you burn, excessive burning will create more waste and clog the catalytic converter faster; I'm having this problem right now; mine is at 255K and burns a litre every 1000 km. My check engine light is on again after replacing the manifold and catalytic converter just last year. I think I'm just going to drive it to the ground and dump it when my next DriveClean is up.

Show me your numbers and I might be able to give more input.....for your next test, use some Sunoco gas (get the 91 octane or the Ultra 94) for a week, and before the test, take it for a 15-20 minute highway drive to warm up the catalytic converter, and if there's a wait at the testing facility, bring an extra set of keys and keep the engine idling to keep the catalytic converter warm if needed. Good luck.

Don't forget the tune-up parts like air filter, spark plugs, wires and cap and rotor. Those likely won't affect your results, but good to keep an eye on. I replaced my cap and rotor, spark plugs, wires and air filter 2 weeks ago myself.

_________________
What is the difference between ignorance and apathy? I don't know and I don't care.

Hey Will,

Yea the engine light has been on for like 5 years. passed 2 driveclean tests with it on as the dealership said it was a faulty sensor and not anything actually wrong.

The report that the testing place gave me says i failed 2 idle categories.
Curb idle test
HC ppm Limit: 150 Reading: 313
CO% Limit: 0.70 Reading: 3.40

We have replaced the manifold in the past 2 years.

Annoying thing (and yes my own fault) is i need to get my tags renewed tomorrow LOL.

Well Happy Belated Birthday, haha.

Does your engine burn oil? When you changed the manifold, was the catalytic converter changed too? There are some aftermarket parts where you could get the manifold and cat separate, but harder to find. A bad cat will cause the high numbers above, more so high CO and NOx though.

Hmmm, having a check engine light is never ideal. Did they say what sensor it was? The Civic has 2 oxygen sensors, and those are essential in order to adjust the air-fuel mixture ratios, and if they are dead, your engine will run rich and you will get high CO.

High HC can be due to misfiring or a loss of engine compression that's associated with the oil burning I mentioned earlier, but since you didn't fail the CO that badly, it could have just been the cat not being warm enough.

Statistically, Civics can go a few years with the check engine light on and get abused daily before emissions readings start getting high and repairs become essental (if you want to keep the car). Most of the time, the check engine light is due to a code called P0420, which means low catalytic converter efficiency. I have a co-worker with 375K on his Civic, and it's still going with the light on for years, LOL.

I say get the computer scanned again, because you might have got new codes after having the light on for years, and if you intend to fix, you can get a professional opinion from Paul. If not, just drive 20 min on the highway before the test.

_________________
What is the difference between ignorance and apathy? I don't know and I don't care.

Not burning any oil.
What I am wondering if it is worth cleaning the air filter, giving it a basic tuneup, driving it on the hwy for a bit then getting it retested?

I forgot about the testing and this car gets very little usage.

Are the readings too high for it to just be in need of some tuning and a good run?

If not any suggestions on where to take it for the rescan and analysis?

I personally think it is the Cat or O2 sensor. My older 99 Civic with an Integra Type R motor swap failed all the time until I put new O2 and a used, but stock Cat. Passed with no issues...I put my money on the O2, hence thats why you get the check engine light.

Anyone suggest a place to get the O2 replaced? I'd rather get it done at somewhere driveclean certified so it at least goes towards the spending limit. .

Tune-up wouldn't hurt, but I advise to re-scan the computer and get all the codes first, find out what sensor is bad, and then replace and re-test. If you feel you may need a tune-up down the road, I can do that for you, but the sensor if it is the 02, is a very likely culprit.

_________________
What is the difference between ignorance and apathy? I don't know and I don't care.

I know I've asked this already but if I'm going to get it rescanned and O2 sensor replaced, where in town should I go? Is the O2 sensor tough to replace on my own?

If you get one from Honda or one that has the connector right on it its very simple. Just disconnect, get an adjustable wrench and remove the old o2 (just unscrew it) and thread the new one on and connect the connector. I'm not sure if your car has one or 2. I know mine had 2. 1 before and 1 after the cat.

At the same time, if it were me and I was keeping the car this is what I would do:

- fresh fuel, full tank, with injector cleaner - put 91 or 94 octane
- upon next refuel of 91/94 octane
- change rotor and plugs
- fuel filter change
- oil change
- new air filter
- new O2 sensors
- disconnect battery to clear the computer and let computer re-learn the car with new stuff
- drive the car on the highway for 15 mins then to a driveclean place - driving the car makes sure the cat is nice and hot to burn off excess fuel

Might be over board, but you should pass, and should get better perfomance\fuel milage...

Thats what I would do...if it were me...
- changing all those - assumming its never been done or its been a while

Might be better to go to a shop to replace the o2. You need an o2 socket, and assuming it's an o2 problem, if it's never been replaced, it might be a PITA to remove if it's rusted to its bung (you don't want to force it out; you can round the sensor or damage the threads in the bung).

On my Datsun, I needed Paul to get his acetylene torch out to unscrew two of my o2s out, so thank goodness I didn't attempt that on my own (the car has four o2 sensors in total, and three catalytic converters!!!).

I'll probably be meeting up with Suze tomorrow night if you want to catch us, and I can scan your car and get you your codes so you know where to start. I can do tune-ups too if you ever need.

_________________
What is the difference between ignorance and apathy? I don't know and I don't care.

Thanks Will,
Already booked the car into Pauls tomorrow to get the sensor(s) replaced.
Thanks for all the advice everyone.