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Usually I post on the PV and 120 series page, because that's where my heart lies. The 240 is such a great daily driver that it's "out of sight, and out of mind". Turn the key, arrive at destination.
Now my worry is my S.O.'s '87 240. It needs a smog cert. yesterday! We've put it off until we're on our second little pink piece of paper in the window. The issue is, as always, the NOX numbers. Last time around in 2005 you, or some equally savvy Volvisti suggested that the high NOX was because the distributor advance doesn't react quickly enough to set the NOX level back down to the idle specs.
This is assuming I've grasped what the deal is. Then a little birdy told me to plug the white plastic tube from the distributor, up by the right headlight. I did that, and it barely passed with a NOX of 778 (passing is under 785), after failing the smog test the first time around. This time I did the same thing, but the NOX was still at 1122!! I think that this has been such a great car, and smog test aside, that it has another couple of years of life left. Most of the 240s I see in the boneyards were probably in this same situation. It's a shame, a waste, and I don't want this car to join them. At least not yet.
The smog guys said a new catalytic converter was called for, but I went that route last time and it didn't alter the results of the first re-test. I'm willing to spend the ca. $250 for one, but don't want to keep throwing money at it until it passes. So far I've only changed the air filter, and I'm sure it could use new spark plugs (I use NGKs). I seem to remember there's a kind of small wax plug that went into the intake system, and I guess that 240s don't have points any more! Anyway, do you have any suggestions (that don't include calling the wrecking yard)? BTW we're dealing with the really stringent, practically uncheatable California smog test here.
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