Digital Tuning O2 Sensors Passing Emissions

Cece

New Member
Feb 7, 2016
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Hi everyone. So i have a 2011 mustang gt with 66,000 miles on it. The car has no cats, a borla exhaust with and x pipe and a bama tune. The car wont pass emissions here in Illinois because it is saying the heated o2 sensors are 'not ready'. The lady who tested the car at emissions asked if the car was stored alot and that could be a reason it failed. The car is driven pretty much everyday but she said if you are just driving it 30-45 with stopping and turning, how my car is driven, that isnt giving enough time for it to heat up. The cars o2 sensors were tested and they both are running good and not sending any check engine lights to the computer. The cars exhaust since ive bought it in july has always smelled like straight fuel. So now what were thinking is maybe the tune is messing it up? Is it worth it to retune the car myself? Or bring it somewhere to put a better tune on it? Ive heard about o2 simulators will that work? Or does it just need to be driven on he high way to really heat up? Or just go back to all stock for a day? Dont want to give the car up so willing to do anything.
 
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I doubt you will pass emissions without cats installed. I'm not sure the lady testing it understands that you don't have cats because it sounds like she thinks your cats haven't had enough time to heat up, thus causing you to fail emissions (although I don't agree with what she says...driving for a few minutes should be enough time). Lack of cats will also cause the exhaust to smell more like fuel (although without smelling it I wouldn't be able to tell if what you sense is abnormal or not).

I don't think a retune will solve your problem. I think you are either going to have to put stock mid pipe back on or look into a mid pipe with high flow cats (both will require a retune though). It sounds like you bought the car like this so I question how the previous owner passed emissions (might be worth asking what he/she did). I've never had to worry about emissions so maybe someone else can chime in here with their experience. I won't proclaim to know for sure. If I'm wrong, then maybe all you need is a retune or new sensors.

Edit: Just reread your post. It sounds like the O2 sensors are fine. I don't know what O2 simulators are but it sounds like it's just tricking the system. If you have the stock parts, it might be worth putting the stock mid pipe back in (and I suppose switch back to stock tune) and then try going through emissions again...unless you have a limited number of attempts to pass it. Putting the cats back on should also eliminate that raw fuel smell. If it doesn't you may have another problem.

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I can't pass the emissions test with my tuned 15 that still has cats. Of the 8 status monitors only 3 will set to ready with the tune. Two that will not set are the heated O2 sensors. I talked to my tuner and he didn't do anything that would have prevented them from setting and was at a loss as to what was going on.

I wound up putting the stock tune back on going back to the inspection station and got my sticker. Put the tune back on when I got home.

One of the reasons they have these status monitors that take a number of miles to set is to prevent people from clearing fault codes just before going in for an emissions test. If you do a search you will find the drive cycle you have to perform to get the monitors to set to ready.

Dave