1995 V6 3.8 Automatic Mustang (ca) Need Help Passing Smog

Mustang Mama · Jan 11, 2016

Just got a mustang convertable and my "non mom mobile" is the first in over 20 years! Im excited however, I just got it a few days ago and had it smogged today and it didnt pass. Was told asm emission test came back low. Rpm %02 MEAS came back at 0.2 at 15mph and at 25 mph it was 1.2. I'm not mechanically inclined *but* would like to be educated.. Not sure what other numbers you may need but hit me up and I will do the best I can. Another first! today was the first time I filled it up with gas and to my surprise after I filled it up "splash" gas started leaking from the neck ( where the neck meets the tank) ! Sorry not sure what its called so bear with me, it appears to me the leak is coming from the gasket, however I'm stunned to realize that because it wasn' leaking as I filled up??? It didn't "splash" until the tank was full, the gas attendant was with me and he was surprised as well. Anyhoot, again I'm no expert but that's an issue I'll deal with..I'm thinking well jack it up and see if it needs to be welded? ..bear with me, I'm seeking help! :-(

Okay back to my question, where should I start looking? When it comes to the emissions before the shop takes my $ and feeds me some BS. Start with the Cat converter? Spark plugs?I somewhat Doubt its a head gasket( had prior car with that and, like I said, I'm NO EXPERT but I will look at that as a last resort )..second thought is senors.. Any assistance would be greatly appreciated.

I'm new to this type of forum but willing to do the research if guided

I greatly appreciate your time!

Noobz347 · Jan 12, 2016

What I think you need at this point is a tune-up from a reputable mechanic.

Perhaps you know someone already or have a friend who can recommend one. There are a lot of possible issues for a car that won't pass emissions. Unfortunately, a lot of what you are asking really needs to be answered by someone who has the car in in front of them and can assess the condition of your engine and car.

It is NOT a good idea to start playing the parts swap game. It will cost you less money to have it properly diagnosed than it will to begin throwing parts at it.

madspeed · Jan 12, 2016

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Mustang Mama · Jan 12, 2016

Noobz347 said:
What I think you need at this point is a tune-up from a reputable mechanic.

Perhaps you know someone already or have a friend who can recommend one. There are a lot of possible issues for a car that won't pass emissions. Unfortunately, a lot of what you are asking really needs to be answered by someone who has the car in in front of them and can assess the condition of your engine and car.

It is NOT a good idea to start playing the parts swap game. It will cost you less money to have it properly diagnosed than it will to begin throwing parts at it.

Mustang Mama · Jan 12, 2016

I hear you and frankly, after much back n forth I have to admit your right. I will do some research and get input with respect to reputable mechanics in my area. I get your point, and although my old school ways suggest doing a diagnostic on my own with a scanner.....I have to admit I'm likely to spin my wheels. I'm in love my with my mustang and want it to be around for years to come!!

Will let you know how it goes.

Noobz347 · Jan 13, 2016

Mustang Mama said:
I hear you and frankly, after much back n forth I have to admit your right. I will do some research and get input with respect to reputable mechanics in my area. I get your point, and although my old school ways suggest doing a diagnostic on my own with a scanner.....I have to admit I'm likely to spin my wheels. I'm in love my with my mustang and want it to be around for years to come!!

Will let you know how it goes.

None of that is a bad idea and I agree. You should be able to and i think that you will be able to do a lot of the diagnosing yourself. Currently, you likely need a resolution so you can drive the thing. The quickest path to that end is someone who is already familiar. Since your car is already in the hands of someone else, there is really little we can do to help you at this point. Even troubleshooting help would get lost in translation.

There's lots of info and tools available so that you CAN do this yourself and just like the rest of us, you'll pick it up over time.

When trying to find a mechanic, simply ask them if they know SN95 Mustangs. If they say, "What's that"? you can politely thank them for their time and move to the next.

jozsefsz · Jan 13, 2016

On the gas tank part, it's very likely the rubber seal between the filler pipe and the tank. The filler pipe itself goes in about another 6" into the tank so it won't leak when you're filling, only when it gets completely full or you go around a turn. No welding required, just a new seal. It's a bit of a bear to replace though, generally you'll want to partially drop the tank to swap it out (so run that gas out first).

If you cared to post the details of your emissions report, we could give you a few guesses to help you make sure the shop's on the right track if you want to have it worked on. Or if you're feeling adventurous to do it yourself. A simple tune-up is never a bad place to start. Replace spark plugs, replace O2 sensors if the car has more than 100k miles.

Beyond that, typically emissions reports details hydrocarbons, carbon monoxide, and nitrous oxide. Coming back "low" is kind of an odd failure, usually one of the 3 parameters is too high (NOx is the biggest pain usually related to a problem with the EGR valve possibly 'insufficient flow' as the error code). If they report O2 in the exhaust, either high or low, that's not typically cause for a failure on the test. If we can see the whole report, we can take a better guess. But as Noobz says it will be just a guess, though you might find it helpful and worth the effort.

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