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Why Your Car Could Fail an Emissions Test

As part of the automotive industry’s continuous effort to reduce the negative impacts of vehicles on the environment, nearly all kinds of vehicles around the world have to go through emission testing as a prerequisite for registration or licensing. The EPA or Environmental Protection Agency prescribes strict emission standards and makes sure every car would be able to meet them. The test basically measures the amount of harmful gases emitted by your car like carbon monoxide, formaldehyde, and nitrogen oxide.

Now if you have already experienced failing an emissions test, you already know how much of a hassle it is not to be able to drive your vehicle because you weren’t able to renew its registration. But if it’s going to be your first time and you really don’t know how your precious ride would really fare in the test, then don’t panic yet.

As your trusted company for scrap car removal Melbourne who have been in the automotive industry for more than two decades, we’re here to give you an overview of the things that could make your emission test a failure. So before you take the test or even schedule one, inspect and double check if your car has these issues:

  1. A faulty EVAP system.  – If your Evaporative Emission Control System is malfunctioning, possible culprits are leaking hoses and vents. And because of that, gasoline vapors will come out of the tank, thereby causing pollution.
  2. A rich air-fuel mixture  – If your car is burning excessive amounts of fuel, high levels of carbon monoxide will eventually occur. Thus, making you fail the emissions test. This is caused by contaminated oxygen sensor, high fuel pressure, or leaking injector.
  3. Dirty air filters  – Obviously, if your filters are filthy and clogged, they may also result to high levels of hydrocarbons – another harmful element measured in the emissions test.
  4. Worn spark plugs.  – if you continue to use worn-out spark plugs, your car could probably emit more gases than usual making the probability of you failing the emissions test even higher.
  5. Problems air injection system.  – this component of the car is responsible for reducing hydrocarbons and carbon monoxide emissions as it brings in fresh air. So consequently if this fails, your test might probably show high levels of hydrocarbons and COs.
  6. Defective catalytic converter – most above all these aforementioned car issues, this one will get you straight to a failed emissions test. The catalytic converter is the primary component responsible for converting toxic chemicals into safer gases before they get out of the exhaust system. A failing catalytic converter is caused either by clogging or poisoning.
  7. Leaking gas cap – should your gas cap be leaking just replace it with one that seals in tightly. The whole emission testing process won’t miss any kind of leaking gas cap.

As an expert tip, if your car is due for an emissions test soon, immediately schedule an appointment with your trusted mechanic first. Let him check for all these signs and just to double check the status of your vehicle. Now if any of these problems pop up, be sure to have it fixed immediately before you go right ahead and book your test.

As with any kind of exam, it is always best to come prepared. Sure all these will require a considerable amount of your time and effort. But when you see that you have passed the test with flying colors and you’ve easily gotten your registration, you’ll know that these was worth it.

Does your car seem to always fail the emissions test no matter how hard you try and fix it again and again? Maybe it’s not just about your car emissions, but your entire engine already that has failed. Consider letting it go now and hand it over to us. We have been a reputable car removal Melbourne for many years and we guarantee that the cash paid for old cars are satisfactory and would compensate the owners’ expenses for their vehicles. We pay only top cash for cars regardless of their vehicle’s make, model, or condition.