I hate smog, but I don’t hate the environment… while that is contradictory, it’s still true. Yesterday, I went over to a Muffler shop to get all the exhaust related parts I’ve collected installed. They had to make and weld together the cat-back section to the muffler.
Here is the old factory exhaust ready to be taken off…
It took close to 5 hours to get everything finished… there was only one guy working, and just as the work was about to start, someone else drove in who had an “appointment” and I got pushed aside. The long wait aside, this is what the old catalytic converter looked like. I can see why the car failed smog so badly previously… half of the insides are missing.
Once everything was finished, this is what the new muffler looks like. I think I went a little overkill with the muffler choice, but the car definitely sounds louder. It’s nice to actually be able to hear the engine rather than the whistling noise the old exhaust made.
I also threw on some DriftUnit license plate bracket for kicks. And to be a little ironic. I’m not actually the biggest fan of drifting.
Now I had thought all grounds were covered… I changed almost everything related to emissions. I went back to the smog station for round 2, and the car failed again. The results were much better, however. The HydroCarbons were clear now and no longer a gross polluter. The only thing it’s failing is the NOx readings at 15 mph… very close but no cigar. At least the second try was free. Not sure what to do now. I ran some Fuel System Cleaner through the gas tank, and I think I’ll let the car warm up longer as well as pump up the tire pressure… then try one more time.
Today, I took off the stock air box so I could stick on the universal K&N filter. Due to hindsight, after taking everything apart, I realized the older Previas have a different MAF and it was not possible to mount a cone filter on to it without some sort of adapter. Luckily, the current air filter in the box isn’t too dirty, but I did waste my money buying the cone filter.
- Purchased Vehicle: $1250
- Smog Test (Failed): $31
- Coolant Leak Diagnosis: $10
- Coolant Pipe from Junkyard: $24 + $2 entrance fee
- Mobil 1 Oil: $27
- Oil Filter: $4
- Sea Foam: $9
- Wiper Blades: $28
- Bosch Upstream O2 Sensor: $78
- Bosch Downstream O2 Sensor: $50
- AC Delco Battery: $56
- Bumper Coating Paint: $4
- Work for Coolant Pipe and New Belts: $180
- NGK Iridium IX Spark Plugs: $29
- Direct-Fit Catalytic Converter: $154
- Magnaflow 5×8 Race Muffler: $130
- BWD Spark Plug Wires: $49
- Floor Mats: $16
- Muffler Shop Work: $220
more previa updates!! =]