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Exhaust Emissions - Doc
I've just had the car MOT'd and got the following results:

Fast idle test:

CO: 0% vol
HC: 0 ppm vol
lamda: 1.003

Natural idle test:

CO: 0% vol

How is this possible?

Surely there must be some products of combustion.

Exhaust Emissions - v8man
Yes there should be! I think you must have the most environmentally clean car on the road either that or they forgot to turn the engine on.
--
\"Nothing less than 8 cylinders will do\"
Exhaust Emissions - Pete F
The main products of combustion are CO2 and H2O. These are not measured for the MOT. Levels of CO and HC will be very low if all is well and I am not surprised that the meters read zero.
Exhaust Emissions - Andrew-T
The CO (carbon monoxide) and HC (hydrocarbon) measurements show whether the cat-converter is working correctly. If it has reached running temperature, both CO and HC should be fully oxidised to CO² and water, so both should read zero. Lambda should be 1.00 if 'carburation' is correct, i.e. fuel and air (oxygen) are exactly in balance as controlled by the ECU.
Exhaust Emissions - jc
Neither will actually be at zero but the accuracy of the relatively low-tech analysers does not register at that low level.I worked on exhaust emissions for more than 30 years and current levels are getting so low that more and more hi-tech equipment is required nowadays.For example,our analysers would be calibrated(not just chcked)before and after every test(about every hour)not just once or twice a year.
Exhaust Emissions - Reggie
So are you saying that before every test, the equipment is recalibrated.

If so, how is it done?

Reggie
Exhaust Emissions - SP
Doc, what car do you have ? Thought my figures were low too, almost went back to ask if their m/c was calibrated properly!
Exhaust Emissions - Doc
Doc, what car do you have ?



Nissan Micra 1.4 (1991)


Exhaust Emissions - jc
I'm talking full legal testing for certification testing not for MoT.On a certification test each analyser would be checked against a standard gas supplied by a gas manufacturer(British Oxygen Co. for example).This would be in the range that would be expected to be used for the test.At a MoT station the analyser would occasionally be checked with a multi-gas sample of quite a high concentration.