Exhaust emissions

[VOLVO GHILLIE]

My Volvo 240se estate 93 model has just been failed on exhaust emissions. The car has done just over 200,000 miles. Has been regularly serviced each year by my local garage and has a full service history from new. She doesn't use any oil and the oil is always clean looking. The tester said the emissions where well over the prescribed limit. The garage will now fit new a cat and Lambda sensor to see if it bring the reading down to within the limits.
Is there anything else that could cause it to fail? I noticed a sooty deposit around the end of the tail pipe before I took it in for its MOT but thought nothing of it at the time.
The car is in immaculate condition for its age with no rust and drives very well. I don't want to spend a fortune on getting her through the MOT so any suggestion or help appreciated.......

[mad matt]

have you got any worning lights on dash how has it been on fuel ie mpg ?

[VOLVO GHILLIE]

No warning lights on dash. Fuel economy I have not been monitoring as the mileage clock stopped working about a year ago (cogs broken or jammed which is a common problem) Speedo works fine. I do about 6000 miles annually only.

[volvobaggen]

The cheapest trick to cheat a car through inspections is to fill the tank with about 50% E85 and remove the air filter just before testing starts.

It will run a bit rough, but your emissions will be a lot better. I used this trick with my carburetted 245 with the b21a engine, and the CO dropped from about 10 to 0.3

[VOLVO GHILLIE]

Originally Posted by volvobaggen

The cheapest trick to cheat a car through inspections is to fill the tank with about 50% E85 and remove the air filter just before testing starts.

It will run a bit rough, but your emissions will be a lot better. I used this trick with my carburetted 245 with the b21a engine, and the CO dropped from about 10 to 0.3

Thanks.....but I don't think I will go down that road!

[volvobaggen]

Well, then I would try to replace the mass air flow sensor. Might work out.

[mikealder]

What was the emission figure the car attained and on what did it fail CO or Hydro-Carbons - Mike

[Clan]

Originally Posted by VOLVO GHILLIE

My Volvo 240se estate 93 model has just been failed on exhaust emissions. The car has done just over 200,000 miles. Has been regularly serviced each year by my local garage and has a full service history from new. She doesn't use any oil and the oil is always clean looking. The tester said the emissions where well over the prescribed limit. The garage will now fit new a cat and Lambda sensor to see if it bring the reading down to within the limits.
Is there anything else that could cause it to fail? I noticed a sooty deposit around the end of the tail pipe before I took it in for its MOT but thought nothing of it at the time.
The car is in immaculate condition for its age with no rust and drives very well. I don't want to spend a fortune on getting her through the MOT so any suggestion or help appreciated.......

Dont let them change parts and charge you for them unless they have diagnosed them as faulty . i bet they will stick a cheap lambda sensor and poor quality catalytic converter on ..(which is the size of a can of Heinz beans, restrictive and has a lifespan of a couple of years ..) and you could well have the same problem .

The fuel system is very basic and simple they should know what is going on with it ... If not , best take it elsewhere .

[Thanatos]

Does the 1993 240 have a cat on it as I know my brothers 1994 didn't. You could always decat it, But if it only does 6000 miles are they short journeys as I have to blast mine down the motorway to clear the cat on the 850 I had to get it past the emissions as it was doing all short journeys round town 2-3 miles per journey.

[george123]

My'93 240 SE started to use a lot of fuel suddenly, last year,with a black tailpipe and the Lambda Light lit up on the dash. You could smell the richness and would black smoke when revved hard.
It turned out to be the Lambda sensor, which I replaced. I also changed the cat as the threaded part was ruined where the sensor screwed in.
Replacing these solved the problem.

Regarding the cat, it is fitted to all '93 injected models and is required to pass an m.o.t.

The cat was a mandatory fitment on all U.K cars from 1st January 1993, so anything after that will fail it's m.o.t if submitted without one.