Re:verde back running but fails emissions

[Sidney Trest <tarpon67@domain.elided>]

I am no expert but just went through the same thing with my 86 Spider
Veloce. The readings probably mean that you are running rich. This can
be caused by any number of things. If it is sudden, it probably means
that a sensor has gone south. If it is gradual, a moving part has gummed
up (like the AFM flap). I talked to a bunch of the Alfa club members
here in Houston and here are a couple of pieces of wisdom:
1)	Cure the rich condition first. If it is left to persist, it can burn
up your cat converter.
2)	Check all the sensors on your injection system. This includes water
temp, O2 and anything that feeds data to the CPU. Make certain that all
the wires and connectors have continuity.
3)	Be certain that no DPO has screwed around with the AFM settings (has
the little black box ever been removed?) without the proper gas analyzer
or knowledge - it is a recipe for disaster.
4)	If the car is running, it is probably NOT the CPU, I have been told
they tend to go out, not malfunction (but not always).
5)	Check the plugs and wires, distributor cap and rotor. It won't help
you pass the test but might help smooth out the idle if they are old and
bad and you replace them.
6)	Change the oil, oil filter and the air filter before retest - every
little bit helps.
7)	Check the oil separator (if a verde has one) and be certain that it
and the lines are not plugged up.

Best of luck.
Sid
Houston
86 Spider Veloce

--
to be removed from alfa, see /bin/digest-subs.cgi
or email "unsubscribe alfa" to majordomo@domain.elided