# EMISSIONS Testing



## Griller (Jan 17, 2002)

I've noticed that all the emission testing facilities in my area are pretty much small-name / no-name operations. I was expecting to see Canadian Tire, Speedy Muffler, etc. offering this service but I guess not?

Does anyone have any recommendations/ advice about getting tested? Also, does anyone recommend or NOT recommend a testing facility in the Greater Toronto Area (ie. Scarborough, Markham, North York, etc.)?

Thanks


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## nino (May 29, 2005)

Canadian Tire on albion and martingrove area. thats where i go.


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## _Outcast_ (Oct 17, 2003)

Griller said:


> Does anyone have any recommendations/ advice about getting tested? Also, does anyone recommend or NOT recommend a testing facility in the Greater Toronto Area (ie. Scarborough, Markham, North York, etc.)?
> 
> Thanks


 Griller, go to http://www.driveclean.com/ and click on the link at the bottom of the page. It will list the Drive Clean centres that have been either suspended or terminated. Quite a list, contains some Midas Muffler shops, Goodyear Service Centres, etc. I guess no one is above trying to pull a fast one.

I've used the Goodyear on Hwy 7 East just west of Markham Road and had no problems. You may want to try them if you're up that way.

Good luck.

Jerry


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## Pylonman (Aug 16, 2004)

Out here in BC, it's called Aircare.

Italian Tune up *- Works everytime. Do it a couple days in advance or just before. Basically, get the thing nice and HOT & then drive it in 3rd gear/turnoff overdrive, for 3-4 minutes at between 5 & 7,000 rpm - it will de-coke the valves & clean everything out nicely. Also maybe run a bottle of carburettor cleaner through with a full fresh tank of gas. Gas "weathers" these days & can leave some nasty deposits around the place if you leave it too long. 

Then do the test immediatly after. Don't let your car idle in line up.


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## andrewenterprise (May 22, 2005)

Pylonman said:


> Out here in BC, it's called Aircare.
> 
> Italian Tune up *- Works everytime. Do it a couple days in advance or just before. Basically, get the thing nice and HOT & then drive it in 3rd gear/turnoff overdrive, for 3-4 minutes at between 5 & 7,000 rpm - it will de-coke the valves & clean everything out nicely. Also maybe run a bottle of carburettor cleaner through with a full fresh tank of gas. Gas "weathers" these days & can leave some nasty deposits around the place if you leave it too long.
> 
> Then do the test immediatly after. Don't let your car idle in line up.


Very clever pylonman. What kind of car were you doing it on, sounds like a car with a manual transmission?


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## Pylonman (Aug 16, 2004)

Ya, I miss those days with stick. It's so fun to boot around in any car that's standard. I use to have a 1989 Honda Civic DX with 486,000 km on it. I loved that car. I actually drove it from Ontario to BC, with a buddy, 2 mtn bikes, my stereo system, microwave and gear. 
When I was going to take it to Aircare, I would hop onto the Trans Canada hwy and drive to the next off ramp and then through with no problems. Now, I've got a plain Mom and Dad car (Mazada 626). It is a good car, has AC, but it blends into all the mid size blah, blah cars out their. It's automatic, but I still play with the overdrive button.

Oh, in regards to passing emissions, if you have a really crappy car, try and get a hold of some avation gas or the ethenol farmers use. It really makes the car go and burns clean.


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## james_squared (May 3, 2002)

Hello,

I used fill up with that ethanol blend gasoline from Mohawk as a precaution. I agree that you want to take it out for a bit of a drive before going into the test. We've never had a problem with AirCare or Drive Clean, but our vehicles were in reasonably good working order.

James


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## miguelsanchez (Feb 1, 2005)

griller, what car do you drive and how old is it?

depending on the age, or rather, kilometreage, if you have kept up with regular maintenance i.e. regular oil changes, air filter changes, pcv, etc. you should have no problem passing.

i think the pass rate for ontario is in the 97% range, but i believe the ministry recently made the pass criteria tougher. either way, your car is scored relative to other cars in ontario of the same year, make, and model so as long as you're cleaner than everyone else with the same car you should be ok.

on your way to the test, drive for at least 15 minutes at highway speed to get your catalytic converter up to operating temp, and don't let your car sit for more than 10-15 minutes before taking the test, because the catalytic converter will cool off again, although with the weather we've been having that may not be an issue. the operator should also use a fan during the test to keep your radiator cool an so your engine won't overheat.

good luck,

miguel


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## andrewenterprise (May 22, 2005)

Pylonman said:


> Ya, I miss those days with stick. It's so fun to boot around in any car that's standard. I use to have a 1989 Honda Civic DX with 486,000 km on it. I loved that car. I actually drove it from Ontario to BC, with a buddy, 2 mtn bikes, my stereo system, microwave and gear.
> When I was going to take it to Aircare, I would hop onto the Trans Canada hwy and drive to the next off ramp and then through with no problems. Now, I've got a plain Mom and Dad car (Mazada 626). It is a good car, has AC, but it blends into all the mid size blah, blah cars out their. It's automatic, but I still play with the overdrive button.
> 
> Oh, in regards to passing emissions, if you have a really crappy car, try and get a hold of some avation gas or the ethenol farmers use. It really makes the car go and burns clean.



Standard is way more fun to drive than automatic. I don't own my own car yet, but I drive my dads Acura TL quite a bit, and I really like driving that. It has one of those Manumatic transmissions. Its not a full standard, but you can still have a lot of fun with it. My mother can't drive standard, and she needs to be able to drive his car when he needs the SUV  

When I get my own car, I will definately get a standard if at all possible. I would really like to supe up a Honda Accord, 1998ish year, and hopefully I will get the 5spd.  Thoughts???


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