Can You Pass an Emissions Test With the Check Engine Light On? No, you cannot pass emissions with a check engine light on in any state that tests through the OBD II port. The testing equipment reads the warning lamp directly from your car’s computer, so an illuminated light means an automatic failure, no matter…
How to Use Your EGT Sensor Protect Your Engine and Catalytic Converter Your EGT sensor is an early warning device for heat inside the exhaust system. By reporting exhaust gas temperature to the engine control unit, it helps the vehicle protect the turbocharger, catalytic converter, diesel particulate filter, and other heat sensitive components before excessive…
How Does a DPF Differential Pressure Sensor Work? A Comprehensive Guide A DPF pressure sensor measures the pressure difference across a diesel particulate filter so the engine control module can estimate how restricted the filter is. On most systems, pressure is sampled before and after the filter, then the sensor converts that difference into an…
Comprehensive Guide on Particulate Matter (PM) Sensor, Function & Common Failures A particulate matter sensor is an exhaust monitoring device that checks how much soot is escaping from the diesel particulate filter and helps the engine control system verify that the filter is doing its job. The PM sensor sits downstream of the filter on…
Are Electric Cars Really Better for the Environment? The Complete Answer For drivers asking if electric cars are better for the environment, the honest answer is usually yes when the full vehicle lifecycle is considered. Electric cars normally create more emissions during manufacturing because battery production is energy and material intensive, but they avoid tailpipe…
Comprehensive Guide to Your NOx Sensor Function, Failure Signs & Replacement Cost A NOx sensor measures nitrogen oxide levels in the exhaust so the engine and emissions control system can manage selective catalytic reduction, verify catalyst performance, and detect emissions faults. A failing NOx sensor can trigger a check engine light, emissions warnings, incorrect diesel…
What Is an Oxygen Sensor(O2 Sensor)? What It Does and How It Works An O2 sensor measures oxygen remaining in a vehicle’s exhaust and sends that information to the engine control unit, or ECU, so fuel delivery can be adjusted and emissions can be monitored. The oxygen sensor is one of the main feedback devices…
Downstream vs Upstream O2 Sensor: What’s the Difference? An upstream O2 sensor sits before the catalytic converter and helps the engine computer manage the air and fuel mixture, while a downstream O2 sensor sits after the converter and mainly checks how effectively the converter is processing exhaust gases. On most vehicles, Sensor 1 identifies the…
When Was Catalytic Converter Invented? History, Inventor & Early Adoption Catalytic converters were invented in the 1950s, when French mechanical engineer Eugene Houdry patented an early exhaust cleaning design, but they did not appear on production cars until the 1975 model year. The gap between invention and adoption came down to one stubborn problem: leaded…
When Did Catalytic Converters Become Mandatory? Federal & State Requirements Catalytic converters became mandatory on new gasoline powered cars sold in the United States starting with the 1975 model year, under federal Clean Air Act regulations enforced by the EPA. That federal requirement never went away, and it still applies to every vehicle built since,…
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