Hi I'm in Boulder Colorado, just bought an 02 wrx wagon thats been worked on prior to me getting it. I know the ecu's been flashed and I was hoping there was someone nearby who had the hardware to help me flash it back close to stock so I could pass emissions. I am looking into getting a stock exhaust but right now I failed emissions pretty bad. IF theres anyone out there that can help me please let me know ASAP. Thanks

well your car is not passing becoue of other reasons. All 96+ cars are checked for emittions thure the OBDII conecter, they plug into it, and as long as you dont have any CEL you will pass. Unless they are still doing the old school sniffer test, in that case just put on a stock TBE and you will pass.

For Colorado help, try www.awdpirates.net

Colorado does have a sniffer test.

Does the car have a catless exhaust? If so, thats probably why you are not passing. Change to a stock exhuast or get a Catco cat put in your exhaust system, and you will pass with the modified ECU...probably.

How much are those catco's? Weld in or bolt in? Obviously you would have to dissect your mid pipe an weld in the catalytic correct?

thanks for the replies. I am buying a stock exhaust and hopefully that will do the trick. If not I guess I am going to have to figure something else and that will probably be expensive.

IT turned out the ECU was not flashed. The MAF and temp sensors were wired in backwards and the temp sensor was just plain broken. Still not passing though. I now have a rediculously high fuel trim (25) so if anyone has a clue about that I'd like to hear it. Thanks

if a stock 2005 wrx TBE will fit on your wagon i would be willing to sell it!

brody

IT turned out the ECU was not flashed. The MAF and temp sensors were wired in backwards and the temp sensor was just plain broken. Still not passing though. I now have a rediculously high fuel trim (25) so if anyone has a clue about that I'd like to hear it. Thanks

sense your fuel trim is so high, you have a vacume leak somewhere. or a spark plug that is not firing(if you dont have spark your O2 sensor will think that the car is running lean, and will try to offset this by adding extra fuel).
Also if you havent fixed your temp sensor your car will think that its never getting warm, so ill add extra fuel to try to get it to opperating temp.
There are several things that could cause the fuel trim to be so high. But im assuming your not passing due to high HC count?

hope this helps. The best thing to do is hook up a scan tool and look at the operation on the car, and any CEL codes. Even ones that are stored and not causing a CEL.

hope this helps.

I am actually not passing due to NOx. I have replaced the temp sensor and I believe it is fully functional. I have to wait until next week to get the codes pulled; I don't have an autozone nearby. Since the car is new to me I might just wind up replacing them. Any plug suggestions for a car that I want to be a slightly performance inclined daily driver (no track time in the future)? I have heard there is a point on the wrx that vacuum leaks commonly occur, any clue where that is, or where I should check first?
Thanks

hight NOx is caused by a lean condition. Make sure all of you injectors are firing.

and make sure your O2 is good.

Is there a simple method to determine if each injector is firing? I just watched a swap to sti pinks tonight and its a bit ch to pull the injectors out.
Also wouldnt I know it pretty clearly if the o2 was bad? I was under the impression that if that sensor goes bad it causes all kind of sh it to happen.
Thanks for the replies

Injector wise, just pull the electrical conecter off one at a time and listen to the engine. if you have a bad one, your engine will sound the same after you pull the clip of the injector.
As for the 02, when you hook up the scan tool look at 02 Voltage readings. First you need to keep your RPM's up above 2K for 2 min, to warm it up, then let it go back to idle. Then the front 02 Voltage readings should change between .1-1.0 volts. if it stays constant you got a bad O2.