Canada and some states or metropolitan areas in the United States require periodic Emission, or Inspection and Maintenance (I/M) Tests. All Ford products have been designed to pass these tests. If a Ford product fails an I/M Test, it is probable that 1) the engine or catalyst temperature was not warm and stabilized before the test, or 2) the vehicle had idled excessively before the test.
If any emission components are replaced, perform the following before repeating the I/M Test procedure:
To relearn some basic Adaptive Learning (trim) values, run engine at 2500 rpm for one minute and idle engine for two minutes.
Exhaust Gas Analysis Chart
Verifying an Excessive Grams Per Mile (GPM) Indication Using a Parts Per Million (PPM) Reading
For the vehicle's gas reading(s) that is excessive, compare the actual GPM reading to the gas cutpoint level needed to pass testing. Determine how much the actual GPM reading is over the cutpoint. This will give an indication of how much the PPM reading will have to be reduced (if the actual reading is twice the cutpoint, the baseline reading will have to be cut in half or more). See following example.
Example:
The actual HC produced by a vehicle was 1.6 GPM. The cutpoint for HC in this example is 0.8 GPM. The actual reading is twice the cutpoint.
The HC reading obtained for the same vehicle during the baseline drive averages 440 PPM. In order for this vehicle to pass the I/M test, the HC reading from the verification trip must be at least half of the baseline reading, or an average of 220 PPM or less.
This method only gives a general idea of how much the PPM reading needs to be reduced in order for the vehicle to pass an I/M test that calculates GPM. This test is not exact. Experience will still have to be used to determine if the emission readings have been reduced enough for the vehicle to pass the I/M test.
