[corrected your units; "gpm" is gallons per minute; emission results are
g/mi, grams per mile.]

On Wed, 8 Dec 2004, old school bmw owner wrote:

> 1986 BMW325e 178,000 miles:
> FAILED NOx actual=3.0586 g/mi, cutpoint=2.8000 g/mi
> FAILED HC actual=2.0497 g/mi, cutpoint=1.8000 g/mi

> My car does burn and leak oil

Well, there's your answer. Engines that burn oil produce a great deal of
NOx and usually high HC. The emission test cutpoints are set so as to
"catch" oil-burning cars like yours and "ground" them until they're
repaired.

> but it starts right up, idles smoothly and drives great.

That's nice, but the state doesn't care.

> There is no visable smoke to speak of.

Any visible smoke is "to speak of".

> My O2 sensor
> has been replaced and has +/- 45,000 miles on it.

....and is probably steadily getting coated with the oil your engine burns.

> I don't want to spend $$$ to have my engine rebuilt or do other drastic
> costly measures

Nobody wants to spend $$$, but when a machine is worn out, as yours is,
it's time to repair it or get rid of it. The rules apply equally to those
who drive Hyundais and those who drive BMWs.

> BTW 2 years ago when my car was last tested my emission #s were
> excellent,way under the standards and I only drive +/- 6,000 miles/yr.

The standards have probably been tightened since that time, and that's
also how machines work: Eventually, they pass the critical wear point and
can no longer pass emissions.

> I don't want to pollute the air

Are you sure? You wrote:

> Ran a full tank of gas with a bottle of Guaranteed to Pass and put a
> bottle of Heet in tank before retest My catalytic converter was replaced
> within the past year, but with an inexpensive universal replacement not
> with a BMW replacemnt.

This sounds more like the behavior of someone trying to cheat past the
test with a polluting vehicle than of someone who doesn't want to pollute
the air.

DS