my 1988 Volvo 240 DL failed smog today and the person there said it was running both very rich and with very high emissions. It also is shaking when it is idling and at higher rpms. Is there anything I could do at home or with minimal cost?

 

How close were you?

Are you due for an oil change?

Drive the car for about 20 minutes right before taking it in.

Tune up
The most common things are, spark plugs, spark plug wires, distributor cap and rotor, and of course the gas cap. Replace these and 99 percent of the time you're in good shape.


Clean your engine
Use Seafoam. Put some in the gas tank, engine (a day before you change oil) and through the intake. It helps clean out carbon build up and clean out your exhaust. Also, don't go into smog with your check light on. Check light = automatic failure. Last but not least, get your engine timed right. If your engine isn't timed to spec with OEM standard, you will fail. Also, having improper timing will either cause your motor to be lean or rich, which will result in having higher readings in the gases.

The last 2 were taken from a page I found through google. These are all generic tips but I'm sure they can be transferred to a 240.

 

Make sure there isn't a vaccum leak at the intake manifold.

 

try clearing the codes....this was a problem for me in Georga and clearing the codes temporarily fixed the problem

 

2nd that

More then likley its either a vacum leak or a bad FPR {fuel pressure regulator}