[Lucky]

Darn. My car failed the VA sniff test, twice. I need suggestions from my esteemed Dorki brethren on what to do next.

On Saturday it failed all three: HC, CO%, & NOx. So I slapped the Catalyst on and went back this AM. Now, of course, it only fails for HC and CO% -- NOx is near zero.

CO% is about 2.3% at the test load, testing limit is .8% (or so).

HC limit is 135, my car was just barely over at 138.

My car passed two years ago without the Catalyst and the only change made since then is a Steve Wong chip.

One other bit of info is that the car developed an intake whistle under very small throttle openings about a year ago... I haven't been able to isolate the cause, so there is a chance it is a small vacuum leak.

So my questions are... keep in mind that I am tired of waiting in line just to fail emissions & would really like to be sure the car will pass before I try again.

1) Can I fix this at home? And what special tools would I need (e.g. gas tester)? Can this be fixed without changing the DME chip or is that the primary problem? Could the suspected vacuum leak be responsible?

2) Would I better off just taking the car to a shop? If so, what shops are good for emissions tuning?

Thanks, guys & gals, for the help!