A site -forum that deals w/ Smog issues

alfsedan · #1 (**permalink**) 09-29-2006, 03:39 PM

Ie , getting certified ,,,, passing the smog test etc,

A forum where people can share there tips and explain some of the things they did to get "certified"
I have gleaned and perused a lot of this type of info from Alfabb ,, But it's scattered and all over the place.
Even when I do a search under " smog " or smog test" ,, I get a bunch of items that don't apply.
I haven't tried "emmision" or "emmission testing" yet ,, but I'm sure I'll get items I don't need.

I will be having these issues coming up ,,,, and i'm sure i'm not alone here.

I just bought a car that whose two previous owners didn't want to mess with the smog issues. They just resold the car and passed the problem to me.

I wonder how common or how often that happens.

Anyway If you do not open a new forum for this,,,, My intention are just to open up a new thread .

and that's okay too,,,,, cuz , I Know I'll get the help that way.

Thank you Alfbb for all the help I've received thus far ,,, and for all the help I'll get in the future.

And maybe,,,, down the road,,,, when I know a few things ,,, I can help someone in need

Thanx again
steve
aka., ALFSEDAN

**velocedoc** · #2 (**permalink**) 10-14-2006, 10:56 AM

I just asked a smog question and a forum for smog might not get alot of traffic but it could answer alot of the same questions we all have. This could be a good place to find smog parts if someone is seaching for a source.

**papajam** · #3 (**permalink**) 10-14-2006, 02:25 PM

Would not the 'Carb/Fuel Injection' forum be appropriate?

Hit an Apex · #4 (**permalink**) 10-14-2006, 05:55 PM

I just pay them under the table!

Wait.. what?

Judy · #5 (**permalink**) 10-17-2006, 09:33 AM

Hi,
We bought "Tim's Q" and brought it from Cincinnati to San Diego. It has
a German engine in it that does not have the attachments on the
heads for the air pump. While we had another issue that was just remedied, I was just told that the car failed miserably on the smog machine, both at 15rpm and 25rpm.
The question I have is, does that air pump setup really only affect the exhaust at IDLE? What exactly does control the emissions on the 24-v 164s? What are
the options? I mean, worst case, is to try to register it out of state, but
that gets complicated in a hurry.
Could use some pontifications by you experienced 24-v owners who've had any experiences dealing with CA smog.
Thanks,
Judy

**velocedoc** · #6 (**permalink**) 10-17-2006, 11:37 PM

You might have to take it to a referee, but worse case scenario is that you might have to swap in another engine to get it through smog.
Didn't Tims Q come with another engine?
You could register the car in a county where there is no smog requirement. You could "live" in Blythe which has no smog requirement.

but I can't tell you to do that.
There are some counties that are smog exempt. However I think that to get your car registered in CA you will have to have an initial smog check. but what do I know? I asked a smog question myself.
Does the car have the catalytic converters in the exhaust system?
Maybe it was removed or punched out from inside so it "looks" like the cat is installed.
Would love to see your Q up at the French Italian car show. We could park together?

Judy · #7 (**permalink**) 10-18-2006, 03:03 PM

Well, the car is very, very far off from the rolling (15,25mph) tests at the
moment.
Anybody ever tried these snake-oil-looking "fuel conditioners"???
http://www.blueskycleanair.com/pass.html

Yes, Tim's Q came with the spare engine that is seized. We have our
'95 LS engine that passed smog. So we do have options, but obviously,
the most desirable (in my mind) is to have the brand-new-engine stay
in the car! (our LS has 150K on it, and who knows what the seized
engine would cost to get going).

That's why I'm here. For sympathy (because, truly, nobody but Alfisti can commiserate with this situation - all the japanese car owners around here are shaking their heads at us!), and for brainstorming ideas on what to try.

I think we're starting with the cat, and the O2 sensor, and maybe pulling the ECU from the LS and swapping it out. I would think that the ECU would do most of the "control" of all the mechanicals in the first place. If that makes no difference, it's a hardware problem.

But, the snake oil just sounds soooo incredible.
When's the French/Italian show???
Thanks!
- Judy

**velocedoc** · #8 (**permalink**) 10-18-2006, 05:28 PM

Checking the cat is easy, take it out and see if you can see through it. There is another test where you can overload the cat with gas and see how fast it burns it off but that is only for a tech to do.
Bummer about the seized engine. Yeah that is some serious money to get back on the highway.
Swapping the LS engine out would be the easiest short cut if you have to do that route.
O2 sensor as far as I know is either working or not.
You could go the methanol route

that might help clean up the engine.
You know anyone with a smog machine you can lean on for some help?
French Italian show is Nov 5th at Woodley Park in Van Nuys. Starts at 8 and runs til...you drive off into the sunset. Or down Sunset. :P
Keep us posted.

Judy · #9 (**permalink**) 10-23-2006, 12:09 PM

Which car are you taking to the French/Italian show? Not sure if we'll make
it up there or not...

We replaced the cat, and the ECU over the weekend. Bob's doing some more
checks and we'll have it tested again. Will post results (well, pass/fail - or
"miserably still off" or "getting closer").

Greg Gordon · #10 (**permalink**) 10-23-2006, 12:35 PM

I think the idea of an emissions forum is a good one.

75evo · #11 (**permalink**) 10-26-2006, 10:01 AM

Judy,

Does your Q have a air pump in it? or was it taken of when the new engine was installed?

Is the air pump then connected to the exhaust manifolds or the heads? If it is the exhaust manifolds it should be much easier than, just swap out the manifold.

The air pump AFAIK is only there to help lean out the exhaust gas during startup.

What about the EGR? Is it working properly? Maybe it is the EGR that is the problem not the air pump.

Can you show us the reading of the NOx, CO and HC at 15 and 25 mph?

Judy · #12 (**permalink**) 10-26-2006, 10:14 AM

Hi 75evo,

The car does not have the air pump on it, as the engine is the european one and actually isn't even ported for it.
Bob (hubby) is going to check the EGR valve this weekend.
We'll re-test it on Monday, and post the results. Meanwhile, have to get the papers from DMV so it's legal to drive her!!!

Here are the current values for the test: (sending as an attachment)...

Just a bit off!!!

**velocedoc** · #13 (**permalink**) 10-26-2006, 11:42 PM

What we need is a good smog tech to help with this forum, so we can know which direction to go with resolving these out of limit numbers. It apprears to be a tad rich which would drop your HC and lower your NOX. Cleaning the EGR should help lower the NOX.
I wonder if the cams might be part of the problem with to much overlap? Do the USA cars have different cams that are retarded for better smog control? There has been alot of discussion about putting in GTA cams for more power but what about retro fitting USA cams instead of Euro cams, if that is the case?

Judy · #14 (**permalink**) 10-31-2006, 11:40 AM

Today's a great day!

So, the changes we made were:
1) New catalytic converter from our local shop. The "heavy duty" cat was $300, installed, and the 2 flanges were broken ($70/each), so total was near $500.
2) Swapped ECU from the '95 LS into the '95 Q. They had the same part number, but who knows.
3) Cleaned connectors on wiring harness.

The results were:
15mph Hydrocarbons CO NOx
Maximum 83 .48 689
Measure 71 .03 642
]25mph--------------
Maximum 48 .46 706
Measure 26 .01 477

**velocedoc** · #15 (**permalink**) 10-31-2006, 05:19 PM

That is terrific! Happy driving to you.