emissions BS (kinda long)

[Snowman]

Just moved to the big city to go to college, and I just miserably failed an emissions test. The car is now in the hands of a competent mechanic who also can do I.M.s. If anybody has any suggestions or ideas on what to do or where to start, it would help, because it could be expensive to fix. Here's the story in full:

 

Tailpipe emissions:boohoo: :

HC and CO2 levels are through the roof. Probably too much so to try the alcohol trick. The mechanic says that it's running way rich. I also have noticed a drop in fuel economy recently, and the two rear spark plugs seem kinda dark and much darker than the front two. He seems to think that the carb is dumping fuel in. I'm thinking I need to get the carb rebuilt.

 

Visual inspection:madder: : (here's the ugly part)

 

What the report says: Major vacuum leaks, vacuum lines/wiring modified, oxygen sensor inoperable, egr removed, warm air valve modified.

What I make of this: The car runs great so there can't be any major vacuum leaks. I have experimented with some vacuum stuff to get the secondary to open better, which is now disconnected and not doing anything,but still there with some open lines that are plugged on the other end. My car has a two-barrel Hitachi, which to the best of my knowledge has NO computers whatsoever,and did not come with an O2 sensor. There is an O2 sensor on the vehicle, however, because I installed a new Y-pipe from a later-year car that has a sensor in it. There is nothing to connect the sensor to. WTF? They say that the egr was removed or modified. I find that interesting because I have inspected the egr and its operation in great detail, and it is all there and in perfect working condition. The warm air valve was in fact disconnected as part of a successful experiment.

 

Until I pass the I.M., I can't park on campus, so it has to be done even if it costs several hundred dollars to do so. GRRRRRRRR.

 

Any helpful ideas?

[oddcomp]

wait cause your car won't pass emissions you cannot park on campus??

 

what is there a invisible air shield around said campus preventing the rest of the air from getting in

that you car may ruin?

[edrach]

Kelly, do your emissions require a visual inspection? What I'm trying to say is, if it passes the sniffer test will they open the hood? If so, save yourself some grief and buy the Weber kit (new, not from me). I have almost everything disabled and the emissions on my car are fine. I'm going to run it through just to see what kind of numbers it will produce. For the expense you're liable to incur, you might as well spend it on a weber kit from Redline or http://www.carbs.net/.

[GeneralDisorder]

Simply remove the O2 sensor, and put a pipe plug in the hole. If they still insist on saying that it's inop, then tell them the Y pipe was replaced with a "universal" one, that is "ready" for the O2 if your car uses it (yours doesn't). Simple, but effective, and they really can't argue with it. If that doesn't do it, then get on your computer, and pull up an invoice template in excel - make yourself out a reciept for the Y pipe install from a fictional shop. Make sure to fit the word "universal" in the part nomenclature. There's only so far that those yoyo's can go to take your car off the road, and they won't waste their time investigating your claims if you have quick responses to all their questions, and act proffesional. If they give you crap, ask them "What can we do to resolve this situation?". Just find out what documents they need, and magically "create" them on your computer. hehe

 

As for the tailpipe test - I second the Weber - it will improve your performace and mileage greatly.

 

GD

[Snowman]

It would appear that a visual inspection is required even if it passes tailpipe emissions, but maybe that was just as the a$$hole-nazi place that I went the first time, and yes, there apparently is an invisible air shield around the UAA campus.

 

I now have a plan: Tomorrow morning, the car is going to what appears to be a pretty reasonable I.M. place that also does repairs. I have already returned everything to stock and adjusted the idle mixture a bit lean. The place I'm going to this time actually gets it that the O2 sensor can just sit there, and they did suggest the plug idea as well. Just before I go, the car (not me) is going to ingest a large quantitiy of alcohol. If I can get it to pass this time, then I can figure out what to do next. A redline weber is probably the way to go if that will pass I.M. The more likely solution will be putting on my good spare carb when I go home for Thanksgiving, or maybe have it mailed to me. If it doesn't pass this time, I will park it at a friend's house until I can get a different carb on it.

 

The biggest problem arises in the fact that my dad has no respect for my mechanical abilities, for my car as a whole, or for vehicle modifications such as weber carbs, so he will probably make me get if professionally fixed and kept stock, which will just run up a huge bill for me and I will end up with a stock vehicle that still doesn't run any better than it does now.

 

Also, I suspect that the ignition timing is a couple degrees behind what it should be, since I haven't set it for a year and a half. What sort of effect could this have? I don't have a timing light at this point, so it can't really help anyway, but I would like to find out.

[oddcomp]

got a vacum gauge?

poor mans way to set timming that worked fairly well for me in a pinch was use a vacum gauge and adjust timming till teh highest vacum was achieved tehn back just a hair and go for a drive listen for pings

if there is a few back one more hair or 2

[Snowman]

Huh, I never thought of that being a possibility for setting timing. I don't have a vacuum gauge yet, but I will have a timing light in a couple of weeks, since it is on the tool list for the auto classes I'm taking at the university.

[Snowman]

Well, good news and bad news.

 

According to the big exhaust cheese in the city of Anchorage, my engine has japanese-spec emissions stuff, so it can never pass here. The area of concern is a little pipe that is either for exhaust or air that connects to the passenger side head near the exhaust port. Apparently it has to connect to the other side as well. If that is true, I'm hosed, or at least that engine is.

 

However, there are a few lights at the end of this long dark tunnel. They did give me a temporary sticker that lasts until november first. I do have a car back in Haines that can pass (Ruby), which I can bring up during Thanksgiving break. I wouldn't like having Ruby as my primary car, though, because of her 3 speed auto, single range 4wd, and the fact that she isn't tricked out like Roxanne. Also, one of my professors here said that if I bring the car to class on saturday, he can figure it out and help me adjust the carb and things to get it to pass. He says that this Japanese-spec difference has to be B.S. and that the tailpipe readings that I had before are easily dealt with without any changing of carbs or anything major. In addition, if all of this fails and Roxanne is doomed in her present state, then ea82 turbo swap here we come! OR, maybe if I can use Ruby as my transportation for a while, Roxanne can be blessed with a healthy dose of EJ20T.

 

So, my remaining question is: Does anybody know what the deal is with this Japanese vs. American emissions stuff?

 

Any help can be appreciated, as this may deprive me of my dear sweet Roxanne except for during the summers when I'm in Haines.

[Brokechump]

Japanese vs American emissions?? interesting...my 77 Jeep wagoneer has the stove pipe on one side only!

 

I second the BS call on the cheese! "must connect to both sides?

 

The stove pipe sends exhaust gases to the intake manifold for the EGR valve to dump into the mix under load. Why you need exhaust gas from both sides would be beyond me. Just what I think I know....which isn't necessarly correct.

[Snowman]

I can't remember which system the problem lies in, I think it might be the AIS and not the EGR.