Failed CA SMOG - Help please.

[evilstar]

There is a program through the BAR that helps with repair cost up to $500. I applied but it takes 2 weeks so still waiting to hear back.

Today I also called a BAR ref. It was interesting and disappointing. I have heard that a car must only meet the smog requirements of when it was manufactured. I found this particularly interesting since from what I could find smog checks were not a requirement until 1984. Yet my vehicle is a 1982 and I am required to have it checked financially. When I asked the ref what the max values were for a 1982 vehicle he stated he did not know nor could he check. But it was in their smog system database that connects all the smog test machines. He said that the required values are different based on the car model not just the year. Lastly he also said the the values to meet change overtime. So WTF?! That doesn't seem right or even legal. Was this guy just talking out of his ass or is this really it?

[squirrel]

I expect the values go down over time? and of course they're different for different years and models.

I kind of like having a bunch of old cars, like 1950s old.

[evilstar]

I would hope they gave a little more leniency to older cars as there are less of them every year. Preserve them and keep them on the roads not in a scrap yard or worse. diferences between model years makes sense to me but differences between makes/models of the same year doesn't. Wasnt the standard set the same across the board for all cars? the only time this would make sense to me is in a "preserved" class where only a few examples where made but not to mass produced cars.

I cant wait to get my hands on some old metal. I am actually considering a trade at the moment. It would be with my uncle and it would be for my 82 BMW mentioned here and possibly a 71 Spitfire. now its not as old as I would like but at least is older that crucial 1975 smog free law.

[evilstar]

As a life long Southern California resident who loves looking at the mountains behind my dads house in Pasadena in the summer, I say your EGR system is inoperative or clogged significantly. Locate your EGR valve, remove the vacuum hose attached to it from the EGR solenoid that it attaches to, and start the car. Connect the tube to a handy vacuum source. The motor should almost die. If it remains idling and doesn't get extremely rough or die, your EGR system is not working properly. Most likely culprits are clogged jets in the intake manifold or a faulty valve or solenoid. A new cat wont dump the Nox enough to pass from my experience. The HCs are a CAT issue most likely...

I am pretty confident my car does not have an EGR valve. I looked and there are no hoses from the the exhaust to anything. I visually checked and touched all the vacuum lines and everything seemed good. no disconnections or tears that i could see or feel. There is also no Crank Case Valve either at least not that i could see or find in a reference online.

Some people have mentioned running a few gallons of e85? please excuse my ignorance but what does that do? are there any possible issues that could arise from running it? how much and how often should i do this?

Here are the full numbers from the Test:

	CO	%O	HC (ppm)	HC (ppm)	HC (ppm)	CO (%)	CO (%)	CO (%)	NO (PPM)	NO (PPM)	NO (PPM)
TEST	RPM	MEAS	MEAS	MAX	AVE	MEAS	MAX	AVE	MEAS	MAX	AVE	MEAS
15 mph	1524	13.9	0.8	126	36	179	0.92	0.14	0.56	1089	419	1705
25 mph	1569	14.6	0.3	99	27	35	0.72	0.13	0.35	919	350	1080

Failure points bolded.

link to video of car at idle: (I dont know how to embed videos here)

https://flic.kr/p/nUYNFx

[TheSilverBuick]

Hmm, interesting it runs rich at 15 and very clean at 25. My bet is still on the catalytic converter. I'd double check for an EGR though.

[BKBridges]

Had to do the research... They dumped the EGR on the series 24 in 80 so you have a 3 way cat instead of the EGR and thermal rector system. Bummer that because it is more than likely your cat (way cheaper to clean out EGR passages). A CA compliant cat for your ride will run you anywhere from 100-400 bucks depending on how much of the exhaust system is attached to it as you've found out. That seems like a good investment. Complaining to CARB or the BAR is a losers game (I used to work for them) and will just aggravate you (and them). Get the Cat...

[evilstar]

A bit delayed due to personal matters but here is my update.

Replaced the Cat. Got it tested and I was able to pass! Hell yes another shark back on the road. That said as some suspected my NOx were still fairly high. Barely passed at 15mph. I plan on working to get those down to proper levels to A. make sure my car is running the best it can and B. make sure I wont have issues for many more years.

Here are the results pevious failure points in bold. Also I noticed the %O went up not sure what that means.

		CO	%O	HC (ppm)	HC (ppm)	HC (ppm)	CO (%)	CO (%)	CO (%)	NO (PPM)	NO (PPM)	NO (PPM)
TEST	RPM	MEAS	MEAS	MAX	AVE	MEAS	MAX	AVE	MEAS	MAX	AVE	MEAS
15 mph	1554	13.2	2.5	126	36	9	0.92	0.14	0.02	1089	419	913
25 mph	1555	13.4	2.1	99	27	7	0.72	0.13	0.00	919	350	587

To get it in check I will be replacing the coolant, thermostat, and fan clutch. Also I will try to work something out for the AFM but $450 for new is a hard pill to swallow for me at this time. If I were to spend that much would it be possible to go to a Miller MAF and chip instead? I know some of the early cars cannot be converted over. I do not know I that applies to mine. One of my concerns is how much higher the NOx reading was at 15mph over 25mph or is that a moot point?

Thank in advance to everyone for your help. lots of awesome ppl here.

Here are some pics of the engine and a sound clip.


Why does the AFM connector seem to have some sort of adapter/extension? is this normal? (also chance to show off new wrinkle finish on Valve cover and polish on oil cap. )


This is where my engine idles. The temp climbs very slowly when the car is not moving. I think the Fan clutch is bad so i will be replacing that and replacing the coolant as well.




Link to video of car running (dont now how to post directly here):
https://flic.kr/p/nUYNFx