Failed smog. Need mechanic
 

Hello,
I just took my 85 to get smogged and failed. Very weird since last time it passed with no problem. I need to take it to a mechanic but don't know of any local to me. I'm trying to find someone as close to Fountain Valley/Huntington Beach as possible because I don't have much spare time to take it in.

Can anyone suggest a good mechanic in the area or even Lake Forest since I work out there.

Thank you,
Jason

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1346352099.jpg

If Long Beach works, call Marc at Red Line...562-901-2900.

Smog.
 

Scan/post your report.

Let's have a look.

Thanks Peter but I'm looking for someone a lot closer if possible.

I failed on the PPM with 156 out of 97 at 15 mph and 98 out of 79 at 25 mph. I'll have to look up what it did the last time but it passed easily.

Thank was HC PPM

Too rich.

Is that it do you think? It doesn't smell at the exhaust and no smoke either. I would be so happy if that's all it was though.

Too many ppm of hydrocarbon tells me too rich as it is seeing unburnt fuel in the exhaust gasses. O2 sensor good? Cat working well? I'd know how to adjust my '78, more emission controls on your '85.

I'll have to take it to a mechanic to check O2 and cat. I have no idea. Hopefully it's not too painful.

How many miles on the car?

Only about 230k. She runs like a champ too. Original untouched engine

Check your Catalytic converter. If needed - Mesa Muffler on Harbor Blvd can install a CARB-approved, CA-legal Catalytic Converter for less than $200. If the O2 sensor - pretty easy fix. If you need assistance I can offer a hand. A mechanic is going to follow those same steps first.

With good/working parts these cars run very clean and typically pass with flying colors. I've been down the smog route many, many times.

Also, scan your test results and post them here. That can be a good indicator of what exactly is going on.

O2 sensor, more than likely. Easy fix on a Carrera too.

If you're not going to do it yourself, Hergesheimer MotorSports is in Lake Forest.

Call Chris at Newport Motorsports
2991 Grace Lane Costa Mesa, CA 92626
(714) 556-3910

He is in Costa Mesa. Great guy, knows Porsches extremely well... his daily driver is a 1985 911... I go to him for my 1971, and Chris knows longhoods well as he owns a 1972 S in great shape. He handles getting cars smogged all the time.

There is a place in irvine/Costa Mesa I am impressed with, called Truspeed motors who seem to know what they are doing. Talked to them about a PPI and about tuning for smog test passage.

In the end, I did not buy the car I was looking at, so had no need at the time for their services. If they were local to me I would not hesitate to take my car to them.

Thanks for the offer to help Brando. I really do appreciate it. I normally would have no problem troubleshooting this myself but I'm a bit short on time lately and my smog is due in two weeks so I may just take it to one of the suggested shops. The car does sit for long periods and if I don't drive it for awhile it blows a plume of white smoke on startup so maybe the O2 sensor got covered from that or the cat is clogged.

I'll probably take it in next week and post the results here.

Thanks everyone for your help.

Jason -> Pick up a Bosch O2 sensor and shoot me your address. We'll get it swapped out in 10 minutes flat (with time to open a beer). Believe me, you can either throw a lot of money at it and have one of the recommended shops fix it, or you can save cash and go re-test before the weekend is over. :)

Sounds like an "Italian Tuneup" might help. I've read where others have done this and taken their cars in while really well warmed up and passed the tests.

Alright Brando,
You convinced me. I'll order a sensor tonight and replace it. I'll probably be able to get to it next weekend. The only thing I worry about is if the sensor doesn't solve the issue then I've wasted more time and money and have to go back and pay for more parts that may not solve the issue. Is there any test I could do on the sensor first?

Also, I normally do take the car on a freeway run before getting smog but this time I didn't. I don't know if it would make that much difference though.

Thank you,
Jason

Might be worth a try before throwing money at it?

Do an "Italian Tune-Up" ? :D

Don't be afraid to get the RPMs high. Get the car up to normal operating temp, usually 10-20 minutes @ freeway speeds should do the trick.

I believe most smog places give you 1 free re-test. If you want to be absolutely sure it's not the CAT or O2 sensor, borrow a known-good converter from a fellow pelican (it's what I did a couple years ago) with a brand new O2 sensor.

In most instances, a new CAT will get the car to pass with flying colors.

Did you check if the O2 sensor was disconnected? I've seen a number of mechanics disconnect the sensor claiming that it was a performance boost. (It isn't...)

If it isn't the O2 then it is almost certainly the CAT. It wasn't meant to last 230K miles. I think we could come up with a good loaner CAT for the weekend but with rusty bolts putting it in is a little more time.

I'll get under it today when I get home and check the O2 and spray down the bolts with PB to hopefully make them easier to loosen. I'm leaving for the weekend so won't be able to get any work done on it until Tuesday. I really appreciate everyone's help.

55rag, clean out all the breather hoses and inside the big rubber boot (for lack of a better word) that attaches to the throttle body. all these collect oil residue and raise your HC. also change your oil and filter before the retest.

These are all good suggestions above. At least your '85 failed the test due to measureable readings. I had a Smog'n'Go shop do my biannual test last year and the readings came out well within the limits, but he failed it anyway because of some arbitrary visual "puff test"... essentially, it they think that they see ANY puff of smoke from the tailpipe when rev'ing it up high from an idle, they can fail it. Trips to both my private Porsche mechanic and the dealer, met with incredulity on their part, the "puff" was nearly invisible, and the concensus was that the smog test dude was an *** hole. I decided against going back to him for the free retest, and pony'd up another $59 bucks at another shop, explained the sitch, and he passed it... voicing much the same opinion about the first guy. Ain't it lovely to live in CA???

230K miles is well past the general working life of a cat, esp. to pass Cal smog.

There have been some low mile Carrera cats in the parts section here for sale recently for very cheap ($100 or so).

Ya, I'm not sure if it's the original cat but it wouldn't surprise me. I do have one more chance to pass smog before I have to pay for another so I'll do a quick check to make sure everything is connected and go for a freeway drive. If it doesn't pass then I'll go to Muffler Mike's and have him throw on a high flow one and give it another try.

That $200 new replacement Cat sounds like a deal. A good used one is OK..... just don't tell anyone about it. I believe it is illegal to sell one in our state.

I have a new Bosch O2 (for an SC or BMW 740i, need to check) and plan on visiting S J Capi at least once next week.

I think my 02 is different than an SC. Thanks though.

Instead of throwing money and parts at it, why not make a simple mixture adjustment if too rich? The CO mixture adjustment screw is on the air flow meter. It also lowers the HC's as you back it off.

Where's your Chiltons or Haynes manual?

Thanks, I'll look that up and lower it a little. I'm going to try to retest tomorrow after doing a warmup on the freeway. Wish me luck.

Connection
 

I will check that tonight when I get home. Thank you.

Thanks for everyone's advise and offers to help out. I didn't find anything unplugged or loose so I went for a blast on the freeway and went in for smog today. Couldn't believe it when it came back as passing. It was close and I'll probably need to put a new cat and/or O2 sensor next time.

As a side note I called Mesa Muffler to see about putting a high flow cat on and they told me they cannot do that anymore. It has to be a stock part so I'm not sure how people replace their cats anymore. I'm sure a high flow cat would run just as clean as a stock unit. And who could afford a stock unit?

Thanks again,
Jason

How odd, I just had a CAT installed by them in May before selling my Carrera. :eek:

Stock is ridiculously priced. Also, our host sells a CARB legal OEM replacement for a decent price.

I'm happy the "italian tuneup" worked for you.
Sometimes I think 1/2 of all the problems reported here are due to a lack of spirited driving of our production race cars...:D

well, there you have it. worn guides and the accompanying worn valve seats. can't expect it to go on forever with clean emissions and running like new. comes a time for a top end or a complete o'haul.

Does anyone know how much I could expect to pay for an overhaul on a good running engine in Orange County? Is it basically bearings and machine work if everything else is in good shape. Are P/C's normally reused after so many miles? I've built VW and Chevy engines in the past but don't think I tackle this one myself.

Thank you,
Jason

5 to 10k depending on how much you do yourself.
Read threads and ask questions on the engine rebuilding forum to get a good idea.