My '84 passed the CA emission test! Woohoo!

[450knotOffice]

Man, am I relieved. I've been dreading this for the past year. I don't know why but I just had a bad feeling about the car's ability to pass the CA smog test, even though Jim at Hergesheimer got the idle mixture and idle speed adjustments spot on last year and I just put a new O2 sensor in two weeks ago (actually, Paul Kaas did it for me). I guess I didn't need to worry at all. The car passed with flying colors.

I am glad I don't need to deal with that for another two years.

[slodave]

Way to go. I'm due in November. Barely passed two years ago.

Dave

[450knotOffice]

My advice, Dave, is to have a really good shop (like TRE) hook it up to an analyzer and then have them fine tune the idle mixture and idle speed. That's what Jim at Hergesheimer did for me and he said it was all out of whack when he first hooked it up to the analyzer. He also told me that my O2 sensor was getting "lazy" and that it should be changed befor my test (which is what I did a couple of weeks ago).

If all of that is done, then the Motronic system should be able to easily control the fuel mixture and ignition and give you good numbers for the test.

[slodave]

My cat is original, but my O2 sensor was replaced within the last couple of years. I will have someone tweak it before I go in, but will install a new cat first. Oh wait, the car is stuck in the hanger with the engine not connected, but not out of the car and one stripped cv bolt head. Hopefully the car will be drivable by the time I need it smogged.

Dave

[NoLift911]

My experience has been with the cat on the 84 it is one of the cleanest cars I have ever tested - including MY2001 cars and newer. The emissions barely even show up on the readouts...at the test station. I would think on a stock 3.2 that if the cat is on then something else would cause worry over passing (ie poor mixture) It was one of my least concerns.

Of course Cali is tougher than MD/VA I guess so my standards may be low.

I actually got mine to pass by adjusting the mixture with no cat for emissions 2 years ago...it was close but I just made it.

-Jeff

[Emission]

Congrats!

I need to have mine tested in <30 days. Not looking forward to it.

[Joeaksa]

Scott,

Know the feeling, just did my FAA 1st class today and feel the same! Now to get working and get the car ready for its sniffer test!

Joe

[GothingNC]

Glad I'm over here in NC

No sniffer test for 1989 or older vehicles.

Just $9.95 for an annual safety inspection

[450knotOffice]

1st Class physical...Oh yea! I stress out twice a year over that dam* physical. Not that I ever have a problem with it, of course. I wear glasses so I always wonder how my eyes are going to do each time. Of course, as per usual, the eyes are fine but I stress anyway.

[Joeaksa]

Scott,

I am in good shape as well but we all stress over it. One day you have a vocation and future and the next its could be being a Wal-Mart greeter!

At least you get a second chance with the smog guys! I need to weld up a cat for my 3.6 to get it to pass, so just one of the many projects before taking it to smog here in Phoenix.

[84porsche]

Congratulations Scott. Your numbers look better than mine.

The CO2% are about the same but my O2% are much higher.

Mine

Yours

[450knotOffice]

Thanks Chris. What a relief. I was pleasently surprised to find such good numbers.

BTW, I got the idea to post the results from you.

[Rockafella]

Tuning makes all the difference. My 82 got tagged gross polluter a couple months ago. Guy who did the test told me the Oxy and cat were both dead. Cat is original w/200k miles and the oxy is old w/80k miles.

End result: reset a/f mixture by a specialist, same cat, same oxy = pass.

Thanks for the lean stumble, CARB.

Oh, my 3.2 Carrera got tagged for "gross polluter profile." I swear I have to smog it EVERY year. Is this happening to others out there?

[Zef]

Just to know..Do you have to pass that test often...and if I look at your message...it look very difficult to pass...We don`t have that kind of test here in Canada...