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Thread: smog testing in CA
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wankel_dreams
Redlining
Posts: 293
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posted September 14, 2002 05:02 PM |
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smog testing in CA
i was reading in the "trucks wanted" about the smog testing in CA. how do they go about the visual portion of the test? How in depth is it? do they tgrace wires adn vacuum lines? How would a average "joe" at inspection station know what all the emissions equipment looks like on a REPU? obviously you'd have to have the air pump, and a
stock(looking) carb but apart from that, how would they know?
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74 wankel panther
77 REPU
79 rx7
89 Vert
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Rotor
Revvin Up
certifiable rotorhead
Posts: 70
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posted September 14, 2002 08:26 PM |
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I'm guessin the average inspection guy has no idea what he's lookin at! Especially when they see a Rotary! Do you think he has any idea what a "thermal reactor" or an "air control valve" or a "heat exchanger" is? Or what it looks like?
Just as long as it looks like it has smog stuff, and it passes the sniffers, ya ought not have a problem!
Run good gas! I only run Amoco Ultimate. Burns real clean! A little more money, but your engines will like you for it.
Hide the headers under a heat shield. I use the stock ones, if possible. It also helps keep the under hood heat down.
Use a stock air pump. Use any good cat with air injection. I used a cat from an RX-7 because it bolted to the modified Racing Beat exhaust I use, in place of the Racing Beat pre-silencer. HP loss is negligeable on the street. Run a hose from the air pump to the air injection to the cat, tune it right, and it will pass the sniffer.
And everyone needs to try to save the under hood stickers that state "NON-CATALYST"!!!!!!!!
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ROTOR 
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Klaus43
Rotorhead
Posts: 1259
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posted September 15, 2002 08:46 AM |
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Fuel question...
Out here on the West Coast I've not seen "Amoco Ultimate"... always my impression rotaries did not require high octane either--the quicker the burn, the better, before it's spit out--so, naturally, a cleaner fuel is better, but at what price, for what benefit? So,I guess what I'm asking is, what does that Amoco stuff compare to that we have out here? And, is it really worht paying for premium to get the quality, even if we don't need the octane? (I suppose it might make more of a difference with an injected engine...nevermind, of course, turbo'd or SC'd...)
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rotarypwrd
Revvin Up
Posts: 55
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posted September 20, 2002 02:10 AM |
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More help needed on passing smog
need some help from the repu family regarding smog.
it's great that we got the repu, and een better that we got it running so quickly and cleanly in just 2 days.
problem, now comes time for registration n smog, for CA. Any tips, I've been told that if we use a header (cause stock exhaust manifold n gaskets are shot) might not pass visual on our 77 repu, plus if we use a cat, it might jack up how the stock carb operates because it was manufactured to run w/out a cat. But I know, as clean as its running w/ no smoke out of the exhaust, it will not pass w/ out a cat to clean up a bit.
I really wanna be able to drive it to sevenstock, but first the smog n registration. To be honest, I'm scared of bringing it in and getting the infamous gross polluter title n really get screwed w/ test only centers, n then they'll never pass it. any advice?
rotarypwrd p.s.- see any good picx. of any new repu's lately in our photo gallery?
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rotarynews
Moderator
Too Many Rotary Websites
Posts: 206
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posted September 20, 2002 09:51 AM |
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Heat Shield
I've heard that if you get a heat shield to cover up the header, and make it large enough to look like the stock exhaust, the ca people won't notice... This shield would have to be custom made, but should not be that hard for someone with basic metal working skills to fab. You could probably use the stock manifold heat shild from something like an 83 RX-7 as a template, or even bend, weld, and drill it out to work. Attach it to where the header bolts to the block...
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rotarypwrd
Revvin Up
Posts: 55
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posted September 23, 2002 10:44 PM |
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bad news.......pretest smog showed 5125 hydrocarbons out of a max 214. suggestions?
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Rotor
Revvin Up
certifiable rotorhead
Posts: 70
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posted September 24, 2002 08:07 PM |
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quote:
Out here on the West Coast I've not seen "Amoco Ultimate"... always my impression rotaries did not require high octane either--the quicker the burn, the better, before it's spit out--so, naturally, a cleaner fuel is better, but at what price, for what benefit? So,I guess what I'm asking is, what does that Amoco stuff compare to that we have out here? And, is it really worht paying for premium to get the quality, even if we don't need the octane? (I suppose it might make more of a difference with an injected engine...nevermind, of course, turbo'd or SC'd...)
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Granted, it's not about octane. Rotaries really don't need the octane. But the clean burning properties of Amoco Gold is a big plus. After all, it's the only fuel besides Coleman fuel that you can use in a Coleman lantern.
Rotor
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ROTOR
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Rotor
Revvin Up
certifiable rotorhead
Posts: 70
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posted September 24, 2002 08:10 PM |
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quote:
bad news.......pretest smog showed 5125 hydrocarbons out of a max 214. suggestions?
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Sounds like nothing is working! Does it have all the stuff on it? Exhaust leaks can cause high readings.
Rotor
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ROTOR
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Jeff20B
Moderator
Posts: 661
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posted September 24, 2002 09:43 PM |
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a question about alcohol
Anyone here familier with alcohol? (you know what I mean)
I know that the basics in order to run alcohol are the carb jets or injectors need to be larger. But my question is about how bad its emissions are compared to gasoline. Anyone know? Without really knowing very much about it, my first guess would be that it might actually burn cleaner and allow you to pass emissions better. I think the timing also needs to be advanced some as well.
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wankel_dreams
Redlining
Posts: 293
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posted September 24, 2002 10:19 PM |
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quote:
Anyone here familier with alcohol? (you know what I mean)
I know that the basics in order to run alcohol are the carb jets or injectors need to be larger. But my question is about how bad its emissions are compared to gasoline. Anyone know? Without really knowing very much about it, my first guess would be that it might actually burn cleaner and allow you to pass emissions better. I think the timing also needs to be advanced some as well.
if set up right alcohol should be cleaner. around here(Nebraska, land of endless cornfields) we have ethanol-gasoline blend fuel at alot of gas stations. Here there are plenty of company fleet vehicles that run on 85% ethanol with the little green "earth friendly" emblems. So emmissions wise it should be cleaner, of course they are computer controlled fuel injected. Not knowing all the emmisions regulations in CA, if you run ethanol, or other alternative fuel, you may not be subjected to a "sniffer" type test????
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74 wankel panther
77 REPU
79 rx7
89 Vert
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brad
Rotorhead
Posts: 1672
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posted September 25, 2002 09:40 PM |
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rebuild and tune the carb tomas. fix exhaust leak. check air control valve is working.
-bp-
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Rotor
Revvin Up
certifiable rotorhead
Posts: 70
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posted September 25, 2002 09:45 PM |
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The drawbacks of alky are multi-fold.
Alky is very corrosive. It eats normal fuel system rubber, and aluminum parts.
Alky requires about twice the volume of fuel as gas, meaning about half the mileage.
Alky is a bitch to start cold.
Just slip the emission test jockey a $50 and have him hook his car to the machine for a test! ;-)
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ROTOR
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wankel_dreams
Redlining
Posts: 293
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posted September 26, 2002 10:38 AM |
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quote:
....
Just slip the emission test jockey a $50 and have him hook his car to the machine for a test! ;-)
LMAO...what make you think his car will pass???? He's probably getting around the system too.
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74 wankel panther
77 REPU
79 rx7
89 Vert
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Draggin_2600i
Redlining
Posts: 235
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posted September 26, 2002 10:43 AM |
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If you know the right people you could have your car/truck passed without a problem. The only problem is that they charge alot to do you that favor.
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