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Tips
Tips

California Emissions + 1980 MKIV 1500

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Gafirema said:
W Also, before I mess anything up, I want to double check. There's no screws on the bottom of the charcoal canisters. Do the bottoms just "pop off"? Or am I taking the wrong approach? I guess these questions will probably be answered when my haynes manual gets here tomorrow...
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Don't expect to much from the Haynes manual. It is not meant as a restore guide, and won't help with problems like how to get the canister apart. That was not considered a "normal" task.
What the Haynes will help with is pictures, hopefully of the 79/80 models, tune up settings and the like.

As for getting the canister apart, I would take it somewhere warm and very gently pry off the top. It appears to be plastic and the is most likely press fit in place. try not to mark it in a noticeable manor since the inspection people probably don't think that it should be taken apart.
 
I see, I'll keep that in mind.

Also, I sure hope the Haynes manual + the Spitfire Handbook will be enough to get me through most of this.
 
Gafirema said:
it would seem the smog pump is dead. Got it about halfway apart and it will not budge any further. Looks like I'm going to need a new smog pump, but I think I know where I might can get a decent one for cheap, here's hoping. Also, before I mess anything up, I want to double check. There's no screws on the bottom of the charcoal canisters. Do the bottoms just "pop off"? Or am I taking the wrong approach? I guess these questions will probably be answered when my haynes manual gets here tomorrow...
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I have a spare rebuilt pump I'll send out to you, along with the brackets (found them). Look for it in a few days. Consider it a gift.

The early Smiths canisters unscrew on the bottom, these just snap together. If you can't get it apart, don't worry about it for now. This is evaporative loss and doesn't contribute much to the emissions equation. It's just there to catch and re-route fumes. I'd move on to higher priority items.
 
Scott, :thankyousign:

You are quite the dude. I really appreciate it man.

Also, I'll see if I can't -gently- get the charcoal canisters to come apart, if not I'll do as you say and just hook it on and move to higher priority items.
 
Well, I've been told that the auto(water) choke carb's are very bad, not that mine is but that they are in general and that even with the tool I won't be able to tune it for emissions. I could possibly tune it to where it runs, but not passes emissions, or so I've been told. Also found out that the alternator I've got on is slightly larger than the original OEM one and that the smog pump might not fit unless I get a new alternator. Also was told that getting all this on, in place and working is going to be nothing short of rocket science. Not giving up, just feeling a bit discouraged at the moment.

:nopity:
 
Keep the faith Grasshopper. I can assure you this is most certainly NOT rocket science. Parts is parts.
Have you inspected and/or rebuilt the carb like we suggested? It's much easier to do this while it's not attached to the car. :smile:

In all seriousness, I'm not sure who is feeding you this "advice" but you may want to quit listening to them and find a new shop.

There are a bunch of things to tweak. Once you get it running again and have a baseline set of readings to work with, THEN worry about tuning it to pass. How new are your plugs/cap/rotor/wires? Do you know how to set the plug gap, points gap and adjust the timing? Got a timing light, or can you borrow one? Read up on this stuff, you'll need to know how.
 
Scott_Hower said:
Keep the faith Grasshopper. I can assure you this is most certainly NOT rocket science. Parts is parts.
Have you inspected and/or rebuilt the carb like we suggested? It's much easier to do this while it's not attached to the car. :smile:

In all seriousness, I'm not sure who is feeding you this "advice" but you may want to quit listening to them and find a new shop.

There are a bunch of things to tweak. Once you get it running again and have a baseline set of readings to work with, THEN worry about tuning it to pass. How new are your plugs/cap/rotor/wires? Do you know how to set the plug gap, points gap and adjust the timing? Got a timing light, or can you borrow one? Read up on this stuff, you'll need to know how.
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I still have to buy the carb-rebuild kit from spit bits. I'm waiting for the parts you sent me to arrive before I do so, because I want to see exactly what I'm going to need as far as hoses and stuff like that. Once I know for sure I want to make one big order from spitbits so I don't have to get charged for shipping and handling on a bunch of different orders, although maybe it doesn't make so big of a deal? But that was my plan.

As far as plugs, I'm not sure, I think they're alright? Might need to check them and get some new ones though. Cap? Not sure what this means. Rotor? Again, alien terms. Wires? I imagine all these things have to do with the spark plugs? If so I'm not sure, I probably need to check them. I know how to set a spark plug gap, points gap I don't know what you're talking about there and the timing I don't know how to adjust.

I got my Haynes manual and owners handbook in the mail today. Some good information but a lot of it is confusing and doesn't even look like my car. For example the charcoal canisters, it doesn't give very good info on.

Also trying to figure out a cheap way to lift the little guys nose up so I can get up underneath it. Looks like the car is a bit too low to the ground to use jack stands unless I buy a low profile jack as well.

Main concerns right now is the alternator and getting the carb properly adjusted once it's on and accounted for.

Oh, and from what I can see, the canisters and their bracket attaches to the radiator assembly, on the side sort of, correct?
 
Gafirema said:
I still have to buy the carb-rebuild kit from spit bits. I'm waiting for the parts you sent me to arrive before I do so, because I want to see exactly what I'm going to need as far as hoses and stuff like that.
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Given that you have an admittedly less than expert knowledge. I would like to suggest that you send two bits out for professional rebuild, the Carb and the distributor.

BOTH of these are critical for proper operation and passing the smog test. Both are also likely to have some or may problems caused by age or dumb previous owners, normal wear etc..... The distributor even if isn't worn mechanically is likely to be out of spec just because the springs have been under tension for 30 years and are long since worn out.

Two vendors come to mind.

Carbs: Jeff at Paltech https://www.paltech1.com/index.html
Distributor Jeff (a different Jeff) at Advanced Distributors https://www.advanceddistributors.com/

Both are VERY highly rated by the BCF community. In both cases the parts will come back better than new.

I sent my distributor to Jeff from <span style="text-decoration: underline">overseas</span> because there is just no way to get it done right without the proper equipment.

If there are any leaks in the carb, it will require proper machining, to get bushings put in.

I understand VERY well that the budget is tight, but you need to pas a strict emissions test on a very short time frame. Either of these units being even slightly out of calibration will guarantee a fail.

Just a small bit of friendly advice from one of the many people here who would like to see you succeed.
Yisrael
 
Jeez, the Carb rebuild, $500. That's a bit over my budget. Also, 4 weeks is a bit too long. The distributor rebuild isn't that expensive though. But again, takes 4 weeks. I have to have my car in smog condition within 4 weeks. I hope I'm able to properly clean/rebuild these things myself. A friend of mine gave me a idea to try out on my Carb. Said he does it with older cars. He told me to soak it overnight in a mixture made up of 50% white vinegar and 50% distilled water then to carefully drain and rinse it with distilled water. He said it can some times recondition a older Carb and save having to rebuild. I might try that and if it doesn't work do a rebuild myself, I haven't many other options. The carb, oddly, looks to be in very good condition though.

Thanks for the ideas though.
 
I would imagine the testing station does not check the operation of the choke (does any one on the forum know?) so I would put that lower down on the to-do list. The choke would need to be in place and appear operable, of course.

If you find it leaks and affects the emmissions, I would consider a blank gasket between the choke and the carb body. You can then fix it later at your convenience.

A scissors jack could be had from a junk yard for $10. It would allow you to raise the car enough to fit a regular trolley jack under there. And then support the car with the jack stands. Why do you want to get under the car, by the way?

Cheers!
 
It has been suggested several times that you join a local British car club, but I do not recall any response from you. These people can help you, often for free. If you don't know what a distributor cap and rotor is, you are in trouble with your time crunch and limited budget. A British car may not be right for you.

I would not put vinegar on an aluminum carburetor.
 
I would offer the suggestion that, while a Haynes manual does have its place (no snide comments, please), a factory or Bentley manual might be somewhat more useful. They turn up often enough on eBay, as do some of the CD compilations that include owners, workshop and spare parts manuals.

And yeah, someone in a local club must have a somewhat similar Spitfire (even if it's CA-spec.)!
 
Dude - sell the car. Consider it a lesson learned. Buy a pre-SMOG car or one with all the SMOG gear and hold them accountable as Rich suggested. I am not normally a negative guy, but this isn't going to end well. Sorry - just honestly expressing my POV. We'd love to have you as a Triumph owner. As you can see the folks here are hugely helpful and wonderfully supportive. All that I know I've learned here, but that took time, a fair quantity of money, and some more time. And money. And time. And money.

That all said, this just doesn't sound like the car for you at this point.

If she is as good as you say she'll sell. We'll help you write an ad that while honest gives you the best chance of getting your money back.

Sorry. I really hope I am wrong...
 
I suppose I could join a local club, but I didn't want to be the kind of guy who simply joins then starts begging for help. I thought that would probably turn some people off and could backfire.

@ Tdskip, I promised Scott I would not sell it and I would see this through. Besides, I couldn't even sell it if I wanted to. I can't get the title in my name until I register it and can't register it till I smog it. It has a Texas title in the previous owner's name and the California DMV won't send me a title in my name until I register it. But yeah, I don't want to sell it, not at this point, I want to see this through and get it smog legal.
 
Don't worry about being "that guy."

We all had to start learning somewhere. Just show up at the meeting, introduce yourself around, and then they generally have new people introduce themselves at some point during the meeting. Just explain your situation and I'll be willing to bet you have tons of folks willing to help you.

Believe me, there's nothing that gets you into a car club faster than being willing to listen to the "old farts" tell you what you should do. :smile: Plus their stories are generally pretty good.

If it hadn't been for the clubs (I started before this wacky Internet thing became popular) I'd have never learned anywhere near as quickly as I did.

Jody
 
I was that guy...asking a ton of questions. I also volutereed to help with a lot of projects as well. I still haven't had the crew come by to help with a GYHD sessions.....Get You Hands Dirty.

One day I will need the help...and they will. For now just doing what I can and the best I can.
 
JodyFKerr said:
Believe me, there's nothing that gets you into a car club faster than being willing to listen to the "old farts" tell you what you should do. :smile: Plus their stories are generally pretty good.
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Right on, Jody! There seem to be three kinds of folks in most clubs: Those who want help, those who want to help, and those who (IF they ever show up at a meeting or event) help themselves to the refreshments. :thirsty:
 
If your a new member expressing as much enthusiasm about this car to them as you do on this forum, they will help you. Take you under their wings in a way and you'll learn a lot quicker hands on. Just be honest about your lack of knowledge, and tools, while expressing that interest to learn. The most they will ask in return (other than dues) will be your participation within the club for events and activities. When you show up to an event with the car running, smogged and registered, you'll have your own cheering section. Just be very careful, you may just end up making some very good friends. :wink:
 
Anyone heard of this stuff?

https://passsmog.com/

Was wondering if it or something similar might help. I've heard some people swear by it.

I "Might" have found a place that's a bit lenient on the visual inspection if the car will pass the sniffer test. Not 100% sure yet though, can't count on it.
 
Geez.
Stop with the snake-oil!
The State of California has determined that they will not even CONSIDER looking at your vehicle until it has all the bits in place!
Get the bits installed, get a base-line reading, see if it's tweakable or not, and if all else fails, ask about snake-oil, and I'd sure want to know about such a place that is willing to get their hindquarters fined clean OFF by the State of California.
 
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