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Check Valve! AHHHHGGGG!!!!

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Bret

Bret

Yoda
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Ok I had a great time with my 4 yr old at British Car Day in N. County San Diego. The drive up was flawless and while the day started out kind a cool at first it turned into a wonderful day all around.

The only real interruption to the bliss was a loud strange (exhaust like) noise that started emitting from under the bonnet at speed. I pulled over to take a peak and low and behold the check valve between the smog pump and the air rail had come apart. Not at the air rail or the hose, but I mean REALLY come apart. Never had I seen anything like this in my better than 28 years working on cars.
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Anyway I managed to reattach the two ends with a little friendly persuasion (hammer on the blacktop) reattached and continued on my way home. It lasted almost the remainder of the way home when it came apart about a mile from home.

Any of ya’ll seen this before?

Thanks,
Bret

[ 10-07-2003: Message edited by: Bret ]</p>
 
actually I'd bet most of us don't have our smog stuff anymore
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<blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><hr>Originally posted by Chuck Cougill:
actually I'd bet most of us don't have our smog stuff anymore
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<hr></blockquote>

Gee Chuck, kick a guy while he’s down why don’t ya.
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You know all to well that I live in the land of tofu eat’in tree huggers and environmental Nazis.

That’s it, now I know I’m voting for ARNOLD!
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I knew that Brett, and I'm watching the election closely. Living in an ozone non attainment area, I'm betting we will soon join the 2 Indiana counties with emissions testing soon.
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I'd vote for the Green candidate, even though I can't reember his name. He's the only one with the good sense to say,"I know I'm not going to win", and then go on and say whatever he wants anyway.
I respect that.

But anyway, tell Lola Granola and Bran Flake to get off your back... cause that check valves a goner. Are those available new?
 
You are correct about the Green Candidate (A Socialist BTW) pretty much says what the heck he wants. Don’t know about the rest of the Union, but here in la la land the Green party has kind of a cult status and in the political arena is generally looked upon as you would your exocentric aunt that has 30 cats.
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FYI be warned if the Greens had their way, we’d all be driving small little boring economy cars that cost four to five times what they cost now, ran on corn oil and 0-60 would be measured in minutes not seconds. Also he and a number of the other candidates are in favor of giving drivers licenses to illegal immigrants.

While these might seem like good ideas to some folks - I don't agree!

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[ 10-07-2003: Message edited by: Bret ]</p>
 
<blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><hr>Originally posted by Chuck Cougill:
...I'm betting we will soon join the 2 Indiana counties with emissions testing soon.
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<hr></blockquote>

Joining us soon eh (Porter County, here- and actually there are now 4 counties: Porter, Lake, Clark and Floyd), you probably don't have long until your car would be exempt anyway.

[Edit}- let's see, you MGB is a '79. Well, I did a little looking. Roght now they are testing '76 and up. Also, it looks like, right now, there is not a sliding scale in Indiana so for the time being, even as father time marches on, '76 will be the cutoff. Of course, that could change. Good luck keeping the testers away!

[ 10-07-2003: Message edited by: lawguy ]</p>
 
<blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><hr>Originally posted by lawguy:


Joining us soon eh (Porter County, here), you probably don't have long until your car would be exempt anyway.<hr></blockquote>

Good point. But we shouldn’t bank on that. I’m sure some of you remember that out here in California we had a few politicians try’n push through some legislation that would have raised the current 30 years wait to be exempt from emissions testing - to a 45 years wait.

While SB-708 did end-up passing. The portion dealing with changing the exemption for cars was dumped in favor of other more realistic revisions. This modification to the senate bill was thanks mostly to rather large loyal hobbyists movement (driven by clubs & organizations) as well as a strong aftermarket industry lobbing against this part of the bill.

Be diligent & stay involved!

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Good luck on those elections out ther! My bet is that any one of the candidates will not make any major impact. The system has so many checks and unbalances that one politician with a lot of radical ideas about major corrections will likely hit the wall quickly unless he or she is well connected with one of the majoe parties. Remember I'm from Venturaland and we've seen it all!
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Now, to get back to your original question, I've seen several of these check valves fail just as you described. It looks like they are swedged together and after years of heating and cooling this fitting loosens to the point of coming apart at the seams. I don't think it was even seam welded. That's exactly why I have de-smogged all three of my MGs. Luckly, I don't have to face inspection here in Minnesota. That is one thing Jessey did accomplish!
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Good luck. Maybe you can clean it up and silver solder it back together.
 
My car has so many different cars in it it may end up as a 74, or a 70, or whatever. somehow I doubt I'll title it as a 79, but don't tell the BMV
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I have had the same problem with the check valve. It doesn't happen often, only on long trips, the engine heat heats it up and the metal expands, then the pressure pushes the two pieces apart.

Robert
 
<blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><hr>Originally posted by Chuck Cougill:
My car has so many different cars in it it may end up as a 74, or a 70, or whatever. somehow I doubt I'll title it as a 79, but don't tell the BMV
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<hr></blockquote>

Don’t know about your state but here in California (Arnold land), as the vin is the key. So as long as the Vehicle number is a “real” 74 or 70 you shouldn’t have a problem with having to be smog tested.

I’m jealous.
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well they announced today we have passed the ozone thing this year so maybe it will put off smog testing indefinetly. And I have enough VIN plates off of parts cars that I can probably make it what I want to. Never throw away a VIN plate or a title
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