Wedge My TR8 failed CA smog!

[SCguy]

Let me start by saying that my TR8 has never run better!

I passed all of the emissions test, but my car was not timed at TDC. Therefore I failed the test and need to have it retested to see if it can pass again with the timing set at TDC.

 

[martx-5]

The Republic of California strikes again! :eeek:

I sometimes wonder what CA's priorities are. If the car isn't spewing out emissions greater then what's called for, what difference does it make where the timing is??

Fortunately, here in NY if the tailpipe emissions are good, the car passes. And, on OBDII cars ('96 & up), it'll pass if the CEL is off and all of the monitors have run their cycles. Cars older then 25 years are exempt from emissions testing. I feel bad for you guys out in CA.

You should be alright with a timing reset, especially if it was advanced.

 

[tr8todd]

I believe the shop manual calls for the car to be timed at 6 or 8 BTDC at 800 RPM. I set them for a max advance of 32 to 38 degrees depending on the cam. That's a crazy state you live in. Here in Mass, they just did away with the smog part of the inspection. Any car pre OBD2 is strictly a safety test. OBD2 cars get plugged into the state computer and tell it if they pass or fail. Basically any code and you fail. A buddy of mine failed because the computer says the air bags are deployed. They are not, nor have they ever been. The GM dealer can't seem to fix the problem permanently, so every year it's back to the dealer before inspection time.

 

[tdskip]

Bummer Larry - how does she run at TDC?

 

[TR3driver]

I sometimes wonder what CA's priorities are. If the car isn't spewing out emissions greater then what's called for, what difference does it make where the timing is??

None, of course. But the real problem is that the smog test is nowhere near as complete as the manufacturer's test. So it's considered only a double-check that all smog systems are working as designed and tested originally.

Even though they do use a dyno for the smog check, it runs only two tests, both at moderate throttle and low speed (like 15 mph and 30 mph or something like that). Ignition timing plays a large role in NOx emissions, which tend to be greater at higher engine output.

Certainly if the smog check included the full suite of tests, then we could do anything to the engine and see if it passed the tests. But I seem to recall reading that it takes WEEKS to run the full suite ... I'm really glad to have a reduced test!

Besides; if you really, really want to jack the ignition timing around (a violation of Federal law, BTW), all it takes are some modifications to the timing marks ...

 

[Ted_S]

You could always rework the pointer so it now states TDC.

 

[GBRandy]

I had to get my TR7 tested when I moved to LA in 1988. I had pulled the smog pump off years earlier seeing as Wisconsin didn't care. CA sure did......

Finally took the $100 smog check on a Sunday morning around 7:00 am when no one was around. You know, the one where you hand the guy a $20 for the test and then tell him the C-note in my hand is for him if it passes :wink:

The guy pulled the probe out of the tail pipe, set it on the ground and ran the test....I passed in flying colors

Sounds like things are little more strict these days.

 

[GBRandy]

You could always rework the pointer so it now states TDC.

Brilliant.

 

[DNK]

Instead of reworking it . Have 2.

 

[Moseso]

Wow! They check the timing now??? Last time I was fussing with CA about an old car, it was my Volksy pickup in the late '70s - early '80s. They checked to see that no mods had been done, and stuck the probe in the tailpipe at idle. Period. We were all running the Bosch "009" distributor, the one with no vacuum advance. We all kept the old one so we could swap it back in for the test. Tune it up. Clean the carb. Put in the old distributor. Take the test. Go home and put the 009 back in... Things were simple in the old days!