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FAQ-20
To pass emissions, you must tune your engine to properly consume the gasoline
that's being delivered to it and convert it to energy to move the car down the road.
The emissions test is an easy way to determine if the right mixture of air and fuel is
being delivered. It also can check to see if the ignition system is working ok. As a
matter of fact, when trying to fix a driveability problem, most good technicians will
take a look at the vehicles tail pipe readings first. These readings will give them
direction.
When you fail because of high limits of HC or hydrocarbons, it means there is raw
fuel that is being sent out the tailpipe because your engine isn't converting the fuel to
energy. The raw fuel actually washes the protective layer of oil off moving parts
inside your engine and contributes to engine wear which can lead to premature
failure. Some common causes are spark plugs, spark plug wires, misadjusted timing
or vacuum leaks.
When you fail because your CO or carbon monoxide is too high, that means the fuel
and air ratio is way off and there is evidence of incomplete combustion or burning of
the air/fuel mixture. Most of the common causes relate to the carburetor or the fuel
delivery system. A CO failure will always be rooted in the carburetor or fuel injection
system. CO failures are not fixed with spark plugs.
If there is too much fuel and not enough air, a CO failure is usually seen. When there
is too much air and not enough fuel, a HC failure is generally seen.
In 1976, the first year of vehicle emissions testing in Arizona, no one was forced to
fix their car if it failed. The following year, 1977, it was mandatory that failed vehicles
were fixed before renewal tags were issued.
The volume of tested vehicles over the last 10 years has steadily risen from 12
million vehicles to 18 million. The failure rate 10 years ago was 22% of the tested
cars. In 1991 we were at 15%. We are clearly making positive progress towards
cleaning up our air.
The failure rate by model year shows that the first year tested, 1967 vehicles, have a
35% failure rate. The failure rate declines to 28% for the 1974 year vehicles. 1975
Shows a failure rate of 31% and from there it shows a steady decline to 1996, where
less than 1% of all vehicles fail. So much for old car enthusiasts (which includes me)
saying their cars are not part of the air quality problem!
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9/8/2017 Emission testing, emission failures and repairs.
Let's group some vehicle years together and look at the failure rate in the state of
Arizona:
I don't know the name of the provider of centralized testing in Arizona, but their test
equipment passed over 97% of the time it was tested for accuracy. Other emissions
analyzers at fleet testing and certified repair facilities passed 86% of the time. This
should eliminate your technician from saying that his equipment is right and "their's"
is off.
So given the choice, I'm sure most of you would rather benefit from all the fuel you
buy as opposed to having a large portion of it be wasted and end up polluting our air.
By the way, the best way to insure your car will pass its emission test is to make
sure you hold the idle up to about 2,000 rpm while waiting in line of for at least 3
minutes prior to the test.
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9/8/2017 Emission testing, emission failures and repairs.
Here's some common causes for the production of these three pollutants.
3. Plugged air bleed passages or misadjusted main metering system, leaking fuel
passages or gaskets.
4. Fuel pressure too high (restricted fuel return line or stuck fuel regulator)
2. Ignition system malfunction. Spark failing to occur for any reason will send
unburned hydrocarbons (HC) down the exhaust pipe. Example: bad plugs, plug
wires, distributor cap, rotor, coil wire, coils, etc.
6. Malfunction of the electronic spark control (ESC), and knock sensor. Computer
fails to retard timing.
2. Shut the engine off and disable fuel and ignition systems.
3. Crank engine over at wide open throttle for 10 seconds, to purge fuel vapors from
exhaust.
6. Turn propane half way on and crank engine injecting propane into the cylinders
and then into the cat.
HC should be off the scale and CO2 should read 8 to 13%. If the CO2 reads less
than spec, like under 5%, then the CAT is unable to convert HC to CO2. If the CAT
is defective, replace it with a unit approved by EPA.
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Copyright 1997-2000, Mark Salem, Salem Boys Auto, All Rights Reserved
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