Why I hate California...

[GoldNugget]

Riddle me this...
Had to smog my 85 today. Smog man fails it, says timing is 4 atdc, should be 6 btdc and CO should be .80 at 15mph and .60 at 25mph. CO was over 3.0 on both. Ok, set timing to 6btdc thought lets try that. Timing might effect CO right? Re-smog says, no ,timing is now of 12 degrees out, says it is 6atdc. However, wow, CO is now .03. I think smog man pulleth my leg. How can I make the timing worse than the first test and then have better emissions. All this took place in less than two hours. Any thoughts?

 

[GoldNugget]

We will see soon...

Thanks for the reply. You still have to physically set the timing, right? Loosen the dist., time it with the light and lock it down where it is suppose to be. So when smog man pulls the car in and uses his light to see the setting at idle he should see what I saw and what I set 15 minutes before, right? Maybe I'm missing something. Seems awfully odd that the timing is physically seen at 12 degrees off of what it was set. I'm going to take it to a friend shop and let him check the timing to see if he reads it 6 atdc. Car is going to a smog shop in Rosemead today, I trust this guy, just did not want to drive that far yesterday. Thanks again.

 

[grapeknutz]

You might want to try to reset the ECM by disconecting the Neg cable from the battery for 2 min and then take a run on the freeway for 5 miles then go to the smog shop. The reset will unlearn any bad habits the ECM had learned and will go to the preset program. Hope it helps!

 

[ErnieN85]

Did you disconect the computer control (tan wire) when you set the timing?
Did the smog guy do it also?
If not your not getting a valid reading!

 

[WhalePirot]

The car is unmodified?

Set the timing with the lead from the electronic spark timing wire disconnected, as Ernie said. Then, reset by unplugging the ECM (small orange wire, probably, near the + battery terminal) for 10 sec. minimum. Ensure the car is very warmed up before the test, so the CAT can do its work. It is hard to have it too hot for this purpose. Your high CO may indicate that i he CAT was too cool to be fully functioning.

A car can pass or fail these 'new' tests depending upon which gear they are run in. The specifics vary by various car designs, but it helps to have enough RPM for all of the SMOG equipment to be in the operating range.

I got my car passed without problem with a knowledgeable and realistic guy at:

Test Only Center of Buena Park
6241 Manchester Ave., BP,CA 714-739-0571

He checked, as required, for the proper equipment installed and operating, but was not too overly concerned that the car had been modified. I had the EO numbers handy and talked with the guy some. The tailpipe test went better than expected by both of us, which is the ultimate bottom line.

Some guys keep a new CAT around for these tests. Mine was brand new, which he said helped immensely; saying that it was likely working its butt off!

 

[GoldNugget]

Passed!!

Thanks for the input. I had to go out of town on business Friday, just got back today. So, I will give you an update. The guy I referred to in Rosemead was off work that next day so impatiently I thought the original smog man was whiffing too much exhaust, took the car to another test only place. We did not change a thing since original smog man failed it. Guess what, it passed. Evidently, the timing was correct. The emissions test turned out great. I don't know what original smog mans problems are, but needless to say I won't be giving him a referral. Oh well, time to get on to more fun stuff. I have a head lite that comes on fine but does not rotate into place as it should. Drivers side does passenger side doesn't. any thoughts?

 

[grapeknutz]

Sounds as if the headlight motor or the gears that rotate the headlight has gone bad.

 

[WhalePirot]

search the site

You'll not likely get a lot of feedback about headlight issues in a SMOG thread. I searched the site, with the tool above, for "headlights C-4" and got this:

http://www.corvetteactioncenter.com...d=202419&sortby=lastpost&sortorder=descending

A smarter search would've yielded more more germane results, as many posts are polls about the C-6 headlight design.

Glad U passed okay and simply. I guess if the first guy was any sort of mechanic, he'd work in a shop that required the skills of one!

 

[GoldNugget]

Thanks. Lots of info on headlights. I think that will due nicely.
CU Roger

 

[oldace84]

You can't cut a break in Southern, CA.
They'll get you.
And I love driving my vette, so I no longer give them a reason.
Just FYI.
Good Luck
tony

 

[Bob Yates]

I feel for you guys in cal. Here in louisville we are doing away with the smog guy and it is good to get rid of that crap . But all the tree huggers are sceaming. Now I can order true dual exhaust for my baby. The sixties are back and it's going to feel good.....Bob Yates

 

[dmrodco]

I think he's trying to get your money so he can do the repair or he's just plain stupid and can't read his own machine. he might be saying its 12 deg becuase its 12 deg differant than before the 7 after plus the 6 before is around 12 deg ya know