Emissions Report

[MagmaJct]

Merry Christmas!

Registration is typically due in May. Due to financial complications, we allowed the registration to lapse, and we suspended insurance. The truck has been parked in the back yard since, only being moved occasionally to get to the trailer.

It's December, and we have a better financial footing. Insurance has been resumed, and it was time for emissions testing and registration. I was impressed the actual test, done on a what essentially amounts to a dynamometer, took less time than the OBD-II computer scan!

The results are in! (Drum roll please!)


...PASS...

(Limit in parenthesis.)
HC Loaded: 188 (450) Idle: 280 (450)
CO Loaded: 2.64 (3.75) Idle: 2.72 (5.00)

I found myself quite impressed with how well it passed. I'll be sure not to touch anything before now in May! Although, I am considering counting the turns on the idle mixture screws (Carter AFB) in case I have to do future work.

A Merry Christmas indeed!

[MagmaJct]

Correction:

I chart my vehicles' emission reports over time. Turns out the readings for 2015 weren't all that different than these readings. I enjoy consistency (when the results are good!)

[WorkinLonghorn]

Congrats on the pass. I used to pay close attention to those reports but this year I had my car tested and in California (I assume it's statewide) they don't give you the read-out, just that you passed.
And for 1975 and earlier they don't require a test. -Brian

[67 chevelle]

Love those carters , had one on my camaro for years without issue ran great , edelbrock bought them out ,and not as impressed with their quality

[MagmaJct]

Ah yes! I forget to mention I'm in Arizona.

It's too bad CA doesn't provide the readout. AZ is very good about that, even allowing the vehicle owner to access past readouts online. All one has to do is enter the VIN!

For 1980 - 1995 vehicles, they run a different test. On this test, they run the vehicle through a variety of varying levels of acceleration and deceleration. One can see the graph representing vehicle speed over time. One can visualize during which parts of the test emissions went outside of acceptable limits. For example, during enrichment (heavy acceleration), if the mixture was off one would see that on the graph, and know what component to work on.

The only problem I'm having with the Carter, is it was the manual choke version when I acquired the truck from my late uncle. I hated it, so I installed Edelbrock's electric choke kit. The choke sticks often, preventing it from closing properly unless it's very cold.

[Mick Je]

In California 1975 and older are exempt from Smog testing. Wish they go back to the 30 year rule. But hey I'm happy I don't have to smog my truck! Is all of Arizona like that, because we have a vacation house on the Colorado River and we are across from Parker AZ and I don't see smog certified testing shops there?

[LongBox]

Here in BC, they got rid of emissions testing about a year or two ago. It seems that there were not enough older (polluting) vehicles left on the road to make it worthwhile. Collector vehicles were exempt, except when title transferred to a new owner.

Aside: for years, I drove a 1972 Buick, which, when tuned to specs, ran pretty bad. So, each year, at emissions-testing time, I would retard the spark, increase the idle speed, lean out the mixture screws on the carb, and take it through the test,usually with the air cleaner element out for good measure. Once it passed, I'd reverse all the "tune up" changes I'd made, and the car drove just fine, and got much better mileage.

You do what you have to do, I guess.

[davepl]

We finally got rid of emissions testing for old cars, but I had to get my ZZ502 to pass and it did, fairly easily, against the 1969 standards to which it was being measured. I don't think the 1969 limits are very high, it'd be interesting to know what the 2015 limits are for comparison!

Our trucks can run "clean" for their time, and it makes a big difference, but they're still a far cry from the emission footprint of a modern car. Then again I drive my truck 2% of what the neighbor's Prius drives, so there's that...

[71threequarterton]

AZ appears to have stricter laws than CA? That comes as a bit of a surprise to me.

As has been mentioned, 75 and older are exempt here in CA

I had a 69 Ranchero back in the 90's that I used to take to an old mom&pop shop to get smog tested. The old man said that rebuilt V8 with no emissions equipment ran cleaner than many of the newer cars at the time.

Over the past 20 years I've had a 94 GMC with a 350 that makes me nervous every time I have to get it tested but it has continued to pass - I hope I didn't just jinx it...

And then now, I also have the 71 C20 which is exempt

[Overdriven]

NY used to have the rollers (dyno) for cars that were newer than 20 or 25yrs, but that was only in the NYC metro area. After they made all the inspection shops buy the $30k+ setup they abondoned it within 5yrs. That whole thing was California inspired and turned into a fiasco NY style. Now ODB2 gets plugged in, everything else just gets safety. I assume you're supposed to have the emissions stuff but as long as you don't go to the bigger chain repair shops nobody is going to give you a hard time. At least that's what I hear from guys running carb'd big blocks sans cats in 90's vehicles.

[LongBox]

The way I see it, a good, clean running Big Block is kind of like a clean-air vacuum machine--it sucks in a helluva lot of dirty air, burns it cleanly, and spits out nice clean air from the pipes.