How to pass smog with 550s?

[DeathBeast]

*Well I'm in the bay area ca, and it's time to get smog. (past time really... but anyways)

Will I pass smog with my set up? (2G Mas/255hp fuel pump/550s/AFC)
-Can I tune the AFC to pass CA smog?
-Will I have to do anything special? (Extra lean, Extra rich)

-For the bay area, we don't start going on the dyno until next year right? And how are they gonna handle that with AWD? Do we have to go to a special shop for smog?

Thanx,
DeathBeast

 

[jpolizo]

Go to a place that will do a pre-test. If you pass, then just have them do the real thing. If you don't, then develop your strategy from there.

I don't know about the Dyno, I'm in Santa Cruz and we don't have it here, yet.

 

[TKreander]

The Easiest way:

Have your gas tank almost empty, then ad some alcohol into your gas tank. Ratio 3/1 would be just fine(3=gas, 1=alcohol). Works every time.

 

[greathuskie]

why are you going to have to go on a dyno?

 

[DeathBeast]

Originally posted by greathuskie
why are you going to have to go on a dyno?

In CA, they're supposed to be going to a system where your car is smogged on a dyno now. I don't think it will be in effect everywhere until next year though.

Thanx,
DeathBeast

 

[ChicagoGSX]

You can probably pass the smog portion of it even with 550s and a cat. As long as you have it tuned pretty well. The inspection on the other hand...

 

[jpolizo]

The visual inspection can be tricky. I've heard everything from them not bothering to look at the cat because the car was too low to getting failed for colored vacuum hose.

What they seem to concentrate on is: the intake (nice to have the K&N FIPK), the egr valve, the charcoal cannister, the little doohicky in the gas tank filler that keeps you from putting in leaded gas, the cat, and making sure the CEL is not on. There are varying degrees of savvy on the part of the techs. One friend had the tech actually note "that's an aftermarket cat" and fail him.

One interesting story is that a guy took his car to the dealer (it was a Mazda). The dealer was able to look at his mods and determined that they did not impact emissions and passed him even though the local smog shop had failed him on the visual.

Assuming the car isn't tuned poorly, you should pass the tailpipe test.

I still say, get a pre-test. If you pass you are set. If you don't they'll tell you why and you either find another shop or you fix what they are complaining about.

 

[ChicagoGSX]

How do they check the EGR and Charcoal Canister on DSMs? Both of these are quite hidden and they'd have to take out the battery are remove the UICP before they can see them.

 

[jpolizo]

Oh, they have these little mirrors and such like a dentist does and they peek around looking for things. Some of the techs are real sticklers for this, others could care less. A friend of mine got flunked (I think on his RX-7) because the tech could not find the EGR valve and that's because it was in an inaccessible location; you can't see it without taking the engine apart.

Yes, the system in California is total BS.

 

[Defiant]

CA has had dynos since '92, depending on population. I went for a smog in Stockton, they sent me home to save me $40 on the test- they were already on dynamometers, but Galt wasn't. They are now, and I know Napa is, too. When I took the Talon in this time, it was exempt from the dyno because of the AWD.
Besides the fuel filler check, they now have to run a pressure test on the system with a special cap. They look for the cataclysmic diverter, and test to make sure the Check Engine light is working, and same for the EGR Valve. He didn't seem to make much notice of the evap cannister, I suspect the system pressurization does some of that.

 

[DSMJim]

Dyno's make passing a test in an AWD car a snap. In Ontario we have strict emissions laws like you do in Cali however we don't have an inspection like you do. If that car passes, it passes. There is no inspection. My car without a Cat and no EGR or anything like that passed the smog check because it's AWD and all you can do is a 2 speed idle test. One test at idle, the other at 2500rpm to "simulate driving" ...

We also have a few tricks in our system. If you can prove that your car is a "Hot Rod" meaning it has a motor swap etc.. they will smog you in a special class that just about any car can pass in, it's pretty pethetic. Our system really is designed to catch 99% of all daily drivers that are over the smog limit, but really not bother the small percentage of hot rod guys much at all which is pretty cool..

 

[jpolizo]

Wow, I like Ontario a lot! A touch of sanity in the smog world.

Actually, CA just defeated a proposal to remove the "30-year rolling exemption". This allows cars more than 30 years old to be exempt from smog laws. I guess Jay Leno got involved because he's a car collector. Someone else pointed out that there were no smog standards for a car built in 1965 etc.

 

[RedTurboEclipse]

hmm..i dont know wit ur fuel mods.. but i posted about my story about Bay Area smog.. and how i passed with all my mods.. TWICE.. one regular.. and one enhanced with dyno but exempt cause AWD.. and no underthe table hook ups.. i was shocked too..

http://www.dsmtuners.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=51417