Date: Sun, 18 Mar 2001 14:25:38 EST
Reply-To: Oxroad@AOL.COM
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Jeffrey R <Oxroad@AOL.COM>
Subject: Re: SMOG CHECK WARNING IN CALIFORNIA FOR VANAGONS! (2)
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII"
I don;t have a conversion in my bus (just the stock 1.9 waterboxer) but I did
just go through the CA smog exam at a "Test Only" station--and passed by a
hair. My bus has always run clean since I've owned it and I was a little
cocky (actually broke) so I took it in fo r the test without tuning it up
jsut before.
So I don't know about conversions but I've heard the engine has to meet the
specs for the year car that it is in--meaning if the vehicke is an 83 it has
to meet that standard regardless of the engine that has been put in it. I'm
not posative that's fact, but if it is I'll send the tolerances allowable on
my 1983 watercooled Vanagon. They check on a dynometer at 15 MPH and at 25
MPH. ( i mention the stats because in NY were I lived before I had the smog
tests results--so if your state tests emissions you may have something to
compare to on an old inspection test.)
In CA on my resent test the allowable:
HC (PPM) 201 @ 15 MPH
CO (%) 1.39 @ 15 MPH
HC (PPM) 118 @ 25 MPH
CO (%) @ 1.19
The CO2 is also measured. Although the print out does not list the maximum
allowable. My bus passed with % of CO2 of 13.9 @ 15 MPH and 14.4 @ 25 MPH.
Then there is an O2 test. Again the maximums allowed are not listed by mine
passed with %O2 of .5 at 15 MPH and .3 @ 25 MPH.
I assume the limits change for each model year. And in fact my 83 is NOT a CA
emmissions vehcicle. While I thought all VWs of the 83 vintage were "50
state" vehicles I guess the CA vehicles had a different emisions system (?).
at any rate my sticker in the engine compartment and in the door say it meets
federal standards but does not mention CA standards.
Now this next part is a gamble. But how would CA know a guy has converted the
engine in his bus to an in-line 4? To register my bus the DMV sends an
inspector to the parking lot of the DMV to fill out a form. The form includes
a serial number of the vehicle (which she had me read to her since she
couldn't see it!). And then she looks at the sticker inthe engine bay to see
if it is CA certified. And then she asked me what model the car was--I says
"Vanagon". Then she writes down the bus is "Yellow" which it sort of is but
my NY title said "Tan". And I think that's it.
There may be a spot for the engine serial number on the form but if there was
she never wrote down my engine's serial number. Her only concern was in the
certification sticker. But I mean this woman didn;t know cars at all and I'm
guessing I could have had a turbine in the engine bay and she wouldn't have
known the difference. But like I said I'm guessing...
And as for the CA certification--and this is just a rnat here. I mean my bus
has to pass the same emissions test that a California emissions bus has to
pass. So where did CA get off charging a $300 non-CA emissions fee to cars
brought in to CA and registered without the CA emissions package? (I know the
fee has been dropped and those who paid can get a refund).
To finish on the DMV it was a typical DMV expereince. I took the written
drivers test to change to a CA liscence which was near impossible to
understand. It's not that the concepts or the laws were in question. It was
just hard to understand what the question was asking.
ie.questions like, and this was a real question:
At a driveway you should leave extra room around your vehicle for:
a. a car pulling into a driveway
b. a car backing out of the driveway
c. a car parked in front of a driveway
So I'm wondering: am I driving my car? Am I parking my car? Is my car in the
driveway? If I leave "extra room" for a car backing out of a driveway should
I cut it as close as possible to a car parked in front of a drveway? Better
yet should I leave perhaps "no room" for a car pulling into a driveway, " a
little room" for a car parked in front of a drive way, and "extra room" for
the car backing up? And what the H@** is "extra room"? I could go on but you
get the idea.
Anyway that's the info I have. I hope it helps in some way.
Jeff
83.5 Westy
LA, CA
In a message dated 3/18/2001 8:28:21 AM Pacific Standard Time,
kitzmann@EXIS.NET writes:
> The smog check in California thing has me thinking. I'm moving to CA next
> year and my van has a 1.8L conversion. I'm wondering how many list members
> have conversions in CA and how much trouble they went through to get
> certified. What about all the slightly modified components like airboxes
> and such?
