Date: Tue, 20 Aug 2002 16:59:01 -0700
Reply-To: Steven Dodson <steven@EPOCHDESIGN.COM>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Steven Dodson <steven@EPOCHDESIGN.COM>
Subject: Not passing smog, still... Need help!
In-Reply-To: <004e01c2488e$1cb0cd20$0d00a8c0@LAGOS>
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I'm still trying to smog Inga. I'm planning a diesel conversion for late
spring / early summer 2003, so I don't want to dump a bunch more money into
her.
Here's some history: (skip to "problem" below if necessary, kind of long)
My ex-mechanic had done a pre-purchase inspection on her, said she was
solid, had good compression and was in great condition. One given was she
wouldn't pass smog, he put a new cat and muffler on her tested it with his
smog machine, it passed, so it appeared. A second smog check proved
otherwise. He claimed that the smog facilities machine must be wrong. They
did some checking and said they found some loose wires, blah, blah, spent
lots of time and my money and finally claimed it was fixed and would pass
smog, again according to their smog machine. Took it back for a smog check
and of coarse it failed again. I took Inga to a second smog facility to rule
out the claim of the mechanic, it failed. It was at this point that I
started noticing the tacho problem, which turned out to be the ECU, when
replaced that problem immediately stopped. I have since checked and cleaned
out the idle stabilizer valve and controller, replaced the fuel filter,
cleaned out the fuel injectors (#2 had a questionable spray pattern) and
replaced plugs and wires (plugs were 100% out of spec). A third smog test
this morning netted "FAILED".
My ex-mechanic claimed to have done a lot of stuff, like checking
compression. When I removed a plug, I found that the plug was dirty and gap
was about .070", turned out all of them were like that. Also, the plug wires
were in pour condition. You'd think that if they took the plugs out to check
the compression, they would have seen or noted the plug and/or wire
condition. This leads me to believe that they may not have done all they
said they did during the 2.5 weeks they had Inga.
The problem/s?:
The smog is failing the idle test with HC running between 220-280 (150 max).
If I adjust the CO screw, it corrects the problem, temporarily. It seems to
me that the ECU is seeing a rich or lean mix and is adjusting accordingly.
Just replaced the ECU, so I doubt it could be the cause. Could it be the Ox
sensor? I will test that out tomorrow. When the throttle is released, the
rpms go down to about 1100-1200 for a bit (10-30 sec) and then finally drops
to 850-900. Would the idle stabilizer cause this? I checked it, cleaned it
out really good and checked contacts on the controller, not that it makes a
difference. I found a very small exhaust leak near #3 header (tiny bubbles),
don't think this will effect the outcome much, I will fix it anyway.
I'm a bit puzzled. Any thoughts? Thanks!
-Steven Dodson
Kneeland, CA
"Inga" the 87 Syncro
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