Date:         Wed, 22 Dec 1999 23:38:09 -0500
Reply-To:     D Welch <jtdjtd@TIAC.NET>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         D Welch <jtdjtd@TIAC.NET>
Subject:      Re: New EPA rules for gasoline
Comments: To: arbosch@RA.ROCKWELL.COM
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii

In Mass we have a new, expensive and more stringent emmisions test. As
my 92 Nissan Pathfinder ( have to pull a horse trailer so no cheap
shots) hardly passes now, I asked what would happen if I flunked, and he
said if I spend $500 on trying to make it pass and it still flunks, then
I get the sticker anyway. Love it.
Daisy

Alan Bosch wrote:
>
> You may have heard by now the Pres. Clinton has signed in to law a bill that
> will tighten the pollution laws for cars, light trucks, & SUV's.  Included in
> the law is a mandate to Big Oil that allowable sulphur levels in gasoline must
> fall from 300ppm presently to 30ppm somewhere around 2006.
>
> Now, I'm not an expert on this law.  Don't know the details, etc., but I have
> heard the following two points and it has me concerned:
>
> 1)  A spokesperson for some anti-pollution group stated that this is "tremendous
> legislation...it will take 54 million vehicles off American roads almost
> overnight when fully enacted..."  Huh?  Does this mean that any vehicle over X
> years old can not be driven?  Isn't there some kind of grandfather clause?
>
> 2)  The auto industry and the oil refining industry are not fightin this tough
> new law as they previously have other pollution and safety legislation.  If 54
> million vehicles are made obsolete over night, I wouldn't fight it either, for
> one simple reason - $$$$$ - and a lot of them.
>
> (Here's the required Vanagon content)
>
> Is the lower sulphur levels is the next generation of gasoline going to do
> terrible things to our WBX engines?  I seem to recall that there was a lowering
> of sulphur levels in Diesel fuel some years ago.  It supposedly played hell on
> VW, Volvo, MB, and other automotive Diesel engines because the sulphur was
> acting as a fuel system lubricant (?) and the lack thereof caused injector and
> injector pump failure (at least that's how I remember it).
>
> Alan Bosch
> & Phred ('88 Wolfsburg)
> Rochester, NY