For all of you that procrastinated about buying your memcal for Speed Density projects...you may now start to cry... go here and enter part # 16151348 (AUJP) http://www.gmpartsdirect.com

So then what's the best thing to use now? The Flash chips?

A chip is only part of the memcal

Unless I'm confused, the whole thing is the memcal, the chip is just the little 1/4 square gizmo that goes on the memcal.

Are there other memcals that can be resourced from the bone yards and converted for use on our cars?

TA

Only 8D for a V8 (speed density) It has to do with the knock module in the memcal. If it isn't right ...check eng. light... and limp mode.

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you got to be kidding me, I am glad that I bought mine from my local dealer for $75

Does this mean there ready for our classic's to go up in value?

Dont be stupid. Carbs are a downgrade for our street cars.
Not to mention not smog legal.

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RWB.

Kinda comparing apples to oranges aren't ya ... so try this feedback quadrjet ohhhhhhhhhh the power since it is a carb .... LOL when it goes bad go to GM and see what they cost LOL ..... you'll drop a nut real quik ..... been there done that a new feedback 1400 bucks .... and always problematic, old style car well no power benefit that I could even imagine over EFI. All the same EFI is the future ... Carbs are for people who can't improvise. ..... Me I would never go back to a carb, granted I have TBI but ya know I just love how it runs in the mountains and runs consistantly every day and starts without pumping the gas pedal 10 times.

Holly Sh** Rwb_s what are you talking about. Dammit don't start this just because of the Carb stuff. Dam what are you thinking. get rid of those words. There aint nobody going down. There aint nothing illegal about tuning our dam cars. I tell the smog tech straight out. Im a straightly built GM Car and make more power than most of the members here.

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Actually it is illegal. FYI. Just nobody checks. Someday... the roller emission test will include a computer scan to make sure the programming isnt modified. Watch, wait, and see.

So whats the deal with the pricing? Its not like it costs them that much to make the damn things. I guess age (15 years! ) and a smog part has caught up with us.

You know I just had my 97 camaro smogged. Whats funny is they plugged something from the smog machine into that diagnostic port. I was actually worried it would fail because when he did this the car started smoking really bad. was kind of a greyish color then it turned to a black color through the whole test. Keep in mind this is a bone stock 3.8. After the test it didn't smoke again nor has it ever done that.

After the test was done I went in the office and asked why the hell did the car do that? his response was did what. I said smoke like that, then I said it failed didn't it. He said Nope it passed with ease!

Wonder if all that smoke caused the car right behind mine to fail LOL.

Granted this is a much newer car then a 3rd gen but I've never seen a smog machine plugged into the diagnostic port.

I've seen them scan for codes.

Don, you might try e-mailing GM Parts Direct and have them double-check the price.

I've encountered stuff like this with them before. They typically group their parts by categories and it can throw off pricing and shipping.

I once ordered a plastic trim piece for a Cadillac rear bumper and the shipping cost was same as for the entire bumper.

I emailed them and they corrected it on their site. They explained the category system they use. All it took was placing the part into a different category.

On the '96 and up OBD2 cars, all they do is plug into the ALDL connector and check for SES codes. If there arent any, you pass. No tailpipe test, no dyno rollers.

Technically, yes it is illegal to modify the computer's programming. But since everything else under the hood is hooked up and working as it should, and the engine blows out cleaner than stock, I dont see it as a problem. We're just making the engine happier than it would be with the stock programming. Other people who are jealous see it as cheating.

However, I dont see a way for them to see if you have a custom chip in the car unless they physically remove the computer and check the PROM. I dont change the broadcast code, so their ALDL scanner will see the stock chip.

Kevin

Your wrong ..... My car had to go through the full test .... sniffer and rollers LOL ..... and no codes were present & my car has to go to a test only everytime.

That's incorrect, my truck has to be smog on the dyno.
That's impossible on OBDI

Eh?
I can scan the data on my prom just fine. No reason the state wont be able to do the same.

Pretty much everyone one of our 3rd gens. is now Test Only from now on. Our cars have hit the magic age number for CA.

I get "Test Only" on my renewal every year a smog check is due. It's been that way for a while.

I think somewhere around the 10-12 year old range is pretty much test only. They dont want people in old cars.

Maybe some can explain this.

Bought mine new in 1997 (a 3.8 camaro) first smog test was in 2003 at a GM dealership and second test only station in 2005 and the third test only .... why was this car not required to be smogged until 2003?

so basically it was 6 years until it was first required smog test and yes it was driven and registered the whole time and yes in california.

because you do not have to smog brand new cars for the first 5 years
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yes you can scan data, and they can do it too if they want to, but the data is not good enough to tell them that eprom has been modified

My dad had a 98 Ford Contour that he had to take to a test only last time (about a yr ago)...

I wonder what the age is for test only... cuz the first 4 or 5 years is smog test free, then you get one or two at a test and repair, and then test only? That just doesnt seem to make sense to the test and repair stations...

Unless I am looking at it wrong (which I might)

To add to this, I saw something interesting on the History Channel a couple weeks ago. They have a show called "Boneyards" where they feature different types of wrecking yards — i.e. aircraft, machinery ...etc.

This particular episode focused on auto wrecking yards — Ecology, PAP and so on. They mentioned that something like 95% of ALL new cars are made from steel recycled from old cars.

That means our "old cars" mean money to both the wrecking industry and the auto manufacturers. So, it seems to me there would be a big push to get older cars off the road. It creates material for new cars, plus it stimulates new car sales.

Just something to make you go, hmmmmmm.

Wow... I wonder how many new cars they can make out of 1 old car....



HAHAHA!!!!

But, wow, that sure does make me hate politicians even more....

kinda off topic here ...... but anyone interested in a L-98 Speed density memcal with vats delete for a L-98 memcal with vats?

I bought from a TPI conversion place, however I might change my car to TPI and want vats to stay enabled.

If you melted an older car down, You could actually make almost 2 cars today because they are mostly plastic or fiberglass.

When the state legislature rescinded the law exempting 30 year old cars from smog testing, they also exempted cars originally sold new in California from smog test for 4 years. Since smog tests are required every other year, that makes the first smog test for a car sold new in California due in the 6th year of ownership. You get a smog test anywhere in the 6th and 8th year, then you hit the 10 year anniversary that requires "test only." Personally, I prefer to pay the extra for "test only", when the smog tech is not allowed to work on the car, they are not tempted to mess with it in order to sell you repairs. A $9.95 smog test "deal" isn't so good when it comes with $200.00 worth of repairs that the tech insist are needed before he will pass the car.

Regarding you original question about the black smoke during your test, I suspect the tech was activating your egr system to see if egr worked. If the egr is turned on when it isn't needed, you will get exhaust gas replacing air and the engine will go dead rich-black smoke. If your car did not smoke, it probably would have failed on the spot with instructions for you to go get your egr fixed.

And since you dont list what year or type of car (or truck, Ivan) you have, how am I supposed to respond?

I have heard from friends and read elsewhere that says OBD2 cars just have an ALDL test. Of course, now I cant find it on the CA smog check website.

Chris, how is a smog tech going to read the prom from the ALDL port? All the ALDL shows is the service code. I highly doubt any of them is going to remove the computer from the dash and put the memcal into a device, read it, and compare it to stock.

Kevin

I just smogged my 2000 Z28 yesterday, I diddn't see the tech plug in anything under the dash, though I could have missed it, but he did do the sniffer and roller tests.

Edit: A couple years ago I had to smog mom’s 2002 Buick before I sold it, and it also got the sniffer & rollers. So I think the ALDL check only info must be in error.

Sure you can. If the commanded timing does not match commanded timing from an OE BIN given the data logged, you're red flagged. Creating software to do that would not be that complicated at all. You could do the same for the fuel. Besides that, if it requires pulling the chip to read and do a BIN compare to make sure its not changed from stock (and if you read around enough there are other ways to skin that cat) you can bet they will mandate it just like everything else. They expect smog techs to make sure vacuum lines are not blocked internally (like if a person is attempting to disable a device via a BB or the like), no reason they wouldnt do the same for a computer chip. I know many of the nasty tricks that people from the BAR do to test shops, a place I worked a BAR guy came in on a regular basis and after he got to know me he would spill some beans every once in a while on how they busted some smog tech on some pathetic overlooked item.

I dont like test only. Its one step away from state controlled, yet again. The whole purpose of test only is to fail vehicles. Go read the reports and white papers, its in black and white. In practice test only doesnt work, but the state doesnt know or is denying that fact just to keep it in place... probably to appease the EPA. Its also usually some yokel I dont trust with my car, rather than my friend down the street that I know will treat my car right. Leave it to a mechanic I dont know to rip a seat and deny it.

the most feeble attempt I ever saw was at a friends shop where some out of state guy brought in a elcamino. I'de say it was a 85 maybe. Well this was long ago. Anyways he was checking the car out, yep check engine light works but underhood no electronic stuff, and alas a holley carb under the air cleaner LOL.

this clown used a oil pressure switch to trigger the check engine light

instant fail on everything lol.

I bet with a test only you could get a holley through without a problem

I doubt it. I have seen them get out the book and follow the vacuum line routing and check for all devices.

Most of them do just enough to cover 90% of the vehicles smog stuff. One test only guy was talking to a buddy of his and in his first 2 years grossed over $400K doing test only.

Chris and I took diff vehicles to the same test only and one of the items on the printout was 1 point below the max allowed, thought that was strange.

On the 97 T Bird my smog guy plugs into the computer test port.

I can understand that the gov is trying to save the world by cutting down on vehicle emmisions. But, is really necessary since industrial pollution has a greater impact on the world. Or, does it?

I am surprised that they don't do a R-12 or R-134a check to ensure your A/C isn't leaking so it doesn't screw up the O-Zone layers..

Lets go even further to say, Your car has a leak and oil is dripping from the rear main or diff... Your oil will eventually make its way to some lake and might with a 1 in a trillion chance deform some amphibian that might be close to extinction

Or Wow!!!! Another great one.. Noise pollution from Stereo's or Exhaust.

It's Endless. Sorry to get off the subject.