Hello all.

Just came home from the TestOnly. I used the same place as I did for the other car, as the test was lightning fast and they were more concerned with the numbers than third-degreeing my car.

Passed very close on NOX and HC (actually, I hit the 108ppm limit on HC) and passed the fifteen-minute vacuum line check. I think the tech actually killed a fresh set of batts on the car.

"Now for the shame" (movie reference): Gas cap. That part failed and I had the honor of buying a $15 non-locking unit. It beats leaving, fixing mine and getting the retest, but what a mess. The pricing on the price placard inside read "$10 and up" but figure the odds of any cap being ten bones. I especially enjoyed hearing "Oh, good luck" when I mentioned that I would probably just re-ring the perfectly good cap. And the die was cast...

Now for the tech. After being told "Most people just keep their locking caps and put them back on after the test" (No kidding? Really?), I drove home and effected the repair. For a locking gas cap on these cars, two AS-568 O-rings will do the trick, easily replacing the single, odd-a$$ grooved piece that comes with the cap. The dims on the rings: 1.5" ID, 1.875" OD, 3/16" cross section. Wind a pair of the little bastards on and you will have a REAL seal. Yes, the cap is still easy to lock and unlock.

I hope this helps someone who is about to undergo the night-in-Turkish-Prison that is the Test Only. Funny how I liked it when it was a breeze. Why lie, I'm fickle with outsourced vehicle labor...

Peace,

K

 

yeah i hate this emissions bs. I think there should be some way that they differentiate between a broken down old crappy vehicle that shouldnt be on the road and a performance car that just puts out more emissions then a 4 banger.

EDIT: i just realized my post was kind of off topic but just part of my rant on why i hate emissions. What i dont understand is okay lets say your vehicle came equipped with a cat there for your car must have a cat. However if you came in with your car and didnt have a cat but it did pass the emissions test you would still fail because you didnt have a cat. I think its time to raise the flag on that one

 

Just wait. They are trying to make CA laws the standard for smog testing all over the country. Pretty soon we will all be looking for carb stickers on our parts. is what I think that is.

 

Then again, the disdain held by other states for how California runs itself may help those who do not live here. I barely passed, and since I have the wherewithal to build a separate "good" engine for each car, I may do just that.

K

 

But for those of us in CA, and the other states that have adopted our emissions laws (suckers ) it could be a good thing, cause then the parts manufacturers would start getting more of their parts CARB exempt. A ton of aftermarket parts won't change the emissions any, but they don't bother getting it certified because they don't think it will improve sales enough to justify the cost. But if every state required it, then they'd have to make a lot more stuff that's street legal for us CA guys. Not to say that the laws we have here aren't totally jacked up, cause they are.