Background: Nov 2, 2001, took Camaro to test station for every-other-year inspection/testing (enhanced) as a stock '86 LG4. Results pretty much the same as in '99 - no visual problems, on the dyno had to go through "2nd chance" extended test, barely passed:
****Reading ****Limit
HC---2.3709-----4.0000
CO--42.9456----45.0000
NOx--1.0767-----8.0000

I took it home, pulled it into the garage, drained the radiator and did the mods in the sig. Only I never hooked up the A.I.R., because: 1) I needed new check valves and was having trouble finding them; 2) the driver's side valve on the headers points to the back of the car while the LG4 manifold version pointed forward; 3) and I was too lazy to do it until I "needed" to.

Well, I needed to this month, so this weekend along with a good tune-up (plugs, wires, cap, rotor, oil & filter change, and carb adjustment), a trip to Ace Hardware for the necessary plumbing, re-installed the A.I.R. system. Took it to the testing station this morning. The mods must have caught their attention, because for the first time, they looked real hard at the under-hood emissions sticker. They must have been satisfied (but the read-out still says, "Year: 1982", "Cyl: 6", "Displacement: 2.8", "Fuel: Gas"). They closed the hood and pulled it onto the dyno. They only ran it for about a minute on the dyno when the computer display said, "Stop Test, Fast Pass Criteria". Results:
****Reading****Limit
HC---0.9291-----4.0000
CO--17.3472----45.0000
NOx--1.0087-----8.0000

So, with apologies for the long post, I can now talk about my "emissions-legal performance mods" with a clear conscience.

 

nice job on getting it to pass so easily. did you rebuild the motor since the 2001 test or is it still the stock bottom end and rings and pistons. what were the problems with the stock motor in 2001 that caused it to just barely pass? looks like it might have been running a bit rich then?

i went trough a very annoying emissions test process this summer here in ontario. because of my mods i would never pass, so i had to do 2 tests and get a "diagnostic" check, and then pay 200 to get a conditional pass. thankfully that is the one and only pass i need to get, as when it is time for the next etest, my car will be older 20 years and is excluded from the test.

 

Still the factory 160k bottom end.

They don't differentiate between idle and cruise emissions, so it's hard to say which was causing the problem. But, I'm guessing it was a combination of a gone cat and the idle mixture not being adjusted properly. For both the '99 & '01 tests, I had tried to adjust the IAB, but the dwell wouldn't go into band. That was before I got learnin' that the mixture screws could be adjusted to improve that.

This time the cat was a "new" Catco (2 years old), and I adjusted the mixture screws from 4 turns & 5 turns out (one each), to both at 2 turns out. It starts and idles just fine this way, but I haven't put the dwell meter on it yet. I do still plan on going through the carb, and will do all the adjustments proper then.

I can get "collector" 5-year plates after the car is 25 years old. As long as I keep those current, I don't have to get emissions. So, I'll have to get tested in '05, it'll be 25 in Nov. '06 ('07 model year) - then it will "qualify" for the collector plates while the emissions is still current. I can invision a BBC under the hood in a couple of years...

 

Sweet deal.

My car failed horribly at first, with CO through the roof on the driving test.

After adding 2 cats to the vehicle, it had virtually no effect on the readouts whatsoever. Woowooo $400 wasted.

It took a freshly rebuilt carb to get through, and even though it
"fast-passed" the idle test, reading ZERO on CO and only like 9 (out of a 267 max) on the HC, it still barely got through the CO on the driving test. Lord only knows why. Hey, anyone know why? =)

All in all, having a smog-legal ride thats a full 2 seconds quicker than stock that still gets the same gas mileage kicks ***.

 

5-7,

If I'm reading your info correctly, you're still using the original cat converter, correct? Apparently, all it needed to do it's job was a little more air. Considering that you now get to drive your car for another few years, it's worth the few bucks you spent on hardware. And since an AIR pump only takes about 1-1½ HP on its worst days, it certainly won't hurt your power production.

Does this all mean that your car passed on V-6 emissions allowances?

 

It was the original factory LG4 cat for the '99 & '01 tests. After the '01 test, I installed a 3" high flow universal Catco along with the other mods. Except that the A.I.R. wasn't returned to function until this weekend (it was on and functioning, albeit with blown check valves, in '99 & '01).

And, yes, I was being held to the '82 V6 standards. I honestly don't know if they are stricter or looser than the '86 LG4 standards. I do know they are stricter than the standards to which my '84 full-size van 305 (LG4!) is subjected (which has a Goodwrench 350 now).

I chuckle when I hear people wanting to remove the A.I.R. pump to save the power it sucks away. In 2000, I was "racing" the car on a regular basis at Bandimere, keeping full records on performance. One week, I decided to take the belt off the A.I.R. pump to see how much faster the car would be. Absolutely no difference. I didn't put the belt right back on, drove it for a week, went to put the belt back on and the pump was seized. I had to put on the one from the LB9 (I had intended to mod per the sig and install) for the '01 test - and it still struggled to pass. That's the same pump that's on there now (after 2 years rest).

 

One "detail" I forgot to mention. For the '01 test, the gal only put the sniffer hose on one tailpipe!

 

5-7,

Wow. You're making this too easy. I can think of a million one-liners for the scenario you just outlined....

As for the truck standards, that's pretty typical. Trucks are allowed higher emissions (or at least, were) than passenger cars. No real surprizes there.

And thank you very much sir for quantifying what I have been trying to explain for several years. Removing the A.I.R. for the sake of more power and efficiency is simply "Beavis & Butthead science". If you need the space for something cool like a turbo or centrifugal blower, that's different, but removing it simply to "clean up" or in an attempt to make power is a fruitless effort that can return to bite the backside of the "modifier".

 

Five7kid,
Thanks for the post that was very informative.I'm in a simmilar situation,I paid a mechanic to install my headers and when the car was ready the A.I.R. was not hooked up.He said he didn't know how to route all the plumming(more like didn't feel like it!).This is something I would like to work on this winter so i can pass emissions,he threw away all the original hoses by the way,so i'm not sure where every thing goes either.If you get a chance would you be kind enough to post some pics of your engine bay so i can get an idea of how you plummed everthing,also where did you end up getting check valves?Mine are shot also. Thank you

 

I needed somthing to throw across the shop, the air pump was handy.

5.7, thats cool about passing by V6 standards. Wonder if we could get V8 test numbers to compare. Someone on the reginal board has to have them it would be very interesting to compare.

 

It'll be a few days before I can post pics. I used 5/8" heater hose. The passenger side was just like stock. For the driver's side, I basically routed it around and through things until it got to the check valve.

I ended up getting the check valves from Checker. About $10 a piece, IIRC.

 

True, but I've had cars where I've installed a high flow aftermarket cat with no tube for the AIR injection. At that point the entire AIR system is dead weight, because the on-time to the exhaust ports is pretty minimal, and most states don't test cold start emissions anyway.

 

During my exhaust system replacement and SLP header install this summer I removed my AIR system. The engine simply looks better that way. My emissions test performed in July was flawless, in fact the numbers were as good as when the car was new. I installed Random Technology cats and while at their facility I asked them about AIR they said they don't advocate removing pollution control devices but, their cats would work fine without AIR. So off it came. I didn't expect any performance gains, and got none. I did gain a cleaner, less cluttered engine compartment.

 

wow its funny, they never ever look under the hood of any of my cars nor my friends, and they're not exactly quiet...

Last year I got the wavier for my e-check, it almost passed by decimal point something, i forget... This year i renewed my plates with my wavier from last year seeing it didnt expire til way after my b-day =]

as for next year, well then i'm sure with my new cam swap and some tweaking on the ole holley along with some other minor pecks, she will pass with beautyful colors.

I hear emissions on cars 96 up i think will be checked through the computer now and no dyno is requierd...

they just hook something up through the ALDL connector and violia.. anyone else hear about that?

 

Forgot to mention: The AIR tubes on the cats are welded shut on my ZZ4. The car passed with numbers cleaner than my LS1 while running on the computer.

AIR is very good if you have a cat that needs it and worthless otherwise.

 

Running rich in the main circuit (either jetted too high, or PV is opening at too high a vacuum).

As to all this A.I.R. talk: I will say that I deliberately did the plugs & wires before putting the A.I.R. back on. I don't even want to think about what it would take to do the plugs as it is now...

 

Thanks five7 .I'll be hittin chcker this weekend!