So I've been trynig to pass DEQ now for a while with no signs of improvement. I have a 79 chev truck with a 350 and a RV towing cam. It has cats on dual exhaust. It runs perfect , but its too rich. One day I went thro DEQ 7 times, never passed. Each time I leaned it out more and more till it was pulsating and running like a bucket. I also tried retarding the timing the same day, and i tried advancing it too, cause my friends all had different opinions. tried both till it was chunky and didnt pass still. I even tried two different stations, cause I heard that not all areas are the same with their tests and equipment. And I tried an additive from Berrymans, Guarenteed to pass or double your money back, fuel additive. didnt seem to help. The tricks I heard of, was stuffing a whole bag of pan scrubbing steel wool down each side in the exhaust. Another was riddling the top of the pipes (facing the undercarrage) of small holes, letting most of the gasses escape. My friend also passed once with having a dumby pipe that they put the sniffer on. Im not sure how realistic that story is, cause hes a big bull shitter. Anyways, any tips, advice or ideas would be a great help. I was told I needed a pro at a shop to put it on the scope and do a pro tune up on it to get it to pass, but I do my own work, built the motor myself, and feel theres something I can do here before paying a pro 100-200 bucks for a scope tune. Thanks again
What do you have for a carb? It might be too big and it might have something wrong with it. You might be able to wire the secondaries shut for the test. Are you just leaning out the mix screws or are you changing jets/rods? Doesn't the test cost you money, whether you pass or fail?
I had a 84 Firbird that had a ton of miles on it and the advice I used at the time was to make sure my oil and filter was changed and to make sure the engine was nice and warm before testing. So I put fresh oil/filter in, some better gas (reg. to prem.) and drove the old girl for half hour to make sure she was hot enough and had them bring her right in for the test as I got there. Doesn't sound like much but it worked for me. As I stated before the Firebird had alot of miles on it(206.000). Good luck!!
Add a air pump, pumping in fresh air to the exhaust pipe, thus lowering your parts per million. Isnt that what the 1980 Pinto did?
I think its a 650 edelbrock, the motor is 30 over and a 274 torque style towing cam. has a noticable idle, so i think the carb is right for the motor, ive had it on there for like 3 years. Im just adjusting the screws and timing. is it possible the screws or jets could wear out or go bad over time? thanks
Rob, whats high on it, hydrocarbons or CO? How far outta range is it? Oregon DEQ is a scam, their testing practices are pretty shady.....Give me some info,I may be able to help. I'm responsible for DEQing a fleet of about 40, so I have a little experience dealing with them.... PM me, I'll try to help.
heres how to pass... buy my DEQ exempt 64 ford truck stored in portland.. cheap.. did i mention this is spam.
Oh, by the way, holes in the exhaust won't work, and your friend with the dummy pipe is full of shit, try either of those, and they'll fail you for "dilution"......
those are really good tips and advice, thanks for everyones input so far. Scott, I PMed you the stats on the HC and CO results, thanks man!
Every 650 Holley I ever bolted on a sbc was too rich. I swear they think yer gonna bolt them on a 502 or something. Sounds like you will need to either jet down or better yet, follow Unk's advice to get it past the damn test. They were just starting that inspection bullshit before I moved outta the Portland area. I knew some guys in S.E. portland that would swap whole engines to pass smog once a year....
You can probably pick up an old Rochester 2bbl and adaptor for pretty cheap and bolt them on for the test. My guess is that the carb is "too big." But never rule out the possibility of a Government Scam!
I had a Quad 442 that did the same thing. The advice I got was to BEAT on the car, get it as HOT as possible, then go into the test station. The key was making sure it was HOT. Dunno why, but it worked. Good luck! PS. Your truck isn't a Bonanza, is it? Jay
no, its a scottsdale. I'll try bits and pieces of everyones advice and see how it goes. Thanks for all the advice so far, again
I work at a shop that does inspections. You might have tougher standards there, but our are pretty tough in Dallas. We try to pass everyone so we do a few tricks. One is to put full vacuum on the egr, not ported. Find a steady vaccuum source and hook it directly to the egr valve if you have it. We also use RXP fuel additive sometimes to help. It's pretty good at lowereing emmisions for a short time. I'm sure you know to get it fully warmed up and make a few hiway passes before testing it.
if you bolt a thin metal plate, with a couple of holes in it, between your headers and exhaust at the flange, you should sufficiently restrict the motor (and kill any usable power!) to pass the test. then, when you come back from the test, it's a case of unbolting four bolts, removing the plates and bolting it back up, and you should be right. won't solve a depper rooted problem of jetting, but should get you past the test.
Besides new oil, getting the engine real hot (might try a hotter thermostat??), clean air filter, raising the idle speed and leaning out the idle mix screws; add several cans of "gas dryer" to the fuel. The gas dryer is just alcohol, but it will help. The alcohol helps it burn cleaner.
we have had testing in canada fer years, and they are sons of bitches about it- all the rodders know to add a litre of methyl hydrate to their gas before the test. 3 bucks at home depot
[ QUOTE ] we have had testing in canada fer years, and they are sons of bitches about it- [/ QUOTE ] I just get a tank of American Sunoco. It will pass no problem,the numbers are real marginal with shitty Canadian gas.
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