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Sun Dec 15, 2002 7:49 pm

I was wondering what exactly is different on busses ('78 in particular) to make it Cal emissions? I thought cal. emissions (on '78) had a goofy exhaust set up, but I've recently got a '78 westy that seemed "regular" and I was just gettin ready to do a tune-up when I notice the sticker on the engine hacth that says (at the very bottom) meets EPA and California ... requirements. So I was wondering if anyone had a short answer to:
1.) fast and sure-fire way to tell the difference on late (particularly '78)busses
and
2.) what would happen I use regular tune-up parts (rotor, points, etc. )for a cal. emissions set up?
Anything?
I thank you all in advance for any sage advice!

--Chris

Mon Dec 16, 2002 11:16 pm

The "goofy" exhaust set up you are thinking about is probably the 1979 California only driver's side heat exchanger. As far as I know the 1975-78 exhaust systems all look the same except that some had a catalytic converter and some didn't. The catalytic converter is in line just before the muffler and after the elbow from the crossover pipe. Not all 78s had a cat, but I'm certain the California models did. It could have easily been removed from a 1975-78 California bus and it would be difficult to notice. You can go to Busdepot.com for exhaust diagrams for both systems. They are very different so it should be easy to tell what you have. There should also be a label inside the drivers door jamb that says "Catalyst" or "Non-Catalyst" bus. You could also remove the ECU next to the battery and check the part numbers. I have a Bus-Boys.com catalog and it lists all the part numbers for each ECU by Federal or California and manual or automatic trans. This number will tell you exactly what you have, but you need to take about 5 minutes to remove the ECU to check. With regards to your tune-up parts I don't think it would make a noticable difference. A couple of years ago I was working on a 1979 automatic California emissions bus. I went to the parts store to buy a distributor cap, rotor, and points and the California spec parts were about 3 times the price that I usually paid. The cap had a dust shield that covered the points and the rotor was a 7,000 RPM rev limited rotor. If you rev your stock bus to 7,000 rpms then you will be floating your valves and points so bad it will shut itself down even without the special rotor. Seems like some of the California busses may have even come with electronic ignition standard which could rev to 7,000, but you would still float the valves. My bus has a 2.0 liter stock engine with hydraulic valves and electronic ignition and the valves start floating at about 6-6,500 and it cuts out. I installed the regular ignition parts on the 79 automatic Cal bus and it ran fine so I doubt you would notice any difference. You could also check your distributor part number with the ones listed in the Bentley to see what your bus has. Good luck.

Tue Dec 17, 2002 2:53 am

gokayaking,
thanks for your detailed and thoughtful response! You're right, I was picturing the "unique" '79 exhaust I had come across in a book. My bus has the 75-78 set-up and yes there is a cat, but I wasn't sure if only Cal. emisssions cars had cats on the '78 model. Is the only difference between Cal and non-cal emissions the catalytic converter? I'll take the time to double check part numbers. My main curiosity was whether the non-cal emissions points, condensor etc. would make a significant difference as I had some of the tune-up parts already. Thanks Again!
--Chris

Tue Dec 17, 2002 7:19 pm

I don't know for certain if other states required catalytic converters in 1978. California was the only one as far as I know. I have seen a lot of literature and various service manuals on busses and the only distinction made were between California or Federal models. Some manuals also refer to "High Altitude" models, but I understand the high altitude equipment was dealer added equipment rather than a separate model designation. I still don't think you will see any measurable difference using the non-Cal ignition parts. As I indicated earlier I used non-Cal ignition parts in a 1979 California automatic bus and it still ran fine. Take care.

Wed Dec 18, 2002 12:13 pm

The gasoline filler restrictor is different.

On CA-spec VW busses from that era, the rubber bit (that accepts the gas nozzle at a gas station) is narrowed so that it will only accept (the narrower) unleaded pump nozzles.

This part is completely inobtanium (it has the same part number but has an "E" at the end) and you cannot smog your car without a good, un-torn one (until the 78's become exempt, that is). Most are old and torn now.

You could borrow a good one until you passed the test, if you want to do that every two years. We used to 'lend' smog parts to each other for our '71's until they became exempt.

(If you do not live in California, the above will mean nothing at all to you.)

Thu Dec 19, 2002 8:05 pm

gokayaking wrote:
quote/
If you rev your stock bus to 7,000 rpms thenyou will be floating your valves and points so bad it will shut itself down even without the special rotor. Seems like some of the California busses may have even come with electronic ignition standard which could rev to 7,000, but you would still float the valves. My bus has a 2.0 liter stock engine with hydraulic valves and electronic ignition and the valves start floating at about 6-6,500 and it cuts out.
end quote/

A correctly equipped Type 4 Bus should only have the 5,400 rev limiting rotor. Anything that even suggests valve float is playing with sudden death issues. The 2 liter engines are even less happy with high revs than the good ol' solid lifter short stroke 1700s.
Colin