Failed emission test-Please help

[marc s.]

Where I live cars have to pass a yearly emission test which my 61 bus just failed It passed all the driving parameters (HC, CO, NOx) but at idle CO was high and HC were barely within limit.
The bus runs great. It has a new 1600 DP with 20,000 miles on it and a 34 PICT-3 carb bought new a year ago.
Is there a SIMPLE adjustment I could make to improve the idle CO (and perhaps HC)? The stress is on SIMPLE as my mechanical skills are quite limited
Also, I did the test running 91 octane gas. Would switching to 87 octane improve emissions at idle by allowing an earlier/more complete combustion?
Many thanks in advance to any kind soul willing to help.
Marc.

[The Noof]

Lean out the idle mixture:sounds rich at idle.Hard to know exactly where you are without a gas analyzer.

[spook]

look for a slight air leak at idle, then retune your carb after you find and fix that.
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[The Noof]

[nikita]

Back off the timing at idle. A '61 was never designed to pass any emissions test, so initial timing was 7.5 degress BTDC. When the factory had to meet emissions standards starting in '68, it was moved to TDC (0 degrees). When I was in engineering school, I did a test on my '67 in the automotive lab. Initial timing made a huge difference in CO and HC, without even touching the mixtures. At 10 BTDC it was 1200ppm HC!

Every other year I have to do the same thing to a Dodge in order to get it to pass. And dont go for the 91 gas, 87 actually is better for the test. If you have the option of using E10 or straight gasoline, go for the E10.

Where do you live that a '61 is tested? Even the Peoples Republic of Kalifornia doesnt do that!

[nikita]

Duplicate post.

[sactojesse]

^
Agreed. If your 1600 DP has an 009 distributor, it's probably set at 7.5 degrees BTDC, whereas a stock vacuum advance distributor would have been set at TDC. It got so bad that 73-74 U.S. spec beetles were set at 5 degrees ATDC to pass idle emissions standards. Then the catalytic converter and fuel injection came in 1975 beetles.

I also echo the comment regarding emissions testing for a 61 bus. Where do you live? That seems grossly unreasonable to me. Even at its worst point, CA only required emissions testing on model year 63 and newer domestics and 65 and newer imports. That requirement was ultimately rolled back in the mid-1990s and now sits at model year 76 and newer in CA.
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[nextgen]

In New York on my 74 I only have to do a safety test. Check the lights, blow the horn. Give the guy$10 and $5 tip and I am on my way.

I agree with the other guys about the timing. When my car had to pass the Emissions, I not only did the timing but also rejetted from 135 mains to 112s'. Raced around for 10 mins. ( it barely ran ) then did the test and passed. Went around the corner and back with the old jets.

But we are talking 2.0 and 4 barrels.
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[AlteWagen]

Here is a post one of the members of our club put up to help another member pass his 75 FI bus

a very interesting collection of ideas gathered from various sources and from people that had emissions challenged vehicles but found ways to pass the test ...

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emissions components which may be inspected by officials for proper operation:

EGR Valve, Air Pump, Charcoal Canister, EVAP System, Smog Pump, Oxygen Sensor, Intake Manifold, Exhaust Manifold, Fuel Pump, Turbo, Supercharger, Header, Camshaft, Fuel Filter, Air Filer, Oil Filter, Carburetor, Fuel Injector, Preheat Tube, Air Injection, Check Valve, Muffler, Solenoid, Fuel Mixture Solenoid, Catalytic Converter, CAT, Heat Riser, OBD II System, On Board Diagnostics Computer and Vacuum Lines.

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GUMOUT, Emissions Reducer, 12 oz bottle

"at the pump pour the bottle then fill tank .. in this initila tank, emissions may increase as Gumout works to remove deposits and expel via the exhaust .. ran until tank is near empty .. refill tank .. do not perform emissions test until 2nd or third tank where the emissions benefits will show ....."

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make sure your gas tank is only 1/4 to 1/2 full and put 1/2 the bottle of methyl hydrate (fondue fuel) in the tank

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Pour pure (90%+) isopropyl alcohol into your fuel tank, it will help to clean up your exhaust emmissions and get your car through the smog tests that most states currently use. Use two 16oz bottles for ten gallons of premium fuel.

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pour two litres of methyl hydrate into 1/2 tank of fuel

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pour two quarts of pure denatured alcohol into 1/4 tank of fuel

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disconnect the harness from one injector. The engine will only run on 7 cylinders, but it will pump one cylinder worth of air into the exhaust on every cycle, which serves to dilute the mixture from the other cylinders.

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Change oil and leave it a quart low. New oil seals better and low level minimizes the chance of splash onto the cylinder walls. Burnt oil is another source of HC.

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clean the engine. Burnt oil is another source of HC.

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Change the engine oil just before you go to test. Fresh 20/50 seals better than any oil with 50 or more miles on it. The idea is to reduce hydrocarbons (HC),

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leave the tank half full or less. The evap system can be overloaded with a full tank, increasing HC.


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Bring it in real hot from a highway run. The O2 and cat work best when hot and the throttle body is heated by engine coolant, pre-heating intake air.

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Drive it on the freeway for about 10 miles before you go to the test in order to be sure that the engine is at full operating temperature

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put in the highest octane gas you can find, change the oil, and retard the timing slightly (3 deg).

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Just before the smog test fill up with good winter "Arizona" gas. i.e. unoxgenated gas with enough volatility to easily ignite. ("Winter Gas" is more volatile then "Summer Gas".)

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Retard the ignition timing about 3 degrees to help reduce the NOX emissions.

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take out air filter

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Use a low-restriction air cleaner set. Hellings has one about 1/2" thick with metal wire for a filtering medium. It will only filter out large rocks, but it flows very freely.

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Run the fuel tank down as far as possible and refill it just before the test. Fuel has a ‘half-life' and it does not burn as well if it has been in the tank for 90 days or more

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Put in a new set of spark plugs, gapped.
Convert from carbon core ignition wires to the solid core (metal) type.

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Capped off PCV connection to manifold

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make sure the tires are inflated to MAX for the dyno test.

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fuel cap sealing correctly

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blowby/crankcase fumes being re-ingested through the air cleaner and throwing the tailpipe readings way off. reroute the crankcase fumes out of the compartment via a "road draft tube"

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California now requires all vehicles 1996 and up, to communicate directly with the smog machine during the smog test. This is achieved via your vehicle's OBDII Data Link Connecter. As part of the smog inspection process, the smog technician will connect a Data Cable from the smog machine to your vehicle's OBDII Data Link Plug. This cable will deliver important "Check Engine" codes and "Readiness Flags" from the engine's computer system to the state's smog machine. Emissions related failure codes will cause your vehicle to fail the smog inspection. The failure codes will be printed on the Vehicle Inspection Report (VIR) which will be given to you by the smog station.

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IF your CA car is required to go to a TEST-ONLY Station, and it fails, and your car qualifies, you must pay for the 1st $100 of diag and repairs with the State paying the next $500. To qualify, the car has to be yours, not in the process of being sold, a CA car, and it should be unmodified.

If you are low income, then you only have to pay the 1st $20.

[craigman]

Just curious, where do you live? Can't be the U.S.
I live in California and we have the highest emisson standards of the US.

[sactojesse]

[AlteWagen]

One thing that scared me was that the governator was thinking of rolling back the exempt year to 1960 and earlier cars

I heard this back in 2006 when the rolling exemption was stopped. Initially SB42 was to have a rolling year that would exempt cars 30 years or older. In 2005 the rolling year was stopped leaving only 1975 cars and earlier to be exempt.

Prior to SB42 in california cars that were 1965 and earlier were exempt as the first mandated smog control was implemented in 1966. Cars prior to 66 did not have any factory smog equipment.

1961 is pretty early for smog, is there any factory documentation that states the breakdown of the emissions? From what I understand CA was going to go by the factory emission data and hold cars and trucks 61 and later to those specifications, if they did not pass they would be considered gross polluters and subject to seizure and destruction by the state. From what I understood if the car did not pass what the emissions were at the time the car was purchased new (which means you have to have a new condition engine in the car) it would not pass the test.

I hope this stays rumor and the next governor does not get a hair up his ass because of a car buff that lives in his neighborhood and passes law to destroy our car culture in this state.

[craigman]

[sactojesse]

[sturgeongeneral]

Makes me even happier that my buggy is registered to the '56 pan!
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In honor of bowtie56jw:Another victim of the nasty "C" Praying for ya Jeff!

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[Jimmy111]

No somg tests in wyoming.
You can get a plate for almost anything that rolls here. I know people who have plates for their quads and drive them on the streets every day to and from work... Mostly you can drive anywhere.

[Bruce]

[Stuggi]

Now it feels really nice to live in Finland, no smog tests on cars from 1977 or older, and VERY easygoing values for cars between 1978 and 1986. And if you get in a pinch, you can always twist the distributor a bit...
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[XXX/Rx/RnR]

I always failed here in Phoenix. What I had to do at test is remove the muffler and install a catalytic converter. I've passed several years in a row now with no adjustments to the F/I system. After test I put the muffler back on and store the catalytic converter till the next year. If your border line you will pass with no problems.

[nikita]