Passing Emissions in Arizona

[Zacharysayre]

I have an 1835 with a weber progressive carb. Don't know much more than that about the engine. It has been tuned and tweeked by a VW garage. but it doesn't pass. It does seem to run a little hot. Carb has been rebuilt.

Any suggestion on what to do.
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If it ain't steel, it ain't real

[Randy in Maine]

Get out the emissions read out and go here to compare

http://www.interro.com/techgas.html

[Zacharysayre]

Here's my readings.....

Hydorcarbons load 218 standard 500 -- pass
Hydrcarbons Idle 625 standard 500 -- fail

Carbon Monoxide load 4.11 standard 4.20 -- pass
Carbon Monoxide Idle 7.28 standard 5.50 -- fail

It will pass all of the tests at the garage. I drive just over one mile to the testing site and there it fails.

Thanks for the link.
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If it ain't steel, it ain't real

[Randy in Maine]

What distributor do you have and how do you have it timed?

Heat risers working?

[Zacharysayre]

not sure about timing, garage set that. It still has the stock dstributor. No heat risers
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If it ain't steel, it ain't real

[Desertbusman]

So just drive the one mile back to the shop and have them sniff it again. If it shows good when they check it again and the readings are the same, it would show you that the engine hasn't changed. If they set it all to pass, and it didn't, they must have a problem with either their instrumentation or their adjustments. But if you paid them to set it to pass, they owe you. They should be able to get it dialed in so that any small fluctuations will still be in the good range.

At the testing station, they have a listing of their recommended shops. Is your shop on that list?
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71 Superbug
71 Westy

[Bruce]

[61 BUS]

In order to pass your emissions test, you'll need to do a couple of things. If you retard the timing a few degrees and increase the idle speed, that will fix the HC issue. To fix the CO problem, you'll need to lean out the mixture. Since you live in Arizona (like I do), bear in mind that you'll need to do this test every year, so I recommend that you don't rely on your mechanic to do your tune ups, since it will cost you some buck every time. It's pretty easy to do the adjustments, even without a sniffer analyzer.

[Elysian]

i don't understand why arizona wants such old cars like my 71 to pass emissions... but its ok, i'm only here till june 30th for school, so i'll register it in texas when i get back...
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71 Bug, stock 1600 dual port

[61 BUS]

In Arizona, everything newer than 1966 needs to be emissions tested every year if you live in the Tucson or Phoenix area . This is a real pain in the neck if you have an early to mid '70s car. I have to go through a set of adjustments every year on my 76 Bug just prior to my test, so I've gotten pretty good at it.

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61 Bus, 76 Standard Beetle, 81 Vanagon, 84 Porsche 928, 2000 New Beetle

[Bruce]

[Desertbusman]

Hydorcarbons
loaded 125............standard 500 -- pass
Idle reading 167....standard 500 -- pass

Carbon Monoxide
loaded 0.71...........standard 4.20 -- pass
Idle reading 1.56...standard 5.50 -- pass

My test 6 weeks ago. Very, very little fluctuations in the last 8 annual tests. I don't do anything before the test, just drive it in.
Stock 1600, 009 dizzy, Pertronix, 34PICT3 Solex. I've had to rebuild the carb a couple times but havn't touched the ignition in the 8 years. It failed once, the equipment test. The gas cap needed replacing.

So my question would be about performance engines and how that affects emissions? Does getting it to pass need different settings than having it run good? Stock engines should run good and pass at the same time.

Arizona testing on old cars? Yes, we need it. Polution problems are bad here.

What's the name of the shop?
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71 Superbug
71 Westy

[jnamio]

[gt1953]

To solve your problem move to a Rural County. I know of several people that have propery in Rural AZ. counties and you know what that is where there cars are registered.
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Volkswagen: We tune what we drive.
Numbers Matching VW's are getting harder to find. Source out the most Stock vehicle and keep that way. You will be glad you did.

72 type 1
72 Squareback
({59 Euro bug, 62, 63, 67, 68, 69, 73 type ones 68 & 69 type two, 68 Ghia all sold})

[Desertbusman]

[Bruce]

[61 BUS]

HC readings are highly dependent on the carburetor settings and the timing. On a stock engine, if you're off of the factory setting just a little bit on either one, you'll fail the emissions tests here in Arizona. Both of my "later" model air cooled VWs (76 Beetle and 81 Vanagon) are bone stock, so I've never had to deal with how to get a modified engine to pass emissions. I can tell you, though, that just a small change in the timing will make a big difference in your HC emissions, as I've discovered. Also, for those interested, you will have a very difficult time meeting the CO standard in Arizona if, for some reason, your catalytic converter is not working properly in your '75 or later VW. This happened to me when I first went to have my 76 Bug tested. No matter what I did, I couldn't get it to pass CO. Turned out the previous owner gutted the catalytic converter so that it was just a "through pipe". I bought and installed a new one, and my CO emissions dropped to well below the requirement.

Last year (I think), Arizona looked at adopting a "rolling" emissions law that would exempt vehicles 25 years or older from emissions testing. That didn't pass, so it's still required that all cars newer than 1966 pass an emissions test annually.

For the record, it's not the handful of classic VW's that miss meeting the emisisons standards by a few PPM that are causing the air pollution problem in Arizona. It all of those damned diesel trucks that spew soot and crap and are not subject to the same emissions requirement as the rest of us. It's also the damned SUV's and enormous trucks that these idiots are buying that are also not required to meet the same emissions standards as the rest of us (Rant)

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61 Bus, 76 Standard Beetle, 81 Vanagon, 84 Porsche 928, 2000 Beetle

[gt1953]

I left the VALLEY of the Sun 21 years ago and the skies were starting to get brown/grey, yes it was the Valley of the Sun then but now when I drive down from the high country you can see the brown cloud from Payson. Keep em clean and the air you breath will be better for you.
_________________
Volkswagen: We tune what we drive.
Numbers Matching VW's are getting harder to find. Source out the most Stock vehicle and keep that way. You will be glad you did.

72 type 1
72 Squareback
({59 Euro bug, 62, 63, 67, 68, 69, 73 type ones 68 & 69 type two, 68 Ghia all sold})

[jnamio]

hopefully my new engine (sitting on a loading dock in west phoenix) will end my emissions issues once and for all.

i'd just like to know that the redneck neighbor across the street with the gawdawful chevy pickup with the confederate flag and the blasting crap music is ALSO having to go through emissions yearly. but i know he takes it to one of those shady places on Van Buren, gets it "fixed" to pass, and then adjusts it back to polluting up a storm as soon as his tags are renewed.

[61 BUS]

Remember that the emissions test requirements are based on a percentage of HC and CO coming out of the tailpipe. Therefore, vehicles that get 15 MPG generate twice as much pollution as vehicles that get 30 MPG, assuming the same PPM of HC and %CO.