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zaidigonzo
Samba Member
Joined: July 30, 2006
Posts: 305
Location: Punta Gorda, FL
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 Posted: Fri Feb 18, 2011 1:21 pm Post subject: removing cali smog stuff on 79 mexican beige westy? |
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Im not sure what stuff can be removed. The bus now lives in florida with no plans of returning to any smog state. Id like to remove the cat converter,, egr, smog pump and stuff like that. Keep the canister though. Im not sure what the 79 cali bus has or doesnt have as far as smog equipment. Any info or help as to what to look for and how to remove safely? Will I need a new exhaust? Current one has no leaks but is pretty rusty. Thank you.
I believe it has a 2liter engine
compression numbers:
#1: 116psi
#2: 115 psi
#3: 103 psi
#4: 107 psi |
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SGKent 
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Joined: October 30, 2007
Posts: 41031
Location: Citrus Heights CA (Near Sacramento)
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| Posted: Fri Feb 18, 2011 1:39 pm Post subject: |
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| with no plans of returning to any smog state |
Just because it went away in 2000 doesn't mean it won't be back. And, who says the buyer of your vehicle won't be from out of state or in a couple of years you won't have an opportunity elsewhere. One Cat 5 hurricane in the rght place can change your life in 24 hours.
Besides, it is a Federal penalty and last time I checked EPA had offices in FL. Thanks for posting your intentions clearly so some Federal EPA officer can use it against you.
BTW - if the compression numbers are with the engine warm and recently run, all valves adjusted, then you might want to start saving coins. You should be 120 -135 per cylinder on that engine in good shape. 85 is the low limit in Bentley although my experience is that any engine below 100 is worn out (doesn't mean it will break or fail, just means don't expect the most from it and watch the oil consumption. With blowby you can puke a whole lot of oil quickly up a long grade.)
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Last edited by SGKent on Fri Feb 18, 2011 1:47 pm; edited 2 times in total |
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busdaddy
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Joined: February 12, 2004
Posts: 51152
Location: Surrey B.C. Canada, but thinking of Ukraine
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| Posted: Fri Feb 18, 2011 1:40 pm Post subject: |
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I'm not sure there's anything you'd want to remove, it all works together as a system. I guess you could replace the cat with a cat eliminator pipe but if it ain't broke............
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Randy in Maine
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Joined: August 03, 2003
Posts: 34890
Location: The Beach
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| Posted: Fri Feb 18, 2011 2:05 pm Post subject: |
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| The engine wants an O2 sensor input. |
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zaidigonzo
Samba Member
Joined: July 30, 2006
Posts: 305
Location: Punta Gorda, FL
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| Posted: Fri Feb 18, 2011 2:16 pm Post subject: |
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Ok. Where does the O2 sensor go?
Any place i can get a new cat. Not sure how to know if current Cat is good..
Thank you. |
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Randy in Maine
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Joined: August 03, 2003
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Location: The Beach
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SGKent
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Joined: October 30, 2007
Posts: 41031
Location: Citrus Heights CA (Near Sacramento)
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| Posted: Fri Feb 18, 2011 3:29 pm Post subject: |
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if the bus runs and climbs hills fine, you don't need a new cat. Next time you have it off shine a light through it and see if you can see the light through a screen like effect. If you can it is open. I run a cat on my 1977 bus and I can pull through to 5,000 RPM. The exhaust breathes as designed.
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germansupplyscott
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Joined: May 22, 2004
Posts: 7093
Location: toronto
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| Posted: Fri Feb 18, 2011 8:05 pm Post subject: |
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the only smog equipment on a CA '79 is the catalyst. no egr, no air pump. '79 CA has a funny cat, not like the '75-'78 where you can replace it with a pipe. i don't love the '79 CA exhaust - it puts the cat right below the left cylinder head.
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zaidigonzo
Samba Member
Joined: July 30, 2006
Posts: 305
Location: Punta Gorda, FL
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| Posted: Sat Feb 19, 2011 6:30 am Post subject: |
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| Soooo. If i "couldnt" find a cat replacement , who sells a full header exhaust system that will work on my 79? |
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germansupplyscott
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Joined: May 22, 2004
Posts: 7093
Location: toronto
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| Posted: Sat Feb 19, 2011 7:13 am Post subject: |
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you could make a cat pipe but none is available. if you had a '78 CA bus you can remove the cat with a stock off-the-shelf part.
the only full systems i have seen for that engine are high dollar. you have square port heads for one thing. there are some from germany, you could probably get something made in the US. you'll be over $1.5K for this type of exhaust. full systems (right to the head) for a type 4 bus are not common. BAS and CSP i believe both make something.
if it were my bus in your situation i would get a '79 federal left heater box and then use a collector/muffler type exhaust that attaches to the heater boxes.
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pittwagen
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Joined: November 08, 2005
Posts: 766
Location: North of the 49th parallel
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| Posted: Sat Feb 19, 2011 10:47 am Post subject: |
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I have a couple of questions/comments.
germansupplyscott wrote:
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| if it were my bus in your situation i would get a '79 federal left heater box and then use a collector/muffler type exhaust that attaches to the heater boxes. |
Where would you be mounting the O2 sensor in such a case if you were removing the converter, left heater box and crossover pipe?
My system was rusty (not rusted out) so I took it apart, cleaned it and repainted it and put it back together with a turbo muffler and 10 months later, all apears well. Added a new O2 sensor as well.
If your converter is toast, buy a new one. They are not that expensive. The one I bought is likely not approved for use in California but --- I will be polite and say no more.
Like others have said, your compression may be an issue and I would be resolving that before looking to get rid of all or part of the CA emissions.
If money is no object, have at it. My thoughts.
Last edited by pittwagen on Sat Feb 19, 2011 12:38 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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Randy in Maine
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Joined: August 03, 2003
Posts: 34890
Location: The Beach
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| Posted: Sat Feb 19, 2011 10:47 am Post subject: |
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I think I have a pretty new cat/exhaust from my 79CA bus out in the shed (I did not use it with the Camper Special).
If you get stuck, let me know. |
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Amskeptic
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Joined: October 18, 2002
Posts: 8568
Location: All Across The Country
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Dearindeed
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Joined: November 05, 2010
Posts: 22
Location: Southeast
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| Posted: Fri May 13, 2011 9:08 am Post subject: My friend has this smog pump that he wants to remove |
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| This is less reassuring than the car journalists would have had me think. They hold all the regulations in contempt, but it looks like actually working on these bugs/features involves conformity to requirements. I have firsthand experience of the gravity of monoxide compounds in my air tank, but I would think hope of getting a megasquirt system would preclude the need to keep something what looks like it eats as much power as an AC compressor. I hope homeland security isn't sharing record of my google searches on this topic with the EPA. I sent the mail order guy at Bob Hoy a hundred-twenty bucks for an EGR filter 20 years ago and I still haven't gotten anything from them. |
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