1982 failed Cailifornia emmisions
Thread Starter
Instructor
Joined: Sep 2005
Posts: 110
Likes: 13
From: Grand Island NY
1982 failed Cailifornia emmisions
Recently moved to California and took my 1982 to smog today and it failed. The car is all original 43000 miles. Runs great no codes etc. Everything is original including the cat converter. Doing some research and my engine code is zba which is not a California compliant emmisions code zbc and zbn are. Does this mean I will not be able to pass California emmisions?
Team Owner
Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 53,648
Likes: 878
From: Southern Cal Ca
St. Jude Donor '22
Recently moved to California and took my 1982 to smog today and it failed. The car is all original 43000 miles. Runs great no codes etc. Everything is original including the cat converter. Doing some research and my engine code is zba which is not a California compliant emmisions code zbc and zbn are. Does this mean I will not be able to pass California emmisions?
Le Mans Master
Joined: Oct 2000
Posts: 8,897
Likes: 1,357
From: Santa Ana CA
Recently moved to California and took my 1982 to smog today and it failed. The car is all original 43000 miles. Runs great no codes etc. Everything is original including the cat converter. Doing some research and my engine code is zba which is not a California compliant emmisions code zbc and zbn are. Does this mean I will not be able to pass California emmisions?
Worst/(best) case scenario is that you end up updating the engine to a more modern version ensuring that you take all the required smog equipment associated with that engine (think LS). This is an acceptable alternative, but again, talk to the referee first.
Race Director
Joined: Jul 2004
Posts: 12,706
Likes: 329
From: Scottsdale Arizona
Before going any further, you need to understand why you failed. Emissions? Missing equipment? Obviously each has a different fix.
Pure speculation, but I’d guess it’s the cat if the car is running well. The stock cats perform very poorly.
Pure speculation, but I’d guess it’s the cat if the car is running well. The stock cats perform very poorly.
Team Owner
Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 53,648
Likes: 878
From: Southern Cal Ca
St. Jude Donor '22
it is all speculation until the reason why.
when getting a smog;
engine should have clean oil
new filters
timing and idle set to spec on sticker
car must be hot.
the cat conv must be hot.
always drive car on freeway to get it hot.
don't let it cool while waiting turn for sniff.
when getting a smog;
engine should have clean oil
new filters
timing and idle set to spec on sticker
car must be hot.
the cat conv must be hot.
always drive car on freeway to get it hot.
don't let it cool while waiting turn for sniff.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 6,743
Likes: 1,385
Post your results. Redact whatever you don't want out publicly. Some folks have been dealing with this for 30+ years. There already allowances for non-california cars.
Recently moved to California and took my 1982 to smog today and it failed. The car is all original 43000 miles. Runs great no codes etc. Everything is original including the cat converter. Doing some research and my engine code is zba which is not a California compliant emmisions code zbc and zbn are. Does this mean I will not be able to pass California emmisions?
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Le Mans Master
Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 6,743
Likes: 1,385
Here is a couple of generic lists for Hi CO.
https://www.smogtips.com/failed-high...onoxide-CO.cfm
http://www.auto-repair-help.com/auto...st_failure.php
Was that failure at Idle or at Speed? Hope that makes sense.
https://www.smogtips.com/failed-high...onoxide-CO.cfm
http://www.auto-repair-help.com/auto...st_failure.php
Was that failure at Idle or at Speed? Hope that makes sense.
Last edited by carriljc; May 19, 2018 at 02:29 PM.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Oct 2000
Posts: 6,362
Likes: 30
From: Oak Harbor WA
My guess is you'll see that it failed for the NOX count. There are many reasons an older car will fail for this reason, some are solved by a new modern 3way catalytic converter. Just keep in mind that you'll need to source a cat that is CARB approved (these are referred to as triple types, instead of the 49 state double types). I think Magnaflow makes one.
Before you buy any parts or pay for repairs you should try a few things first.
Did you fail at a TEST only station or a TEST and Repair? Lets assume you do not have a vacuum leak or exhaust leak, the smog pump is working and the EGR system is fine as well. Ensure car gets up to temp by driving it at freeway speeds for 20 mins or so. Oil was changed recently, filters are fresh, timing is spot on per the sticker.
There is a reason that chevy only sold the 305 engine cars in California instead of 350 across the board, because of emissions. But this was back then when the tech wasn't as good. Reason why a removable 3way cat might be the best use of your money. Still need to make sure the engine is fine before the investment.
Seeking the referee might be the best idea to start with but don't expect too much help.
Before you buy any parts or pay for repairs you should try a few things first.
Did you fail at a TEST only station or a TEST and Repair? Lets assume you do not have a vacuum leak or exhaust leak, the smog pump is working and the EGR system is fine as well. Ensure car gets up to temp by driving it at freeway speeds for 20 mins or so. Oil was changed recently, filters are fresh, timing is spot on per the sticker.
There is a reason that chevy only sold the 305 engine cars in California instead of 350 across the board, because of emissions. But this was back then when the tech wasn't as good. Reason why a removable 3way cat might be the best use of your money. Still need to make sure the engine is fine before the investment.
Seeking the referee might be the best idea to start with but don't expect too much help.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Oct 2000
Posts: 6,362
Likes: 30
From: Oak Harbor WA
See if you can get a reading from the O2 sensor. It may be lazy or bad.
Not sure if there are any adjustments that can be made to the Crossfire system. Research here will answer that question. Perform a complete tune-up before the retest.
Not sure if there are any adjustments that can be made to the Crossfire system. Research here will answer that question. Perform a complete tune-up before the retest.
Race Director
Joined: Sep 1999
Posts: 11,361
Likes: 383
From: Plano TX
First things first: You were wondering if your car can ever pass CA smog. Since you failed with 5% CO, the answer is yes. 5% CO is not normal at all. Even a hot-rodded car with no emissions controls at all can easily be tuned below 2% CO.
The #1 suspect with 5% CO would be the O2 sensor. Another possibility is the coolant temp sensor. I believe these early cars had 2 sensors, one for the gauge and one for the ECU. So the ECU sensor can be bad and the ECU thinks the motor is cold, running it rich. And this can be the case even though the gauge is working normally.
This is a crossfire TBI, I take it? If so also look down the throttle bodies after cycling the ignition (engine off) and look for leaking injectors.
Edit: Running rich for while will have finished off the catalytic converter (if it wasn't mostly dead already from age). Once you have the rich condition fixed, consider replacing the cat. It will further clean the emissions, but most of all you'll find a lot of power that was missing.
The #1 suspect with 5% CO would be the O2 sensor. Another possibility is the coolant temp sensor. I believe these early cars had 2 sensors, one for the gauge and one for the ECU. So the ECU sensor can be bad and the ECU thinks the motor is cold, running it rich. And this can be the case even though the gauge is working normally.
This is a crossfire TBI, I take it? If so also look down the throttle bodies after cycling the ignition (engine off) and look for leaking injectors.
Edit: Running rich for while will have finished off the catalytic converter (if it wasn't mostly dead already from age). Once you have the rich condition fixed, consider replacing the cat. It will further clean the emissions, but most of all you'll find a lot of power that was missing.
Last edited by zwede; May 19, 2018 at 02:55 PM.
Team Owner
Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 53,648
Likes: 878
From: Southern Cal Ca
St. Jude Donor '22
he is basically running rich.
temp sensor could be saying engine is cold.
don't know the op's skill set but nothing that can't be tracked down.
Burning Brakes
Joined: May 2013
Posts: 789
Likes: 129
From: Los Banos CA
Recently moved to California and took my 1982 to smog today and it failed. The car is all original 43000 miles. Runs great no codes etc. Everything is original including the cat converter. Doing some research and my engine code is zba which is not a California compliant emmisions code zbc and zbn are. Does this mean I will not be able to pass California emmisions?