Hello all

[drege]

Info on the 1 year mechanical exemption program: http://smogcheckdeals.wordpress.com/201 ... mog-check/
I get the whole smog thing, almost agree with it, but they need to be more lenient with it here in ca, wa is perfect, I think its 25 years old, ca its 1976 and older, but thats just when they started putting EGR's and shit on cars, not for fairness against older vehicles.
These ______ just want you to trash your beater, buy a new car so they can absorb more money to circle jerk in congress - but I digress.
Next time I'll just pick a smog station farther away from me and just ride 4th all the way there.

[drege]

Runs almost as bad as the blazer did at 5°BTDC/800RPM, 2nd gear was almost not enough to go up a 2% grade hill at 25.
I'm am seriously unhappy with california right now.

[Petros]

you can always move out of the state. I burrowed out and escaped in 1986...

it is not true that "you can check out any time you want, but you can never leave". I have NO desire ever to go back there again. I visit there regularly ONLY because my parents live there, and they are too old to be able to do a move now (but I had almost succeeded in getting them to move about tens years ago).

where i live now there is no smog check, cars over 25 years are even exempt from purchase emissions test, car registration is only $40 a year, and virtually no enforcement of any "required equipment" for any car over 25 years old. And as a bonus, no state income tax either.

[drege]

Seceding from Cali is not really possible right now, I dream about it - really no sh!t, capitol corridor Oregon or Reno, Nv is hard on my mind.
After 3 years I just now have a reputation that nets me work - just today getting lunch with my roofing boss I ran into a dude I was wrenching on cars for and he wants me for some framing in 2015.
I got cap and rotor/wires in the plans for this weekend - suppose I still need to yank the cap and see if I have anything alarming in it, but I haven't even looked at it since I got it. I just ran so well the way it was, I can't believe that california calls for this, and the really disheartening thing is that nationally they are a model, if it happens in cali; its only a matter of time until other states follow suit.

[tercel4wdrules]

So if I understand this correctly your vehicle is failing due to high HC (unburnt fuel)? The last smog test place I took my 84 failed it because the rpm was 'out of tolerance' so it failed the timing check. I lowered the idle quite a bit (probably down to 600 rpm, although my car has manual steering). I only drove it a little over a mile to the smog check place the next day and had no problem passing. Places I take my car I know the guy, so they don't hassle me about the small details. They give you +/- 2 degrees on the timing. I think most of these cars pass with the timing at about 4 degrees BTDC. My catalytic converter doesn't have too many miles since I last replaced it, so that probably helped. What are the other gas readings - CO%, CO2%, and NOx? The 15 mph part of the ASM test simulates an acceleration load, the 25 mph is the cruising part of the test.

[drege]

@tercel4wdrules;

Screen Shot 2014-11-23 at 3.02.24 PM.png

Also I slowly have been searching out the cheapest LED lights for mine, first I found 194 amber and red bulbs for the side marker lights - pretty happy with them, they are damn bright, but not redicoulously, then I found a $12 pachage with 1 dome light and 2 white 194's for the license plate light, but then I got the 1157 LED red bulbs for the brake lights, pretty happy with them until one day I noticed something funny, (it was daytime) and I had all running lights off, and I noticed that the cluster clock dimmed as I applied the brakes, I kept watching it until I realised that the clock is wired to dim when you put on the running lights =/- headlights, I stuck my head out the window and sure enough my marker lights were coming on with the brake lights, same goes for the lincese plate lights.
So it seems that something about how these dual circut LED brake lights (1157) are designed shares voltage back into the "parking light" circut.
While this is not really a problem it is mildly irritating to know that my whole car acts like a brake light except for the headlamps when I am using the brakes; what suggest you oh my fellow terc owners? Rewire the brake/parking light circut to isolate the current? replace these LED lamps with another style? Try shaving the nubs off the barrel and rotating the bulb 180°? go back to incandescent? (NO . . . )

Also took my headlight lens off today and stripped all the JB weld off wit ha wire wheel and I'm applying semi clear epoxy in its place, hope it doesn't yellow.

[drege]

After a cap/rotor and new wires +fixing a blown out TVSV hose and more fiddling with the idle screw(s - found one on the front of the carb right near the fuel float level window) its running a little better.
Though the plug wires and cap rotor contacts I had some odd readings with my multimeter in continuity mode, one was 14xx two were 15xx and one 16xx - Spose I could have checked the new cap and wires for comparable continuity, but its such a pita to get the cap off the distributor, have to use a 8mm wrench, socket and a screwdriver.
Have to bum the idle up 25RPM's though and recheck/reset timing so I may as well do it at that point.

How likely is it that just that vacuum leak off the TVSV was a major contributor to its smog failure?
Pretty high I imagine.

[Petros]

a vac leak allows it to run very lean, and not all of the fuel burns along the edges of the combustion chamber, so it makes the unburned HC reading go up (it is not obvious that running it lean would mean more unburnt fuel). A lower combustion chamber temp means fuel does not burn all the way. It would also account for the weak power out put. And it will usually want to stall just off idle, and it will be hard to get it to stable idle at lower rpms (you usually end up with a high idle speed).

the throttle adjustment on the side of the float bowl is not for idle speed, it should be backed all the way off so it is clear of the throttle shaft fitting. It is vac operated devices that prevents the throttle from slamming shut when you drop the throttle, it prevents the vac from spiking. when you drop the throttle this device should hold the throttle open just above idle for about 2 to 3 seconds, and than back off to normal idle speed. It usually does not affect drivablity, unless it is screwed down too far (it just has the sometimes annoying effect to make the throttle slow to return to normal idle speed). It is it is set too far back sometimes the ending wants to stall out, or almost stall out, right when you drop the throttle back to idle from faster running speed, set too tight or too far open, it iwll not allow it to return to idle speed at all.

When all of the various systems are not workng properly, or you have a vac leak in the system, there will be something within the operating system, or in certain operating speeds, that does not want to behave properly. Get it all fixed and it will run well.

[drege]

WOW great info, thanks a million!
Yea I backed that screw off to about 2mm from flush with thread holster.
I do however hate that delayed return to base idle, I usually tune by ear; steady acceleration to 4000RPM then test snap rev (full throttle and allow butterfly's to slam shut) Had a lot of lubing to do to it as if was holding up at 1200RPM after I adjusted the idle down to 800, a lot of deposits on the shaft and springs it was binding.

[Petros]

what I find amazing is the fact that a 30+ year old toyota will still meet california strict emissions standards at all. It always amazes me that there are still licenced TErcel4wd in California at all, and we have a number of forum members there too.

For those that do not know, all three, CO, HC, and NOx emissions have to get checked at idle, and intermediate speeds, and at high speeds (different engine loads) on a chassis dyno for the car to pass. Also, the car, engine and emissions systems also has to meet a visual inspection, so even if you pass the smog test, if there is anything that is not stockon the engine (even the exhaust pipe) that is not state approved, the car also gets rejected.

There is no allowance for age, California figures they want all the old "gross polluters" off the road, so no exemptions regardless of value or age of the car. so you can not just put after market parts on the car to keep it running, either it has to meet factory specs, AND pass the test, or it is the crusher for your car. Or you can sell out of state, (or sell it up here and get good money for it).

So congratulations, your aging Tercel4wd still meets California's strict standards. Your Tercel is state approved!

[drege]

Not to mention all the crap they put in fuels now that pretty much destroys the car from gas cap to catalytic converter, rubber grommets, cork and paper gaskets, tungsten steel piston rings, sink plated fuel lines.
And thats not just california, Like a dealer cutting dope, the end product is rarely usable.

[drege]

Tested 215 on HC today, over 111 ponts higher than last time, but I didn't have it on the freeway at all prior to the test.
But it was $51.70 and I can retest it as many times as I want for the next 30 days and when it passes the slip is like 2 dollars.

But it started hard just around the corner, I just don't know anymore . . .

[drege]

Finaly passed. Dude said free retests for 30 days, if it passes it costs $10.
I drove home (6.8 miles) rode the shit outta 4th gear averaging 3650RMP and drove back again, it passed with 124 of 130.
Still runs like shit though, first thing tomorrow I'm putting the timing back to 10°BTDC.

[Gottolovem]

SWEET
I knew getting that cat good and hot would help

[drege]

Rewathing breaking bad in celebration of Kodama's clean bill of health, actualy just because.