CA BAR Test for Smog

[george graves]

The propane trick is easy.

Get your propane torch, a length of tubing and some electrical tape. Attach the tube to the torch to send the gas down the line(don't light it - DUH). Then start your motor and start probing the motor with the long tube. You'll hear the motor change it's idle when you find the leak.

[JoeMadoo]

To be honest I've never heard of that haha, sounds pretty intense...

[george graves]

Yea, a leak will get you. You can try the old propane/starter fluid trick. If it was me, I'd find the leak and then do the following:

3 cans of sea foam. Get the gas tank level down very low. And one to the tank. Start car, warm up. Suck half a can of seafoam (by a vacume line) trying to "choke" the motor with it - shut it down, wait 2 hours. Repeat 3 more time. Then go drive the living shit out of it (you be blowing enough smoke to cover a city block) - Mine took about 30-40 of hard driving till the exhaust ran clear.

Change the oil, and top off the tank with 91+ chevron.

Before smog appointment, get it nice and hot.

I bet you already know these tricks, but maybe someone else doesn't...

[JoeMadoo]

It can be sooo many things.... I can hear a tiny/erratic vacuum leak coming from an unknown location under the FPR, it's really pissing me off because I can't find it, that could cause it definitely though. Maybe some to wires and some octane booster i dunno.

The thing that pisses me off is that at 25mph, everything passed. but at 15mph, NOx more than doubled to like 2100, the limit was around 900.

[euroshark]

On www.firstfives.org in the FAQ section they have a nice article on fixing various emission related issues.

[JoeMadoo]

Haha. It was kinda nerve racking, I didnt know what to expect.

[george graves]

Awesome - you are the FIRST person I've ever met that has actually done it. Usually it's second or third person BS...

[JoeMadoo]

I didnt need any paperwork for the motor, just told him it was from an 88 735i. All I needed was my registration, or the smog renual form works too.

[george graves]

You need to get it "BAR certified". Which means you need to call these people up (got the number from my local smog place) and tell them what you did.

They look to make sure you put all the vacuum lines in the right place, make sure the o2 sensor works, ICV works, all that stuff, it's not too comprehensive though. If everything checks out, which mine did, then they do the sniffer test, which mine didnt pass. Once thats completed they give you a sticker to put somewhere on your car that says this engine now belongs in this car and no-one can give you shit for it. And it's only $38 here in CA.

So in my case all I have to do is lower the NOx and HC emissions somehow and i'll be legal :)

Awesome - thank you. Do you need ANY paperwork showing what car the motor came from? Or do you just say, it's from a Blah blah....and it's all good?

BTW - I'd seafoam your motor, I passed smog with flying colors.

[Farbin Kaiber]

EGR cleaning is in order.

[JoeMadoo]

You need to get it "BAR certified". Which means you need to call these people up (got the number from my local smog place) and tell them what you did.

They look to make sure you put all the vacuum lines in the right place, make sure the o2 sensor works, ICV works, all that stuff, it's not too comprehensive though. If everything checks out, which mine did, then they do the sniffer test, which mine didnt pass. Once thats completed they give you a sticker to put somewhere on your car that says this engine now belongs in this car and no-one can give you shit for it. And it's only $38 here in CA.

So in my case all I have to do is lower the NOx and HC emissions somehow and i'll be legal :)

[george graves]

I'd love to hear about how you made your motor legal...Please share what you had to do.

[JoeMadoo]

slip him a 20 and do it again

Thats whats gonna have to happen.

Well my engine is legal now and everything but I failed the emmisions :(.

But it only failed at 15mph for NOx and HC. So I either need to do some serious reading or pay someone alot of money to fix it.

[speedhop]

if it doesn't...slip him a 20 and do it again ;)

[oldskool3]

Results??