Failed smog again -- does it get any more ridiculous than this?

[124Fan]

Last time I got bounced because the spacers under my DFEV carb were considered a "performance" item.

Found another shop that agreed that the new carb needed to be at the proper height so they overlooked that. Phew!

Passed visual and then onto the dyno.

I failed because the 25 mph test has to be done in 2nd gear and within a certain RPM range. At 25 mph, the engine was outside that range. Automatic fail. I'm being sent to the smog referee. I asked if they could test in 3rd gear, but they said no because the machine calibrates itself at the start. Ie, accelerate in 1st gear...then in 2nd gear, etc....so it "knows" what gear you're in based on RPM and speed.

I can't fault these guys. They were really nice and very willing to work with me to try to get the car to pass. Once the machine took over, it was a different story. Now I'm being sent to see the smog referee.v

Sonny

[Odoyle]

This is exactly what I'm afraid of happening to my 77 as it gets closer to being back on the road. I remember hearing somewhere that if your car fails smog enough times in CA you can pay a fee and use the car as is. Or maybe that was an ordinance that was being proposed for CA, anyways, hope you pass!! Either way, I would like to know how this plays out.

[131]

I failed because the 25 mph test has to be done in 2nd gear and within a certain RPM range. At 25 mph, the engine was well outside that range. Automatic fail.

So despite the gearing a manufacturer has mass produced, a bureaucrat has decided the rev range and road speed of cars in 2nd gear? Can you change wheel sizes or diff ratios to get withing that range, or is that seen as a "performance" upgrade?

[DUCeditor]

CA has been taken over by bureaucrats. The result is not what matters, it the rules that do.

For some years I had to year by year deal with such in the Boston area. But there they had a bit of flexibility. Yes, the car has to be non-polluting (the original purpose of such laws, not what they have become: Simply rules to keep the paychecks flowing in the fiefdom), but crossing Ts and dotting Is was not what the tests were about.

Now, here in NH, I am free from all of that. Cars past a certain age are not required to pass such tests at all. No, not even that the original equipment is in place, working or otherwise. Just basic mechanical and safety checks -- and about these there is no flexibility

"Live free or die." I cannot imagine living any other way and that is one reason I moved here.

Good luck!

-Don

[aj81spider]

I don't know if it changed since you were there, but Massachusetts also has an exemption for age. My 74 does not get checked for smog, only for safety.

[DUCeditor]

I don't know if it changed since you were there, but Massachusetts also has an exemption for age. My 74 does not get checked for smog, only for safety.

It may simply have been that my `77 was then within the required inspection period. But in either case so glad to hear it!

-don

[124Fan]

I have a spare set of wheels, so I bought 2 used 185/80-13 tires to re-do the test.

I'm not sure how close it was, but I'm hoping this (effectively) taller gearing will do the trick. Yes, the car will look ridiculous with those tires in the back but if it is what it takes to pass, I'll gladly do it! The local shop is run by 2 nice old gentleman that are also eager to see it pass, but they have to play by the rules.

Not sure what the logic is in mandating gear, RPM, and speed for the test and trying to apply that to every production car ever made.

This is a really sweet Spider. I love the white exterior/red interior color combo and it's free of rust and runs great. That said, I can't see myself jumping through these ridiculous hoops every 2 years. If my tire experiment does not work out, I'll have to see the smog referee which complicates things since I don't have a way to trailer it down there.

Sonny

[carl]

What about getting a stock carb for a 77 and running that for the test, then reinstalling the performance carb. Or at least running the same jets as the stock carb in your DFV for the test.

I'm just happy that here in Virginia we have a 20 year smog rule so my spider can running drooling IDFs that gag the people behind me without any problems.

[124Fan]

The stock carb is so plugged up and hopeless that using it isn't really an option. Both of the nipples for the choke broke off and even after a rebuild, the car would barely run. The DFEV fixed all of that and I'm pretty certain that it is jetted well enough for a 1756 to pass emissions at partial throttle. They were ok with the carb, but when I got flagged for "excessive RPM", that was it.

Sonny

[PhillySpider]

Antique status here in PA means no nothing checked! No emissions or inspections required.

[124Fan]

Antique status here in PA means no nothing checked! No emissions or inspections required.

Rub it in!

Sonny

[So Cal Mark]

in Calif they don't dictate which gear the car is tested in, but there is an rpm range at each speed so with a manual it ends up in 2nd gear for the low speed and 3rd for the high speed. The only real difference is the load on the engine as the rpm ranges are similar.

[PhillySpider]

Antique status here in PA means no nothing checked! No emissions or inspections required.

Rub it in!

Sonny

It's a PIA...i have to figure out other ways to give my money to the state, like only buying liquor and wine in a "state store".

[mpollock]

I had a chance to move to the San Jose, CA area for my job. It would have resulted in a pretty big pay bump. I turned it down though, as I didn't want to deal with the smog and other bureaucratic regulations. The weather is not as nice, but in Indiana we don't have smog or safety inspections on ANY car.

[carl]

I went back and read your original post. Your car failed because the rpm was too high in second gear but they would not test you in third. Unless you changed axle ratios or run wildly out of speck tire sized I can't imagine why your car was failed for a STOCK configuration. Actually I can imagine, I was once failed because the gas filler nozzle was not restricted enough so the leaded fuel nozzle would apparently fit. I pointed out this was the stock filler neck and had a restriction but they would not listen to me. Went home, removed the filler, welded in a large washer and went back and passed. I have no solutions but like others, feel your pain.

The bureaucratic mind has heavy blinders....in a rational world the tester would realize the revs are too high and try the next higher gear.