Speedtoys

How long have you lived in LA? It got really bad during WW2 with war production, and went off the hook post war, peaking in the early 70s.

LA air used to cause burning eyes and lungs just to walk out the door on a daily basis. My 'rents recall not being able to see clearly more than a handful of blocks from it, short of a large winter storm cleaing it out for a day or two, max.

Its geography doesn't _help_ any, but the introduction of pollution controls on cars (yes, its pollution control, not HP control) has helped immensely as the population of clean cars surpassed the population of non controlled vehicles.

The next steps are particulate pollution from diesel/etc which are causing agricultural and shipping centers to become the most polluted air quality centers now.

As other nationwide..non controlled areas grow in density, their air quality eventually comes into question, and some form of pollution control inspections slowly become the norm.

GOOD CATS don't cost HP, and once warm the air pump doesn't pump at all..so its not a loss.

Let say..a group is passing thru Denver, you may see these on an onramp:
http://aircarecolorado.com/rapidscreen

..but they dont care about outta town people, as far as I know with those scans.

But -a- form of emissions testing nationwide will eventually happen...and there aint nothing wrong with a well running car..that as long as it's within a testing window for it's age, sets a good example.

California's been passing around a thought to go to OBD2 diagnostics only..plug in and go. IMHO, that wont happen until 1995 and newer cars dramatically outnumber older cars on the road..and it becomes simple economics to dump the 'test everyone' method in place now.

Its depressing to see the quality of the air we have no choice in breathing, becoming a partisan political issue.


928 content: Cant wait to install my headers, but not until I get new cats. I dont need the 3Hp hassle of going without...I dont need some greenpeace SOB dialing up #SMOG behind the loud stinkmobile without cats.

danglerb

Before the first Europeans showed up Los Angeles was known as the valley of smoke, its the ring of mountains and prevailing onshore wind that traps particles in the air in an inversion layer. Flying into LA in the 70's it was like a grey blanket below 3500 feet or so.

I remember playing a tennis match in Arcadia and people puking before it ended due to the smog.

Properly running the smog pump does jack related to performance. Its a small air pump that sends a small amount of air to the cats during warm up when the fuel mixture is rich, and vents to the air filter box the rest of the time. When its removed the cats will slightly foul during warm up, and burn off later, my guess is greatly reducing the life of the cats and puking out a bit of extra smog until it burns off.

Hilton

You've been lucky

I have in-laws around Orange County and for the first 5 or 6 visits I didn't realise how close the mountains were on a clear day, despite having driven over them a bunch of times to see other family in Riverside.

Stromius

Good thread. I got X pipe headers and cats and am happy I did. I won't have to test ever again either but glad for my kids' sake I have a clean running car.

Did 928s always include airpumps for the US market? Are newer cats more efficient since they don't often have air infusion?

Odd air quality can be politicized.

GlennD

Sean,

Summer in Calgary ?

If you want to put your car on a lift and look underneath at the air pump (easier access - let me know.
This Sunday, Malcolm will be over so feel free to drop by ... probably early afternoon.

Drop me a private note and we can arrange.

Your visit to Calgary is just in time for the annual road construction ... err .. Calgary Stampede

cheers
Glenn

Calgary Ole

Sean, I have an extra smog pump in the garage if you need one before returning to CA.
MY 90

Bjbpe

Air Quality isn't a political statement?

The EPA is all about politics. Quote: We crucify one of these guys to get their attention.

Speedtoys

Air quality is not. It's your air, you do prefer it...Clem, right?

But because industry can at times act irresponsibly, we get the EPA.


Without rules, we'd be in a bad state air quality wise.

We've lost our fresh water quality in the us. It's contaminated with methyl mercury from coal burning.

Bill Ball

A bit of a warning - the affordable aftermarket cats included on the X-pipes I have seen do not last more than 2 years.

All the 928 cats required extra air to increase the oxidation of hydrocarbons and CO. Newer cats do not.

Stromius

Thanks Bill!

S4ordie

Winter is when the rains come and clean the air. Summer high temps/humidity bake the smog to a golden brown. Same for your lungs. The air is much, much, much, cleaner than 20-60 years ago.

17prospective buyer

That's like pea soup fog from the bituminous coal burning due to the Industrial Revolution, it was so dense it would deposit on all the brickwork and have to be scrubbed off every couple months.

hacker-pschorr

Wake me up to be outraged when leaded gasoline is at every station.

Then let me know when commercial trucks are regulated like passenger vehicles, and the ships coming into Long Beach are getting a snif test to clean up their emissions.

Until then, bitching about 928's with open exhasut is like complaining at Miami Beach about some kid pissing in the Pacific Ocean.

Kevin in Atlanta

For those without smog pumps - what else did you remove as a part of that? Did you cap the pipe that ran from the cats and with what? The 87 I just bought has the smog pump delete Portensioner and I want see what else goes away. Vacuum lines and such?

safulop

As some have noted, probably not a good idea to permanently delete the smog pump, as that will diminish the future value of your vehicle. It could never be sold to someone in a smog-check state without first putting it back on, and then the car would probably fail smog anyway because the cats would be possibly ruined from running without the smog pump.

-Sean