Failed CA Smog Test
Thread Starter
Racer
Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 299
Likes: 16
From: Solana Beach
Whew...Jerry Brown and the Green Movement should be be happy now; my car has passed the CA emissions test. Clean as a Prius...ok, lets not carried away.
It took a little bit of work to get there; Mark at BF checked the ignition system, fuel injection system, and the distributor drive belt which were all ok. Nothing that easy...next was a leakdown test (4-6% on all cylinders) and he discovered some pretty worn out spark plugs. Replaced those with a fresh set of Bosch plugs then adjusted dwell, timing etc. and viola.
Good to go for another two years.
I think I'll clean the SAI's before I have issues and hopefully nothing too major jumps up in the meantime.
It took a little bit of work to get there; Mark at BF checked the ignition system, fuel injection system, and the distributor drive belt which were all ok. Nothing that easy...next was a leakdown test (4-6% on all cylinders) and he discovered some pretty worn out spark plugs. Replaced those with a fresh set of Bosch plugs then adjusted dwell, timing etc. and viola.
Good to go for another two years.I think I'll clean the SAI's before I have issues and hopefully nothing too major jumps up in the meantime.
Thread Starter
Racer
Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 299
Likes: 16
From: Solana Beach
This underscores the importance of having good maintenance records when you buy a car. Mine did not; all I got was the Porsche maintenance book which was stamped and showed all routine service was done and a few receipts. I also did a PPI and had a compression/leakdown test because of the incomplete paperwork. It is interesting as the plugs they pulled were Beru and BF suspects they could be the original plugs. hmmm?? I thought that the 30K included new plugs, maybe not though.
Glad I didn't get a phone call with words "valve guides" as part of the conversation...
Nick
Glad I didn't get a phone call with words "valve guides" as part of the conversation...
Nick
Rennlist Member
Joined: Feb 2004
Posts: 12,312
Likes: 10
From: Roseville, CA
On a Motronic car? (I see you have a '73S, and I just had a flashback to keeping MFI cars and their Bosch distributors smog compliant. Back when they still had to be. How many guys had an old BAR85 machine in a home shop? Yeah, it made me money, and my smog guy friend was happy that I could bring in/refer 911s that would actually pass first time through.)
Rennlist Member
Joined: Feb 2004
Posts: 12,312
Likes: 10
From: Roseville, CA
Ha. While I miss my '73 S, I'm glad I'm not hostage to what is now required in keeping a '73 S. (And sometime before civilization ends, I'll be able to mate not-off-the chart '73 T into faux RS with Ruby mechanicals, resulting in a pretty neat blob that can be fully beat on without regret.)
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Thread Starter
Racer
Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 299
Likes: 16
From: Solana Beach
Ha, I hope I'm not jinxing things or tempting fate, but next weekend my wife and I will begin a cross country drive in the 73 from San Diego to join my R Gruppe buds in Snowshow West Virginia.
We are breaking things up a bit with the first leg being a week layover in Telluride Colorado. First night will be spent at the El Tovar at the Grand Canyon, then to Telluride. From there I'll leave the car in Denver for a month and when we return in late September we will continue cross country heading east to Nashville (just for the music scene), then to Columbus, Ohio (wife's friend lives there) and finally to Snowshow VW.
No interstates (except across Kansas!) and we are taking our time. I'm quite excited about the drive and I'm hoping the weather isn't terribly hot as we have no A/C. I did purchase a Bose Bluetooth speaker box so we will have tunes, and I also have a good set of tools and some spare parts (mfi fuel pump, CDI box, points, coil) that I hope stay in the trunk.
Should be quite an adventure to say the least, glad my wife is a gamer!
We are breaking things up a bit with the first leg being a week layover in Telluride Colorado. First night will be spent at the El Tovar at the Grand Canyon, then to Telluride. From there I'll leave the car in Denver for a month and when we return in late September we will continue cross country heading east to Nashville (just for the music scene), then to Columbus, Ohio (wife's friend lives there) and finally to Snowshow VW.
No interstates (except across Kansas!) and we are taking our time. I'm quite excited about the drive and I'm hoping the weather isn't terribly hot as we have no A/C. I did purchase a Bose Bluetooth speaker box so we will have tunes, and I also have a good set of tools and some spare parts (mfi fuel pump, CDI box, points, coil) that I hope stay in the trunk.
Should be quite an adventure to say the least, glad my wife is a gamer!
Drifting
Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 2,413
Likes: 8
From: San Diego, CA
Now THAT is a great plan! I'm jealous since "Drive cross country in a Porsche" is still unchecked on my Life-To-Do-List. Like you Nick, I'll be at the Grand Canyon in a couple of weeks, but with 3 Germans, not one! (Relatives not Porsches, however....)
Haven't met your wife yet, but she's definately a good one if she's up for the trip! Awesome!
Rennlist Member
Joined: Feb 2004
Posts: 12,312
Likes: 10
From: Roseville, CA
Sounds great! And to think ~35 years ago the 993 owners of the day (read: 356) would be cheering you on, and some guy with a new, luxurious, ultra-reliable 2.4L 911 would be kinda looked at as just one of the guys who spent big bucks to buy a fast car straight from the factory.........
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Joined: Jul 2002
Posts: 16,556
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From: Bend, OR
Thread Starter
Racer
Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 299
Likes: 16
From: Solana Beach
Keith and Ed know my car, but here it is (sorry for the large size, I don't know how to shrink them):
Last edited by NickyP; Apr 29, 2014 at 04:06 PM.
