California Smog check nightmare

[Monkeyboy14]

Hey guys , long time 12V owner , just joined TDR . Im having a heck of a time passing smog on my 1998 12V. The truck originally came from Idaho and it passes everything except for the smoke test . I passed only by practically begging the guy last time and now I'm coming up on 2 years and have to try and pass again . Anyone out there have this situation ? What can be done ? Thanks for all help and answers .

 

[DavidC]

Other than this the 12v guys may be able to help

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[Signal73]

Any info on mods done to the truck?

 

[RVTRKN]

See if you can get it registered for Needles Comifornia, I believe they don't have smog testing, or at least didn't anyway. Unfortunately for me I went from every two yearts (SoCal) to every year here in Clark County Nevada.

 

[p-Bar]

didn't think a 98 needed testing? ah I see you missed it by a year. Try big bear also

 

[crabman]

Do you have any mods that you know that were installed before you bought the truck? Any that you installed?
I installed new hp 215hp injectors and a #11 TST fueling plate in my truck and it has passed smog every time. Maybe the p/o turned up the star wheel a tad to much, back it off a few turns.

 

[KATOOM]

Where in CA are you having the truck smog tested? Because that makes a HUGE difference. Let me explain...

The wonderful geniuses in CA legislation created a smog emissions law for diesels which is largely based on the emotions, feelings, competency, and attitude of the smog tech who is inspecting your vehicle the day your truck is in the test bay.

Amongst all the other emissions requirements for your year truck which I wont go into since it doesnt seem to be relevant here... CA smog law says that the tech must "snap" the throttle from idle to WOT one time and then walk to the back of the vehicle. In that approx three second time frame it takes to move from the cab to the rear of the vehicle, any exhaust smoke from the pipe must have dissipated into the air. If there is still excessive smoke present then the tech can fail the vehicle. This snap test is performed three times during the inspection procedure.

Now the problem is, most techs wont bother to get out of the drivers seat and walk to the back of the vehicle. Instead they'll adjust the passenger mirror so they can see back there or simply look out the back window. Thus effectively skewing that three second time frame difference which allows the smoke to dissipate. This is more a problem when your truck is sitting in doors too since there's very little wind to help with whatever smoke does come out the tail pipe.

Also, the main variable in this situation is how the legislation left it up the tech to decide on their own personal feelings that day whether or not what they see is "excessive" smoke. No computer or sensor is involved in this decision... Meaning, if the tech is upset that their girlfriend dumped them last night, or their fantasy football team sucked during the week, or they merely hate their job, then you're potentially screwed and just may fail a $50 - $60 test.

So...in point. Find a shop you trust and find a shop thats far enough away from liberal southern CA wackiness and you should be fine unless your truck is smoking like a pig for whatever reason.

 

[GrantP]

Wow, I thought emissions testing in AZ was dumb, CA takes the cake. There should be some repeatable metric instead of some kid saying "I think it smoked too much". We do the snap test here but there's an opacity meter in the tailpipe.

More info on the truck would be helpful but I used to back off the star wheel on my 97 and it passed with ease. The 3K GSK made it a little tricky but since the owner performs the test that can be....well..."controlled" if you will.

 

[Bob4x4]

I have never seen the walk requirement,when it first began they recommended having a light colored surface behind the vehicle to see the amount of smoke.

 

[Bob4x4]

There are many adjustments that can be easily undone quickly to allow a smoke free experience

 

[Monkeyboy14]

Any info on mods done to the truck?

no mods done , all stock except for borgeson steering components

 

[Monkeyboy14]

Where in CA are you having the truck smog tested? Because that makes a HUGE difference. Let me explain...

The wonderful geniuses in CA legislation created a smog emissions law for diesels which is largely based on the emotions, feelings, competency, and attitude of the smog tech who is inspecting your vehicle the day your truck is in the test bay.

Amongst all the other emissions requirements for your year truck which I wont go into since it doesnt seem to be relevant here... CA smog law says that the tech must "snap" the throttle from idle to WOT one time and then walk to the back of the vehicle. In that approx three second time frame it takes to move from the cab to the rear of the vehicle, any exhaust smoke from the pipe must have dissipated into the air. If there is still excessive smoke present then the tech can fail the vehicle. This snap test is performed three times during the inspection procedure.

Now the problem is, most techs wont bother to get out of the drivers seat and walk to the back of the vehicle. Instead they'll adjust the passenger mirror so they can see back there or simply look out the back window. Thus effectively skewing that three second time frame difference which allows the smoke to dissipate. This is more a problem when your truck is sitting in doors too since there's very little wind to help with whatever smoke does come out the tail pipe.

Also, the main variable in this situation is how the legislation left it up the tech to decide on their own personal feelings that day whether or not what they see is "excessive" smoke. No computer or sensor is involved in this decision... Meaning, if the tech is upset that their girlfriend dumped them last night, or their fantasy football team sucked during the week, or they merely hate their job, then you're potentially screwed and just may fail a $50 - $60 test.

So...in point. Find a shop you trust and find a shop thats far enough away from liberal southern CA wackiness and you should be fine unless your truck is smoking like a pig for whatever reason.

thanks katoom i really appreciate the info , the guy that finally passed me made me do the snap test while he stood by the exhaust pipe ! no wonder i failed . He finally took pity on me i think because I'm a girl and needed to go haul some horses that afternoon and was completely flustered that the truck failed . i'm going to find a better situation this march when i have to try again , and i will be armed with this info , so thanks. Oh yea I'm in Northern Calif

 

[Monkeyboy14]

Other than this the 12v guys may be able to help

#ad

Ha ! thanks but i love Northern Calif , wouldn't live anywhere else

 

[Monkeyboy14]

There are many adjustments that can be easily undone quickly to allow a smoke free experience

Could you tell me a few that my mechanic might be able to do before i go to get the test , and Thanks !

 

[KATOOM]

no mods done , all stock except for borgeson steering components

There is no reason your truck wont pass a smog check unless there's something mechanically wrong with it.
Just for sake of curiosity, if you have the ability to take a quick video of the exhaust during a snap test and post it, that would help the forum understand what the tech was seeing.

 

[Monkeyboy14]

There is no reason your truck wont pass a smog check unless there's something mechanically wrong with it.
Just for sake of curiosity, if you have the ability to take a quick video of the exhaust during a snap test and post it, that would help the forum understand what the tech was seeing.

I can try to do that , the truck is sound in every way but if you stomp on the accelerator like they want you to do , yes black smoke does come out . Whether it would dissipate by the time the tech got out of the cab and walked to the back of the truck like you say he is supposed to do is probably pretty likely . i guess i'll just insist that he do it that way , but in the meantime i will try and take a video tomorrow and see if i can upload it , I'm kind of a spaz with computer stuff . Thanks Katoom

 

[Signal73]

Look to see if the tamper proof screws are still in the AFC housing on the injection pump, also look to see if the 8mm plug on top has signs of being opened up (cracked, flakey paint etc) pics of that area would help as well.

 

[KATOOM]

I can try to do that , the truck is sound in every way but if you stomp on the accelerator like they want you to do , yes black smoke does come out . Whether it would dissipate by the time the tech got out of the cab and walked to the back of the truck like you say he is supposed to do is probably pretty likely . i guess i'll just insist that he do it that way , but in the meantime i will try and take a video tomorrow and see if i can upload it , I'm kind of a spaz with computer stuff . Thanks Katoom

Dont expect anyone at the smog station to do anything you insist... They're regulated by a higher power than your business and will simply ignore your requests.
But for sake of information, here's the "Smog Inspection Manual" right off the ba.ca.gov website. Click on the link to bring up the PDF and then scroll to page 45 where it explains the visual smoke test procedure for diesels. You'll get an idea what they're supposed to be doing and what they're supposed to be looking for. https://bar.ca.gov/pdf/2017_Smog_Check_Manual.pdf

 

[p-Bar]

I would think you can lean out that pump. If you can turn them up you should be able to turn them down.

 

[Monkeyboy14]

Dont expect anyone at the smog station to do anything you insist... They're regulated by a higher power than your business and will simply ignore your requests.
But for sake of information, here's the "Smog Inspection Manual" right off the ba.ca.gov website. Click on the link to bring up the PDF and then scroll to page 45 where it explains the visual smoke test procedure for diesels. You'll get an idea what they're supposed to be doing and what they're supposed to be looking for. https://bar.ca.gov/pdf/2017_Smog_Check_Manual.pdf

Thank you !!!