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CA Smog: Failed This Time. Need Help with Action Plan.

Yes, his vacuum line is supposed to run to the Waste Gate pot, not an EGR valve. The Vacuum line routing diagram would show that. As it turns out, I lied...I can't find that @#$%^ EGR valve anyway. Its been in plain sight for the 5 years I've had it off and now it goes AWOL. Called Big-T to apologize. He's a good man...quite forgiving. Thanks Amigo.
 
Big T said:
Joshua, the smoke test is a visual. No equipment or sensor is used.

So I will install the kitty and get rid of the vac lines. I'll also cut the sticker on the K47 box showing the vac line routing. I'll take your advice and drain the tank and put in 5 gallons of biodiesel and take it another testing station. If that does not pass, the. I have to resort to installing the GM 5 turbo and vac pump. I do not have a spare stock tune ECM laying around. All the programmers typically have a core charge for those, so you're trading stock ECM for the tuned ECM. Worst case, I have to buy an ECM with a stock tune.
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As noted, due to time constraints, I did not install the kitty and sent my wife in for the test. It was a progression: no kitty had him looking > found disconnected orange vac line > claimed he observed 2 to 3 seconds of smoke on the accelerator snap test.

Big T, I would suggest you take it, and use a light foot during the snap test, at a different location that your wife took it. Here in WA, they require emissions once every 2 years. It is measured, and 2 parts. First part is the fuel cap test, second is a loaded hydrocarbon test.

Last year after the new motor, it failed, but I had a step son do it(I had just had back surgery and was trying to be good, but tabs had expired, and of course step son wanted to borrow it):mad2:, and they made him hold the peddle to the floor. When he came home, him and I went to a different one, and I was in control, and I barely had any O2 readings. I was in the 98th percentile, with no modifications or changes. The only difference was I didnt floor it, and I knew what I was trying to avoid, and keeping my new motor from blowing up.....
 
Big T said:
I'm my own mechanic and because of this site, I know more about these engines than any local mechanic would know.
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Apologizes if I implied anything but. Focus is on getting past the visual inspection and a re-inspection of the re-installed components, so the question is whether there is anybody who has close ties to the inspection station (and possibly even the inspector(s)) to know exactly what they want versus getting in a loop of reacting to issues they point out. So, just looking for opportunities of stacking the deck in your favor.
 
JayTheCPA said:
Apologizes if I implied anything but. Focus is on getting past the visual inspection and a re-inspection of the re-installed components, so the question is whether there is anybody who has close ties to the inspection station (and possibly even the inspector(s)) to know exactly what they want versus getting in a loop of reacting to issues they point out. So, just looking for opportunities of stacking the deck in your favor.
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No problem. Just pointing out that I don't know a mechanic who can pretest me. I may just nut up and do the Full Monte, which is put the OEM Turbo and Vac pump back on, as well as the cat converter and just walk the guy through it. It would take about an hour or two to remove and install the stuff. I need to pull the downpipe anyways to replace those final two glow plugs located there. I might just take it in to the test with the inner fender well out which should be a huge indicator as to the permanence of the fix.:D:thumbsup::agreed:
 
Big T said:
No problem. Just pointing out that I don't know a mechanic who can pretest me. I may just nut up and do the Full Monte, which is put the OEM Turbo and Vac pump back on, as well as the cat converter and just walk the guy through it. It would take about an hour or two to remove and install the stuff. I need to pull the downpipe anyways to replace those final two glow plugs located there. I might just take it in to the test with the inner fender well out which should be a huge indicator as to the permanence of the fix.:D:thumbsup::agreed:
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Tires blow out all the time and wipe the inner fenders out... 'I found a used tire to replace the old spare that let go while I was using it in the pass front...'
:9898:

An inner fender isn't required but 'may have helped access that hard to get to vac line'... And will give a better view of it for em.
 
Just to clarify, do I want B20 or B99 on the biodiesel? I've found both near me. B20 at an ARCO station and B99 is at a Cardlock station and I have to apply for an account there.

Now will this biodiesel scour my tank and clog my filter?
 
Big T said:
I need to pull the downpipe anyways to replace those final two glow plugs located there. I might just take it in to the test with the inner fender well out which should be a huge indicator as to the permanence of the fix.:D:thumbsup::agreed:
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Fender well and the DP gone does help with replacing Glows and, for some, the turbo as well. Driving around without the Fender Well posses the problem of supporting the passenger side battery. Not sure how long that mount will hold up flexing and bouncing around under the weight of a battery...just a thought.
 
Big T said:
Just to clarify, do I want B20 or B99 on the biodiesel? I've found both near me. B20 at an ARCO station and B99 is at a Cardlock station and I have to apply for an account there.

Now will this biodiesel scour my tank and clog my filter?
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It acts like a solvent, all the wax and gunk is going to come right off. I ran about three-four tanks of homemade B100, clogged three filters and still had to drop the tank. whatever coating was protecting the tank came off as well and it started rusting. I currently use a plastic tank now and only run B20 in the other truck
 
B99 reduces MPG by 10% and clears up smoke due to less BTU, later ignition time, etc. B20 supposedly doesn't change MPG so may not work. Go B99 or don't bother. B20 will do the same damage as B99 to incompatible parts.

I don't have OEM tanks anymore so Drago has a good point/concern.
 
Alight, I change out the Ts for the heater coolant lines. They basically fell apart while removing them, so I guess I was lucky that the one failed in my driveway.

Off to Big Bear to burn off some fuel and work on the place. Then the following weekend I put back the GM 5, Vac Pump and Cat Converter and take it in.
 
get about 15 foot of fuel line, hose clamps and a five gallon bucket full of BioD, cover it up with a cardboard box before you get re inspected
 
I got 10 gallons of B99 in two 5 gallon jugs.

Have intake gaskets, injector return lines, Serp belt, extra fuel filters, all arriving by mail. While I have the turbo off and downpipe out of the way, I'll replace the final two glow plugs and all the injector return lines. This last weekend the retur. Line cap on the Driver's Side rear injector started leaking and basically disintegrated in my hands. So I'm looking at this temporary turbo swap as more than just a smog test exercise, it allows me to address other things.
 
A Saturday wrench day update.

The GM 5 turbo will not be going back on, because the Vac Pump from the '95 will not fit. The mounting bracket will not work with the bracket holding the alternator on that side. It's a completely differently arrangement in there. The mounting bracket for the pump on the '99 has to be different.

So for the smog test I stuffed the orange vac line into its receiving hose from the vac pump and that hose will be routed down to where the vac pump would normally be, then upwards and clamped to the turbo oil drain line. The hope is that gives the vac line a secure and logical attachment in case the tester follows the routing and pulls on it. Also good luck finding where rubber hose is clamped to. The tester never found the other vac line to the wastegate actuator, so I'll just stuff it away and hope for the best.:agreed:

Got the the catalytic converter installed, no problem by design. :hihi:

With the downpipe out of the way, we got the last two glows replaced on the passenger side. Virtually all the old glows were swelling. We allso replaced the injector return lines on both sides as the rear cap on the driver's side disintegrated last weekend up at Big Bear.

Now for the collateral damage. When the turbo was being moved out of the way (I was handling the catalytic converter), it was reported that it bumped the positive post on the battery and caused an arc to one of the AC lines, burning a small pin hole in it. It's leaking. I've heard they don't even make those lines anymore. I suspect that the fix will not be cheap. That or I'm looking in bone yards for these lines. Hopefully they're common between the gas and diesel engines. :mad2:

Also, while in the passenger side fender well, discovered that the CV axle boot on that side is cracked and leaking. These are 3 years old and they were remans. Never again on the remans.

So we're putting the ATT back on and putting in 10 gallons of B99, warming it up and hoping for the best on the Smog Test.
 
Yep, your going to have to find a shop that builds A/C lines as the 96-99 diesel BURB dual air hose set is NLA and the gas set will not interchange(GM used standard threads on the lines going to the rear for the diesel, but metric for the gas engines. Same connection in the rear, but different up front.). You could also try DURAWELD to see if that is strong enough to work, but I haven't had luck with it on A/C lines myself(tried it and it was always porous). I would NOT try and remove the hose assembly to have it fixed as they are almost froze to the condenser and the threads will pull off and you wil lend up having your line fixed even furthur as well as replacing the condenser.
 
While warming the truck up, I drove to my local AC guy. He thinks he can weld it up as it's just a pin hole.

Now the bad news. Took it back to the shop and the guy failed it for not having a muffler. I told him it did not need a muffler for smog and the catalytic converter was installed in place of the muffler. He said no, you've tampered with it. He then called his boss who told him that he failed it for not having a catalytic converter and a PVC line was disconnected (shows how much they know about functions) and this guy could not even figure that out. Final insult he said it smokes. It gives a slight puff running on the B99 and that is gone in a second. I told him the regs state that it can't linger more than 3 seconds. He stepped on it again and I said "see it's a puff that was gone in one second", but he continued to count to count up to 5. I told him "I don't don't know what you're counting, because the smoke was gone after a second." He just looked at me and said he wouldn't pass it and I would have to bring it back when his boss was there. Well that just ain't going to happen.

So, next step I'll have Colby take it into a station near his work on Tuesday and see what happens. One thing that became clear is that the fail information did not come up in the computer. He asked me for the prior paperwork and I told him it was at home (1/4 mile away). He wanted that to see what his boss had entered and written on it. So there's hope that I could pass it at another station. Worst case, I have to cut the adjustable section of the Diamond Eye ahead of the Catalytic Converter and fit in a muffler. Worst possible case is I need a Vac Pump and reinstall the GM 5.

Good news is that we're quick enough to get the work done in an hour or two. Bad news, it sucks and SteveO is not ****ing happy.:mad2:
 
THEFERMANATOR said:
Yep, your going to have to find a shop that builds A/C lines as the 96-99 diesel BURB dual air hose set is NLA and the gas set will not interchange(GM used standard threads on the lines going to the rear for the diesel, but metric for the gas engines. Same connection in the rear, but different up front.). You could also try DURAWELD to see if that is strong enough to work, but I haven't had luck with it on A/C lines myself(tried it and it was always porous). I would NOT try and remove the hose assembly to have it fixed as they are almost froze to the condenser and the threads will pull off and you wil lend up having your line fixed even furthur as well as replacing the condenser.
Click to expand...

What's NLA?
 
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