OK you smog guys, Project car's failed smogs....Any ideas? - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

Chadahar · #1 08-18-2008, 03:53 PM

This is a grey market car federalized by BAR in CA

I would like to know what the notation on the first sheet means.

1. It was accessible and I checked it and it failed. We know it failed.

Cannister is in front of the overflow tank under the hood as we speak and looks not to have been changed in the last few years at least, if at all, since installed by BAR.

Or
2. It's accessible, it's bad, change it out. (Or do I Change it out and move it to an inaccessible place, out from under hood?)

I need to check and see if there is vacuum at the cannister first

And the best guess per the numbers above as to where I start.

First off it was not tuned up, oil changed nor filters.

Air cleaner is fairly new and clean, but will be changed along with rotor , Dist. Cap, wires and plugs, oil change new filter(s) and hoses as some are showing their age.

Carson357 · #2 08-19-2008, 11:23 AM

looks like it is running a bit lean, which will cause the nox to go up, as for the canister it likely failed the function test now required in california, most are not that easy to get to, so he was able to test it, i had two 1960's cars smogged last week, both canisters were not tested due to location. as for replacing the canister it is not something that is usually replaced, only exception would be if it were gasoline saturated.
unless you have made any recent changes to the engine, i would first start with verifying that the engine management/fuel control system has not stopped working, for that era most were addon units with a good failure rate, easy way to check is to verify the freguenct valve is buzzing and then get the fuel mixture checked and adjust as needed. o2 may have also failed

looks like it has had a good smog history until lately
http://www.smogcheck.ca.gov/applications/VehTests/PubTstQry.aspx

info about the fuel evap test:http://www.smogcheck.ca.gov/80_BARResources/04_Miscellaneous/Consumers/lpfet.html

Number of Tests Found = 7
Test Records
Station Name /
City Make Model Year Date / Time Pass / Fail Certificate
SMOG TECH /
YORBA LINDA MERCE 500SEC 1984 05/17/2008 12:43 p.m. F
SMOG TECH /
YORBA LINDA MERCE 500SEC 1984 05/16/2008 01:00 p.m. F
IN AND OUT SMOG /
PLACENTIA MERCE 500SEC 1984 09/08/2006 04:35 p.m. P VB089326C
CORNERSTONE SMOG TEST ONLY /
COSTA MESA MERCE 500SEC 1984 04/20/2005 02:00 p.m. P FU239564C
ZEES SMOG /
COSTA MESA MERCE 500SEC 1984 10/27/2003 11:36 a.m. P FE892599C
CORONA DEL MAR CHEVRON /
CORONA DEL MAR MERCE 500SEC 1984 07/15/2002 04:56 p.m. P ER025975C
CORONA DEL MAR CHEVRON /
CORONA DEL MAR MERCE 500SEC 1984 07/15/2002 04:20 p.m. A

Pass/Fail Code Definitions: P=Pass, F=Fail, A=Aborted
*A "Blank" column can also indicate an aborted test.

Chadahar · #3 08-19-2008, 02:20 PM

I checked out the hoses to and from the cannister yesterday. the hose from the tank vent runs upo from under the car on the drivers side in the engine bay, then through the fakse firewall and across the car through the false fire wall and to the cannister. seems that the brain that sets beside the ICM in the false fire wall had been removed, and when replaced it pinched off the vent tube. I fixed that and no no restrictions to tank. I think there is a vent valve back there that probably needs replaced, as I could not get a vacuum on that hose. I don't have a mity vac , so I used my lungs, Those fumes made me dizzy(er than normal) but didn't come close to vacuum. Is that normal? Other hose goes from cannister to scavenge tube under the aircleaner to the valve cover. No purge valve.

Maybe I should just move the cannister to an un accessible spot on the car.
Rest of the smog stuff I think I can handle with my pre-smog maintenance routine.

Chadahar · #4 08-19-2008, 05:28 PM

Update:
I went to see my friend the smog guy and at lunch he looked over the test sheets and told me how that new evap test works. It is a pressure test and is performed only on vehicles 1976-1995. It has nothing to do with the Charcoal Cannister at all. The line is pinched off between the cannister and the gas tank and the tank is pressurized. to check for leaks in the system. He suggests all new fuel lines(rubber ones and steel if they are corroded, and new rubber lines for the tank vent and a new tank vent valve if you have one. he said to hose clamp each connection. Also he said the high NOX was probably the EGR plugged up or inoperative.

I would guess that if your gas/fuel tank is acting properly(air rush when cap cracked) then those connections are fine, but it never hurts to be sure.

Carson357 · #5 08-20-2008, 04:52 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chadahar

Update:
I went to see my friend the smog guy and at lunch he looked over the test sheets and told me how that new evap test works. It is a pressure test and is performed only on vehicles 1976-1995. It has nothing to do with the Charcoal Cannister at all. The line is pinched off between the cannister and the gas tank and the tank is pressurized. to check for leaks in the system. He suggests all new fuel lines(rubber ones and steel if they are corroded, and new rubber lines for the tank vent and a new tank vent valve if you have one. he said to hose clamp each connection. Also he said the high NOX was probably the EGR plugged up or inoperative.

I would guess that if your gas/fuel tank is acting properly(air rush when cap cracked) then those connections are fine, but it never hurts to be sure.

egr is a common cause for high nox, but being a euro i doubt it has one, have you looked?

iwrock · #6 08-20-2008, 04:59 AM

Euro cars usually have no EGRs. My wagon does not have one, and its harder for it come smog time.

Chadahar · #7 08-20-2008, 09:46 AM

Car was federalized and even though US 1984 Cars didn't have an EGR(my 380SE didn't) this has one on the drivers side Manifold.

This car was imported in 1988 and appears that it was owned by the same guy until he died in 2006. I have the original CA. smog test dated a few days before it was registered the first time in CA. it imported through Texas(Houston). I am either the third owner or 4th, but I doubt the if there was an owner change from Import time to CA registeration time(3 Months). Yep the records go clear back to the CA date in 1988.

That is what I got from the Smog guy too. So it may be new EGR valve time or at least clean out the tubes and check the workings of the EGR.

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