Anyone Familar With The Emissions Test On Foxes In King County Wa?

KevinV

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Jan 9, 2001
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I'm looking at a 93 fox. It's in a different county that doesn't require an emissions test. I will have to pass one to get it registered in my county (King county). It has cats but no smog pump. I don't know if that might be an instant fail or not. Or what other issues it might have. Anyone have any experience with emissions testing on foxes in King county?
 
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If you are in California or some other state with strict emissions laws, part of the deal should be that the owner takes the car and has it emissions tested. If it passes, you buy the car and pay for the emissions test cost, if any. If it does not pass, walk away from the deal. For a mechanically inexperienced owner, emissions related problems can be difficult and expensive to fix. Avoid any car that was originally EFI and has been converted to carb like the plague. That's often a clue to the fact the previous owner had problems and the resulting hack job has MORE problems.

Keep in mind that states with strict emissions laws may make the go faster goals more difficult to reach. Some parts are OK to replace with aftermarket parts and others aren't. Check carefully before you get out your wallet and buy something you can't use in the area where you live.
 
Visually, for the most part, no smog pump is an instant fail.

Now, if an inspector overlooks that, then your results may not be where they need to be as older cat converters did not function as efficiently without a source of Oxygen added to the exhaust flow. The smog pump does this combined with the seried of bypass and diverter valves on the passenger side of the engine by first pumping O2 to the exhaust ports on the heads (to feed the two precats when the engine is warming up) and then down the bypass tube to feed the rear set of cats.

Without the pump, the cats may fail over time, and will be hard ot get a passing test.

Now, if the cats have been changed out to modern cats, the pump is not needed, but you may still fail a visual without it.


So glad my state did away with emmissions
 
If you are in California or some other state with strict emissions laws, part of the deal should be that the owner takes the car and has it emissions tested. If it passes, you buy the car and pay for the emissions test cost, if any. If it does not pass, walk away from the deal. For a mechanically inexperienced owner, emissions related problems can be difficult and expensive to fix. Avoid any car that was originally EFI and has been converted to carb like the plague. That's often a clue to the fact the previous owner had problems and the resulting hack job has MORE problems.

Keep in mind that states with strict emissions laws may make the go faster goals more difficult to reach. Some parts are OK to replace with aftermarket parts and others aren't. Check carefully before you get out your wallet and buy something you can't use in the area where you live.
Thanks. I would do that but his county doesn't require the emissions test. I would be asking him to drive to my county and get the test done. Maybe I can condition the sale on it passing but I don't know.
 
Visually, for the most part, no smog pump is an instant fail.

Now, if an inspector overlooks that, then your results may not be where they need to be as older cat converters did not function as efficiently without a source of Oxygen added to the exhaust flow. The smog pump does this combined with the seried of bypass and diverter valves on the passenger side of the engine by first pumping O2 to the exhaust ports on the heads (to feed the two precats when the engine is warming up) and then down the bypass tube to feed the rear set of cats.

Without the pump, the cats may fail over time, and will be hard ot get a passing test.

Now, if the cats have been changed out to modern cats, the pump is not needed, but you may still fail a visual without it.


So glad my state did away with emmissions
Thanks. It all seems like a crap shoot. Generally the emissions places here don't open the hoods. I can't say on older cars though. I think it does have newer cats but if he has never smogged his because his county doesn't require it, then who knows what state they are in.
 
In Eastern Washington they don't even visually check your vehicle. Newer vehicles all they do is plug in to your computer and check for codes and on my older vehicle it's 100% based on the tail pipe sniffer reading while holding engine rpm's around 2,500 for about 15 seconds. No popping of the hood, no getting out of the car or anything.

@KevinV Good luck either way. Unless this 93' Fox is some holy grail heck of a find I would pass on it if emissions parts were removed and you need to pass emissions. It's most likely not just the smog pump that's missing but also the TAB/TAD valves and plumbing including the piping to the back of the heads and vacuum lines.

It's easy removing emissions, it's a heck of a time putting it back on from scratch.
 
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In Eastern Washington they don't even visually check your vehicle. Newer vehicles all they do is plug in to your computer and check for codes and on my older vehicle it's 100% based on the tail pipe sniffer reading while holding engine rpm's around 2,500 for about 15 seconds. No popping of the hood, no getting out of the car or anything.

@KevinV Good luck either way. Unless this 93' Fox is some holy grail heck of a find I would pass on it if emissions parts were removed and you need to pass emissions. It's most likely not just the smog pump that's missing but also the TAB/TAD valves and plumbing including the piping to the back of the heads and vacuum lines.

It's easy removing emissions, it's a heck of a time putting it back on from scratch.
I bought it and it passed. Someone from the DOL said it would probably pass because the standards are high for 93s. I know that's not much to go on but it did pass. Just as you said, 2500 RPM with a sniffer. They didn't open the hood. I shouldn't have to do it again. 2017 is the last year and this test will still be good next year when I register. Thanks.