It's emissions testing time. Will turning my timing way down help me pass?

[BlackFox5.0]

I have my timing around 12* right now. Should I lower it to something like 8-9*? I'm just a little worried that I won't pass, and want to be positive it will. Of course with the tune it's having it won't be getting any boost, lol

I wonder if the engine will run without the blower belt on the car, because I really don't want people gawking over it and asking me about it. I'd rather have a boost gauge and no boost, so they think I'm a ricer or something. ha

Anyways so what should I do?

 

[jaackal]

I had my timing at +16* and i turned it back to like 10* and put a couple bottles of isopropyl alcohol in about a 1/4 tank of gas and i passed with flying colors. Barely came on the charts lol.

 

[BlackFox5.0]

Rubbing alcohol? Or like dry gas? i know peoploe use dry gas but never heard of using household rubbing alcohol.

 

[UMDSmith]

alcohol works because it still burns, but burns very very clean. Though is household rubbing flammable enough. Isn't it only 140 proof (70%). I know it burns, but I would go with the industrial 90% stuff.

 

[autoXr1]

You have a TwEECer? What about wide band O2? Talk to a professional tuner and see what they recommend in terms of adjusting your air/fuel ratio to minimize emissions...at least for the test.

If you're going to remove the blower belt, you will have to retune it anyhow, so why remove it. You're probably running about 11:1 right now with that blower, right? You pull that belt and I'm pretty sure your current TwEECer settings will make her run pig rich.

I'm not sure about that alcohol suggestion.

 

[Look Its Aaron]

They may fail you for your timing being off. It's like that here in Cali.

 

[WhiteDevil]

Im running 13 degrees timing, and they didnt say anything about it. I passed easy with all the mods in my sig minus the X pipe because i put my stock H back on. If the Stock H is on you shold be fine, that thing cleans you up like crazy.

 

[BlackFox5.0]

Over here, they don't open the hood. Well at least on my model/years cars, ('87 and '90).

I did do some research on TwEECing, and I was told to just lean out the mixture. My EGR doesn't work since I removed it because My intake doesn't support EGR. Unfortuneately, I don't have wideband, well not yet at least.

I have an unknown high-flow catted H-pipe (2 cats). The exhuast doesn't smell pig rich like it did without cats, obviously, but it's doesn't smell too rich. It smells like any other car to me.

 

[jaackal]

yeah, i mean dry gas, the iso-plus in a red can works good, or the blue one

 

[RydeOn]

They may fail you for your timing being off. It's like that here in Cali.

Its not like that here. I turned my timing down to 8* for my cobra to pass. This was test only. Yes it helps!

 

[Look Its Aaron]

Yes it is. If the car is TOO advanced or retarded. Usually on the hood it gives stock timing and have a -2/+2 meaning the lowest it can be is 2 degrees retarded or 2 degrees advanced.

 

[L8 MUSL]

Yes it is. If the car is TOO advanced or retarded. Usually on the hood it gives stock timing and have a -2/+2 meaning the lowest it can be is 2 degrees retarded or 2 degrees advanced.

This IS true.
And, I would leave the blower belt on. If your car was tuned to run that way and done correctly, your A/F should be right on and the blower will provide more air to burn (even if not under load) and without the belt you have a huge restriction.
If those cats are still good, you shouldn't have a problem.

 

[BlackFox5.0]

I turns my timing from 12* down to around 9-10* and I failed. Now I have to pay again.

 

[Look Its Aaron]

passing smog is just more than adjusting your timing

 

[Schlodes]

Here's a few things to maybe think about.

If the car is supercharged I ASSume it has 1 step colder plugs? Put some stock heat range plugs in, stock timing, and a 195* T Stat. Before you go to the E Test, bag on the car a cause it will heat the convertors up a bit.. I usually let mine idle too as I am waiting to get tested. Also, having your air pump functioning and sending air TO the stock cats in the H pipe makes a good difference.

Do you have electric fans? My E test guy will let us sit in the car if we have elec fans while hes doing the E test, to maintain temps, and my one buddy who has a done up Iroc, passed with a 3" single & NO CATS [it runs 12.00s & they ditched the visual inspection - just a curb idle and 30 MPH sustained test.. pass them,, and you're golden ] because they changed some diode somewhere in the wiring to make the ECM go into some lean mode, and by controlling the elec fans w/ a switch maintianed a test temp of like 220*. It passed tho!

So maybe try and see if you can maintain a test temp of like 210-215* the whole time the car is being tested.

 

[BlackFox5.0]

Actually I have a manual switch in the car, but I removed the switch since im doing my interior over. Anyways I let it get up to temp and idled for a little bit while I was waiting, and I forgot about the fan (as I was so worried about passing) and about 1/4 way of the test I asked if he had a fan in front of the car and he said yes. When he was done I checked the temp and it was a little bit passed 220*. I hopped in and connected the 2 wires to turn my fan on (remember I removed the switch for the time being). He told me he saw the temp, and turned the heat on to try to stop it from going higher.

Every state must have different emissions testing equipment, because ours in massachusetts suck. They even almost did away with them because of the high inaccuratecy.