The topic of emissions testing comes up every now and again and we always mention how our area does it. Well the annual inspection of my Mothers 86 Fiero V6 4spd came around, so I picked it up from her, gave the car a good once over and ran it down. I tossed my camera on video mode and figured I would fire it up here.

http://captfiero.com/videos...sdyno86Fiero4spd.wmv

They have the owner drive it onto the Dyno bed, then the testers jump into the car. A 2nd person puts sensors in both sides of the tail pipes, and the first person gives it a quick blip through 1st gear to center it on the rollers before the Dyno is loaded, then an automated machine shoots out the guide wheels, and the test is started. THe car is driven through the gears and up to speed testing for NOX and proper function of the EGR making sure the engine does not lean out or have any other driving related issues, then idled down and let sit for the idle test.

A few mins later, they let you out of the little room and you get to drive your car off the Dyno. You pull up get your inspection sheet and off you go. The test is $24 per year for all cars 91 and older, 92 and up, is $48 every 2 years. In her case, it passed. The readings were above average, but still well within spec. If you fail, its another $24 per test until you pass, if your insurance expires, you have to buy day permits that are $30 per day, plus the $24 inspection fee. Also you have the option of paying roughly $300 for a 3 month waiver to get your car insured and fixed and then come back to take the test again. The $300 is to cover the average persons insurance for 3 months. People with bad driven records can be $600-$1000 for 3 months.

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85GT Soon to be 87GT,93 Eldorado 4.9, 5spd Dual O2 Custom Chip, Custom Exhaust. MSD Everything Capt Fiero --- My Over View Cadero Pics Yellow 88GT 5spd Full Poly Suspension, Lowered 1/2" in front, Corner Carver.

[This message has been edited by Capt Fiero (edited 09-07-2009).]

Holy heck, and we complain about the dumb inspection system thay have introduced here (but no emissions on pre 96 cars).

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Dave

www.ltlfrari.com

Yep they screw us every which way they can, here is the scan report.

I did not mention it, but they also test the gas cap.

1st to make sure we have one. (Who drives around without a cap)
2nd to make sure it holds a vacuum. Its kinda funny they test the cap to make sure it works, but don't both to check the evap system, which I have totally removed, charcoal canister and everything, the vent tube to the tank is on a U bent straight down.
The "safety" checks actually worry me more than the emissions tests. Every good mechanic knows how to cheat the tests, add alcohol to the gas, swap in a special Air Care chip, tweak the timing and idle speed. We are allowed to have ANY engine we want, regardless of size, horsepower or year, just so long as we can get it to pass the tailpipe test based on what the stock engine would have put out.

The politicians thought, "well all those modified cars engines, must be horrid on gas, there is no way you can have a fast car that is efficient..... so the Air-Care test was started........... Little did the idiots realize that any real good hot rodder knows, the more efficient your motor is, the power it makes for the same $$$ in the tank. So we simply bumped the compression up, tweaked the tuning, and strung out motors out to high hell. When the emissions test comes along, we drop in a quart of methylalchole to get the combustion chamber temps down and pass with flying colours.

What really worries us is if they mandate the safety tests for ALL cars once a year instead of the emissions test.

The government safety tests, are insane, I mean they take a micrometer and check tolerances, hell it is REAL and written in the book, they can fail you for a torn drivers seat. Claiming that a spring could pop out and distract the driver. THey are called MVI's here, and are mandatory for any car imported from either out of province or out of country. Also any time a cop does not like a modified car, or street racer, drag racer on the street, he can hand you an MVI slip and it can basically be the death of your car. If you have a 4 link out back, big block out front, and its not STOCK, they can say its not OEM and no longer meets OEM spec, Park It. You are no longer road legal. The MVI is the provinces quick ticket to get modified cars off the road. I got slapped with one in my 85GT years ago, cost me $2500 to get the car passed, but once I had that sticker on my windshield the cops pretty much left me alone, aside from nanny items like my lisc plate frame obscured the tags on the back, or tires to wide. (225/50/16's, which were barley wider than the stock 215's.)
Well here is the scan.

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85GT Soon to be 87GT,93 Eldorado 4.9, 5spd Dual O2 Custom Chip, Custom Exhaust. MSD Everything Capt Fiero --- My Over View Cadero Pics Yellow 88GT 5spd Full Poly Suspension, Lowered 1/2" in front, Corner Carver.

Wow... the requirements in the UK are much less stringent - idle 3.5%CO for vehicles registered before 1st August 1992 and 1200ppm HC

This means we dont need the cat or the EGR, its almost imposible for a fiero engine to be running OK and fail the test here!

LOL, the 86 Fiero is the easy one, in 88 even though its basically the same engine, they put the screws to us HUGE. Some of the results have to be 10x cleaner than the 87 cars. You can fake an 84-87 car and get through, with no cat or EGR, however in 88 you NEED everything and still some tweaking to get past. Here is the scan of my 88GT slip.

From my understanding the tailpipe test is more stringent than even California, just we don't have all the bull$hit extra C.A.R.B. requirements like Cali.