Will California emissions folk pass a clean 2.8 Fiero today? (Page 1/2)
hobbywrench APR 30, 02:56 PM
Someone I know plans to repair an 88GT to use daily in California. Way back I was hassled there and told by emission people that Fieros had a "pattern failure" ( perhaps the'pig rich' fuel mix expressed here, somewhere), and CA wanted them off the road. Any owners there with status?? Thanks

Edit: Sorry, Just found the long recent thread on the topic, and this https://autorepair.ca.gov/ ,which hints at Fiero as gross polluter . Also , no one on that thread discussed the various "regions" in CA and that they may each tighten the software used. I think when I relate the info I found such as insurance, classic car cert, rolling road test etc, an average motorist would be foolish to try to smog this car in CA. Here in WA I had no trouble passing until I stopped at car age 25 years when no longer required. I recall the test here was on rollers @ 2 RPMs.

[This message has been edited by hobbywrench (edited 04-30-2019).]

liv4God APR 30, 04:48 PM

quote
an average motorist would be foolish to try to smog this car in CA.



False. I daily drive my 2.8 Fiero, passed smog no problems last year. My duke easily passed as well after replacing faulty cat and egr. If the emissions system is working properly on all points it will pass. I'm located in North Bay area.
ItzZero APR 30, 06:54 PM
I purchased my '87 GT back in November in WA and drove it back home to Northern California. It easily passed CA smog on the first try. Original 2.8 V6, with all of the factory emissions components in place and working.

[This message has been edited by ItzZero (edited 04-30-2019).]

theogre APR 30, 11:49 PM
That May depend on exactly where in CA a car owner lives.
Some areas are more strict that others and not just cars. A "simple" water heater and other things for home and commercial installs have very tight emissions laws depending your zip code. If you install wrong type in a strict area then will be huge problems and likely fines too when you get caught.

In fact National codes no longer allow "simple" water heaters too but not as bad a some zones in CA. April 16, 2015 was when DOE "banned" old units that didn't meet new rules. https://www.consumerreports...ter-heater/index.htm

------------------
Dr. Ian Malcolm: Yeah, but your scientists were so preoccupied with whether or not they could, they didn't stop to think if they should.
(Jurassic Park)

The Ogre's Fiero Cave

Kitskaboodle MAY 01, 10:53 AM
I have an 85 and 86 GT.
Basically, every 4 years I have to replace the cat in order to get them to pass. Both my cars have over 150-160K. The cat has been the determining factor because even after a full tune-up, egr valve, 02 sensor, sea foam, etc., if the cat is tired you will have bad numbers.
Bad news about California cats is they are kind of pricey. ($200-250) And yes, you have to buy a Ca.
certified cat as the muffler shop is not even allowed to install it unless the stamped numbers on the cat show that it is indeed a Ca. certified cat and that it is specifically for your car! This is why the smog tech WILL check under your car with mirrors to ensure that you have the right cat.

Lastly I want to remind everyone that the smog process for older California cars is much longer than for newer cars. And I do mean muuuuch longer!! You name it, they check it!
ALDL jumpering (to check timing)
Evap system
Gas cap
Vacuum hose routing
Engine timing
2 roller tests (at 15 mph and 25 mph)
Cat validity / correctness / mirror check under car)
Engine modifications

Typically it takes a good hour to get a Fiero smogged around San Jose.
Kit

[This message has been edited by Kitskaboodle (edited 05-01-2019).]

hobbywrench MAY 01, 11:44 AM
Thanks, some hope. Yesterday I saw that LA still has the worst ozone pollution in USA. Not a favorable sign.
cvxjet MAY 01, 11:53 AM
I get my 85 SE V6 smog checked every other year, for registration.....The only problem I have had is the car went out of tune a couple of months before the test, and when they checked the CAT had died...so I replaced it and then the car passed with no problem. (And I have a 3.4 F-body block under the Fiero induction system!)

Whoever told you that BS about a "Gross polluter" must believe in Santa bunny and also that all green Fiero caught fire!
Kitskaboodle MAY 01, 01:46 PM
I believe there is truth to that statement. I have had a lot of cars and my Fiero’s have always been the hardest to get passed. Fiero’s are getting older now so much more meticulous maintenance is needed to get them to pass smog here in Ca. and most Fiero owners do not “meticulously” maintain them. I have heard several smog techs say that the majority of Fiero’s that pass through their shops fail.
Kit

[This message has been edited by Kitskaboodle (edited 05-01-2019).]

theogre MAY 01, 01:50 PM
"Federal" cats aren't cheap either and not something you want to replace every few years. Some other states still require you to pass sniffer test on old cars.
NY and others want CA emissions including the CA Cat in newer cars. Buying a new cat or 2 for newer cars can cost $500 - $1500.

If you have to replace the cat in a few years... Likely the engine has problems causing them to die fast.
Burning oil or coolant can do that and very fast too. Using high Zinc as "ZZP" in oil or added to oil/fuel doesn't help either. Other aftermarket additives and engine "Cleaners" have problems too.

Iffy O2 sensor or grounds can cause the cat to die as well because can fool ECM that engine is running rich or lean. Cat hates eating too much unburnt fuel or run too lean when ECM have problems like this. Many miss that a "One Wire" O2 sensor has a Sensor Ground bolted to engine or Trans and often was crappy after 5 to 10+ years of driving, more so on 30+ year old cars, so just replacing O2 often won't help.

Coolant Burning? Example: L4 likes to leak coolant into #4 cyl when intake gasket is bad. Coolant "burning" from problems like that has corrosion and other chemicals that "kill" the cat and O2 and w/o setting a code (like 13, 44, 45) until maybe O2 is completely died.
Fiero V6 and others may have similar issues w/ lower intake manifold gasket(s) w/ coolant going thru the intake man.
cvxjet MAY 01, 02:25 PM
I was able to find a CARB (CA) compliant cat at Summit for $140.....That was a couple of years ago....It appears that the Walker CARB-Cat is only $110 at Autozone......Do not buy thru your local muffler shop unless you know the guy well. (Correction- just found the MagnaFlow CARB-Cat on Amazon for $87!)(PN 332303)

When this happened, I also had the muffler shop build a bypass so that if my car starts running bad, until I get it sorted, I can replace the cat with a straight pipe so the Cat doesn't get damaged....Yes, that is technically illegal.....But they will have to crawl under the car to see it and most cops are more interested in the idiots with the 400+ HP cars doing stupid crap.

[This message has been edited by cvxjet (edited 05-01-2019).]