12 replies to this topic

[GregHub]

Wondering if there are some other CA SM guys who've smogged their car recently who can provide some advice on passing the visual. My friendly area SM guys loaned me a stock cat/exhaust and AFM, but the first smog guy I went to dinged me for having an aftermarket adjustable fuel pressure regulator. (I have a '93.)

 

Another SM friend said he'd passed visual with his aftermarket regulator on, so I tried smog place #2. They didn't pick up on the adjustable fuel pressure regulator but did notice there was a hose coming from the intake manifold that had been blocked off. They thought it should run to the fuel pressure regulator so I may be able to get away with adding a hose from that fitting on the intake manifold to a (closed off) fitting on my aftermarket regulator.

 

I'm curious as to whether other CA guys have had to swap the stock fuel pressure regulator back in or not. If that's going to be what it takes to pass, I'll hunt one down and do it, but it'd be good to know what other CA guys have done.

[Johnny D]

http://mazdaracers.c...ge-1#entry49799

 

J~

[GregHub]

Thanks for the thread, Johnny, which I had seen before, but it doesn't cover the issue I'm having. In all the info I've read to this point, and all the guys I've talked to, no one has mentioned the fuel pressure regulator needing to be swapped out so I wanted to ask about that specifically.

[Alberto]

smog place #2. They didn't pick up on the adjustable fuel pressure regulator but did notice there was a hose coming from the intake manifold that had been blocked off. They thought it should run to the fuel pressure regulator so I may be able to get away with adding a hose from that fitting on the intake manifold to a (closed off) fitting on my aftermarket regulator.

 

I'm curious as to whether other CA guys have had to swap the stock fuel pressure regulator back in or not. If that's going to be what it takes to pass, I'll hunt one down and do it, but it'd be good to know what other CA guys have done.

 

Sounds odd.  Got a pic of said hose?

 

I should have my old stock FPR laying around somewhere.

[Keith Novak]

Is that the hose for the cruise control?  If I remember right, when I took mine off it involved capping a little spud on the intake.

[GregHub]

Here's a photo of the stubbed off hose on the manifold. Hopefully you can see the ~2" piece of hose attaching to the manifold fitting and pointing off to the right.

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[Alberto]

Here's a photo of the stubbed off hose on the manifold. Hopefully you can see the ~2" piece of hose attaching to the manifold fitting and pointing off to the right.

 

According to this pic, that nipple would typically go to the OEM FPR

http://www.lightweig...roop/page4.html

[GregHub]

Thanks Alberto. I got a chance to look at a neighbor's stock '92 so saw the same thing. I have a hose which I'm going to try to hook up to my aftermarket FPR and see if that get's me past the visual. Stay tuned.

[WilsonSteele]

After going to two place, i had to take off my whole AFR and guage, put on a stock one, and take out the restrictor on my 94.

FYI, with an East Street head, i then failed running lean. So it does flow better, obviously...

First place wouldn't get in a car with a cage, second place wouldn't even look at it, third place looked and said, make it stock before we test. Then said my timing was 52degrees retarded with it idling perfectly, so they know a lot about cars...

SMOG is a PITA, especially Star Smog for stuff older than 94. And, limits DO change each year, take your old results with you to check, mine have changed every year, even though CA says they dont...

[GregHub]

Yeah, there seems to be a huge variance in stringency (and knowledge) among the smog guys about stock vs. non-stock components. Seems key to get someone who doesn't know too much or isn't too stringent. The second smog guy I went to didn't seem to grasp that my aftermarket fuel pressure regulator was adjustable so didn't ding me for that.

 

I was able to pass the visual by rigging a hose to the vacuum connection on the intake manifold and running it to a closed off junction on my aftermarket FPR. Then my numbers were well within the specs, so I was very happy.  I suspect there are many smog guys out there like wfsteele ran into: they want to see the entire emissions system stock and intact.

 

I'll be keeping a backup strategy for the future: registering the car at my relatives up in Lake Country where there is no smog requirement and then avoid the whole ordeal.

 

Thanks everyone for your advice.

[Johnny D]

So can I assume you didn't take it to one of the shops that the guys got their cars passed at ?

 

Maybe we should start a list of shops that are cool.

 

J~

[GregHub]

That's a good idea. No, I didn't try one of the recommended ones. t did mine at a 76 station in Oakland at the corner of High and MacArthur. 

[RazerX]

I just smogged my 90.  It is a full SM that i had been driving to the track.  I replaced the CAT, mazda comp muffler, put the timing back, put the stock AFM in, replaced the filler neck (mine was/is hogged for the gas can hoses), reset the idle.  My car had a head that was shaved so I was running high on NOx on my previous test (2 years ago).  So I ran the car closer to 8 degrees which is just inside 2 degree limit.  I got some very nice 93 octane for the test.  I also have an override on my front fan so it stays on all the time (keeps NOx lower at the risk of high CO) but mine passed.   It is a PITA but given i wrench on the car, the whole swap is about 2 hours.