Tuning to pass smog?

[Matt Weiser]

I just completed a hybrid project and everything's running good. Now I'm wondering the best way to tune my car to pass Calif. smog. Any idea what numbers I should be looking for on Turbo-link to please the smog gods? Eventually I'll tune for peak performance, of course, but I gotta get over this hurdle first.

Thx in advance for any help!

 

[TurboDave]

Well, to get past the CA smog you'll need three things basically.

A good, working cat. converter.
A functioning EGR and a chip that controls it.
And your chip needs to be running closed loop, at or very close to stoiceometric A/F ratio as possible.

BLM's should be as close to 128 as you can get, but anything from 120-138 shouldn't cause any problems.

Since it's a hybrid, I'm not sure how they're going to deal with the visual part. Ought to really confuse them

 

[Matt Weiser]

Thanks for the info. By those measures, I should be OK. I have a good cat, the EGR seems to be working, the chip is stock as far as I know, and my BLMs seem to hover around 128 reliably.

As for the visual, Calif. rules say swaps are OK as long as you swap to a NEWER powertrain than what the car originally had and use all the smog gear the new engine is supposed to have. I've kept everything stock to be sure I can get a smog cert., so I guess I'll forge ahead.

Any other suggestions out there?

 

[TurboDave]

One other thing. Try and get a "pre-test" done before you go in. Could help find a problem early if there's going to be any.

 

[Matt Weiser]

Actually, I need to correct what I said in my earlier post. I made another test run today and compared it to the earlier ones I recorded on Turbolink, and I think I found a problem. I see no EGR activity at all. Occasionally a blip, but not the constant activity I guess you're supposed to see at part-throttle and cruise.

Also, my BLMs aren't hovering around 128 like I said earlier. My "integrator" numbers hover around 128, but my BLMs seem low, usually in the 100-115 range. I'm also getting an unusual amount of spark retard at part throttle and cruise, and the TL literature says this may be related to a bad EGR.

Could all these problems be linked? Is my EGR messed? If so, how do I find out whether it's the EGR valve or the solenoid?

I'm gonna have to fix this quick, as I went ahead and made a smog appointment for Wed. I doubt I can pass smog with a bad EGR!

Help!

 

[TurboDave]

So, while you're cruising, at say 55mph and the cruise control set, you're seeing little to no activity?? Even cruising city streets at steady throttle 35-45mph (when it should be most active)?

Are you sure you have a stock chip?? VERY IMPORTANT to know exactly what chip is in there. If the EGR controller has died you may see the symptoms you are seeing. Could also be unplugged, or simply need the filter cleaned (yes it has a little filter in the back of it).
The system isn't smart enough to detect a problem with the EGR vavle its self. Being careful not to burn yourself, start the car and get it warmed up. While idling, reach under the valve and push up on the diaphram, did the car stumble and want to die??? If not, there could be a problem in the EGR passages.
If you have a vacuum source, hook it to the diaphram (engine off) and pull a vacuum on it. Does it hold??

BTW, it's fairly common to see pretty low BLM numbers when at highway cruise speeds. Check them at 25mph street cruise steady speed. That's where the smog machine is going to be looking. The smog dyno runs the car at 15mph and at 25 mph try and check everything at those speeds.

 

[Matt Weiser]

Thanks for the info. Yes, there's literally NO activity from the EGR at steady speeds. I'll check the EGR as you describe. I don't have a vacuum source, but it's probably time I bought a vacuum pump tool anyway. I know the EGR is hooked up right, and has a good vacuum source, because I put everything back together myself with new vacuum lines.

Frankly, I don't know if the chip is stock or not. How would I tell by looking at it? Does a stock chip have certain markings I should look for? Does it have a standard code that would show up on Tlink? Right now Tlink shows a chip code of 018A, if I remember right.

Thanks for your help!

 

[TurboDave]

Originally posted by Matt Weiser
Thanks for the info. Yes, there's literally NO activity from the EGR at steady speeds. I'll check the EGR as you describe. I don't have a vacuum source, but it's probably time I bought a vacuum pump tool anyway. I know the EGR is hooked up right, and has a good vacuum source, because I put everything back together myself with new vacuum lines.

Frankly, I don't know if the chip is stock or not. How would I tell by looking at it? Does a stock chip have certain markings I should look for? Does it have a standard code that would show up on Tlink? Right now Tlink shows a chip code of 018A, if I remember right.

Thanks for your help!

The part of the chip label that you can see, what does it say?

 

[bruce]

If underneath the plastic ribs on the top of the chip you see an AL foil type sticker with some black typing on it you probably have a stock chip. Any colored labels or a paper tag on the under side of the prom is an aftermarket.


Be sure the oil is clean.
Engine needs to be toasty hot, like just off of a 20 min Freeway cruise.
A bottle of gas tank additive to pass smog tests won't hurt.

The BL/Int of 128s is at best a poor guage of what your actual emissions are. The test looks for gases other then O2, and the O2 sensor looks just at O2. So you can have perfect 128s and miserably fail the test.

You have to remember the emission programs are about money, not cleaner air, then the system makes sense.

 

[Matt Weiser]

I checked the chip and it looks like a stock unit. It has an alum. foil type label on top that reads:

DELCO
CMW
0602

I also looked at the EGR system, using some of the test procedures in the factory manual I have, and I think my problem is the EGR solenoid, not the EGR valve itself. The valve functions, there is adequate vacuum to the valve, and the engine runs really bad at idle when the valve is open. But the valve seems to be getting no signal from the solenoid (though there IS power to the solenoid harness). So I'll be ordering a new solenoid today and going from there.

The only weird thing is I'm not showing any EGR trouble code, but it looks like this is at least possible in some cases based on the way the EGR solenoid functions.

Thanks for the help! I'll post an update after the solenoid install.

 

[TurboDave]

If memory serves the CMW 0602 is the stock chip for an 86 so you should be pretty good there. Sounds like it might be a solenoid related issue.

You could also run the BBKJ9464 chip profile and have a cleaner burning test. Assuming it's on the borderline, that may be an option if needed. The BBKJ is the smog recall chip in the later 87's.

 

[Matt Weiser]

Well, I installed a new (from the dealer) EGR solenoid and it didn't change anything. I still show NO activity by the EGR on Tlink and I'm still getting a weird amount of part-throttle spark retard. I double-checked that there is power to the solenoid harness, so as far as I can tell, the last possible problem is that my ECM has taken a dump. There's a test procedure where you check resistance across the EGR harness and the A/C relay harness, and if resistance is below 20 ohms, according to the factory manual, the ECM is bad. Well, both readings were below 20 ohms.

Could this be true or am I missing something?

Another odd thing is that Tlink says it's reading an '87 car (according to the ECM, apparently), but my ECM, motor, harness, etc. came out of an '86. Does this matter or do I just have a between-years powertrain?

If I need a new ECM, where do I get one? And should I use an '86 or '87 ECM? Finally, should I go ahead with my smog check tomorrow or is it pointless?

This has become way more complicated than I expected.

 

[kenmosher]

86 and 87 are the same ECM, so that won't make any difference.

TurboLink is using the Preferences you have set ... you set the Vehicle Type in the Preferences (v2.13) or you select it from the Vehicle Wizard (v3.0).

EGR should only be active at light part throttle and some cruise conditions.... and it's programmed in the chip. Since you have the stock chip, it should show EGR activity on TurboLink (whether the solenoid works or not) since TurboLink is showing the what the ECM is commanding.

 

[Matt Weiser]

Well, this story has a happy ending, but a silly one...

As part of this swap project, I installed a B&M Megashifter in the car. But I delayed hooking up wires from the shifter for the park/neutral switch and backup lights, thinking it was a low priority until I got the car running right.

Well, I started looking at some wiring diagrams and realized the TR's park/neutral switch feeds through the ECM, it's not just a starter lock. So on a hunch I hooked up the park/neutral switch to the shifter, and bang, the EGR started functioning. Apparently, the ECM won't start controlling the EGR, and probably other functions, until it knows the car is in gear.

Anyway, with the wiring done after dark last night, I took the car in for its smog test this morning and it PASSED! Happy ending!!!

Thanks for the help everybody!

 

[TurboDave]

Sure glad you stumbled on that one !!!

That's one of many reasons I always emphasise to anyone installing aftermarket shifters, MAKE SURE THE the stock linkage to the column is retained and functional!!!!