HELP W/A 1796 AUTOMATIC & PASSING EMISSIONS (with a Web

[oxnerd]

I just bought a 76 auto from my little brother and it is decent shape, but wont pass emissions here in AZ. (12 times the limit!) It has been converted with a weber carb, and I was instructed to re-jet it. I did but while under the hood I got to looking at the emission system and noticed that 2 of the vacuum lines coming from under the carb are plugged (very heavy vacuum pressure), while a third goes to the distributor. It has no vacuum and when removed doesnt effect the idle. There is one vacuum line on the intake manifold that is "jumped" to another fitting in the manifold and when removed motor dies. Also, I just had a new air pump installed to see if that would help but to no avial. Any Help?

[PeterVarga]

A couple of hints: your return from the charcoal cannister needs to be connected (goes to the bottom of the original air filter.) I don't know if K&N has a port for itt but it must be connected. Look at the emission vacuum diagram posted on the 2002tii registry BBS ('dagsites'). It has the diagram for the '76 CA emissions if yours is missing. Pass the visual inspection with every smog part in place, test EGR for pistion action anc clean the lines. Weber 32/36 has 140 main primary, with the linkage to the secondary defeated....only primarys for smog (I was told) air corrector at about 170 (180?) and make sure the choke is minimal. Then air pump, injectors, reactor have to be inspected (if you have them.) All lines "roto-rootered" and unobstructed. Magnetic valves and thermo sender must be connected and functional if your vehicle has them. Plugs, points, timing have to be set per spec as well. Good Luck.

[c.d.iesel]

YIKES! Not the Timing Light !

EGR (exhaust gas recirculation{regurgitation}) will kill a good running

motor quickly . Learn the function of each component, when they are

supposed to work, at what temp, at what rpm, and what throttle/ vacuum.

without complete understanding of all the

anti-polluting components you'll be chasing yer tail.

All must be by the book in this case- the

BMW Blue Book - yer Owners handbook -with the white

USA Emission supplement - will shed light for you.

you'll need the services of an exhaust gas analizer before you

return to a test station. Work at getting all the butchered

pluged, rerouted, un-plugged wires, blocked air

plumbing un-botched.

[esty]

the easiest way to help yourself is sell me that ugly car...

very very very nice looking car mister...i love it...good luck with your troubles

[oxnerd]

Thanx! I have my emission diagram still on the body. But since this has a weber carb what changes? I dont see a "dashpot" on my carb at all. The vacuum advance line coming from the distributor connects directly to my carb. not to the blk. electromagnetic relay as shown. Also I dont see any EGR valve or diverter valve.

[oxnerd]

No way, I just got it!

1. Cause I've always wanted one, ever since my 510 coupe was stolen.

2. My 16 year old thinks its BA and wants to cruise around town.

3. Come on, its Pistachio green!

[ingraham]

... such as the EGR valve and the stock air filter housing. You need to find out what the rules are in AZ, then conform to them. You may need to replace the missing emissions equipment. If you email me your postal address, I'll mail you a copy of the Weber 32/36 installation instructions for California, as those might be some help. In the CA version, the dashpot and some of the vacuum connections are removed for the Weber conversion.

[PeterVarga]

The retard side of a dual action vacuum advance has to go through the mag valve. When the engine heats up to op temp it brings advance into (or out of) play, can't remember. Diverter valve and dashpot are not on smogman's list. You can find dashpots and put one in but most run alright without. Diverter valve is part of air pump system. If you have an air pump and your diverter valve isnt working you'll know because your muffler gets blown out by the backfires.

It looks as if you have the 49 states version of the air injection exhaust manifold. Test your diverter valve out of the vehicle with a hand pump and watch the internal piston. It valves on and off and should be smooth action with a pretty tight seal at the seat....its not a perfect flow blocker just a percentage of flow gets paused during decel.

You need an EGR valve. Won't pass the visual in CA without it don't know about AZ. It gets exhaust from ex manifold and under certain settings of throttle recirc's it into bottom of intake manifold. There is a port in the stock intake for this. When they put the KN on they probably took the EGR off.

There is another component called the EGR "muffler". This is for sound reduction and is not on the list of required devices. It is a minor function in the EGR circuit and you can pass withouy it. A proper EGR valve with the trimmings (ie. connected properly with clear hoses) is what is needed.

Dashpot is sometimes overlooked if you engine burns clean enough to pass. They can be purchased and installed but they say minimal contribution to the smog workings and vehicles have passed withoug it.

Your advance and retard hoses should be connected as shown in the diags.....intake runners or the carb bottom where indicated. The vacuum is different at these ports and would bring the modules into play at the wrong time if not connected properly. I know at least one thing is connected to vacuum not taken from the carb on my car but I'll have to look at which line it is. The temp sensor on the intake needs to be connected as well. My car has needs its mag valves connected but since yours has one it may be different

And finally, homage for CD.....timing is very imporant. The little ball on the flywheel must be half viseable at the timing port. And for the Califonia emissions specs the timing is at 0 degrees. Your car is differnt,,,,it may not evey have a dual action advance,,,,so adapt these comments as fits your car. Timing specs can be found in the manual for your car. good luck

[oxnerd]

Thanx again, I will track down the EGR valve and because I do have an air pump I guess a diverter valve also. As for modules, I do not see any along the firewall that are connected to the dist. or vacuum lines at all. Looks like I'll be tracking those down as well. If only it was a 75 or newer.

[Arizona02]

engine valves adjusted,then adjust carb w/ smog tailpipe analyzer. Under the hood the major smog parts must be there & connected to pass the visual inspection.If they dont function they wont know it & the car can still pass the test. I dont think inspectors look for the electric vacuum valves on the firewall, if missing. My 76 has all the items,some of it not working,so I plugged the small vacuum hoses w/ BB's to prevent vacuum leaks & it still passed the test.

[oxnerd]

I did pass the visual test at emissions, but not the actual one. I have a free retake so I will try it after switching out the jets and see what happens tonight. I was hoping for a quick fix (arent we all), but if it doesnt work, then I will be back on the hunt for emission parts and advice.

Thanks

[esty]

I did pass the visual test at emissions, but not the actual one. I have a free retake so I will try it after switching out the jets and see what happens tonight. I was hoping for a quick fix (arent we all), but if it doesnt work, then I will be back on the hunt for emission parts and advice.

Thanks

if you passed the visual then i'd focus on getting the pollution down without adding any extra stuff you don't or may not need....besides..it's unlikely that any of the contraptions mention'd here will significantly help you anyway help

there are several tricks that you could try...google is your friend

[Arizona02]

idle speed 900-1000 rpms.Got to have the motor running smooth to have a chance to pass.

[oxnerd]

Well didnt make it to emissions. I've been having trouble with dying battery and flickering lights and so when I went out start to go to test, it wouldn't start. Then jumped it, and shut off and it wouldn't start again. Looks like maybe a new alternator is in order. Brother bought and installed a used alternator but it looks like its a '76. So much for a quick fix. Looks like I'll be chasing more than just low emissions.

[esty]

Types of Pollutants

Usually, emissions tests look for three types of pollutants:

1. Hydrocarbons (HC) This is essentially unburned fuel.

2. Carbon Monoxide (CO)

3. Oxides of Nitrogen (NOx) Oxides of Nitrogen are a byproduct of any combustion in our oxygen/nitrogen atmosphere. High compression engines typically have difficulty achieving low NOx numbers.

Four Relatively Easy Steps

1. Retard the spark timing a bit. From a performance standpoint, Capris respond well to advanced spark timing. This is especially true of those with the 2000 OHC engine. Unfortunately, this is not good for either HC or NOx emissions. Retarding the spark timing up to 4 degrees will usually help both. Keep in mind that this trick may hurt CO emissions.

If you have a dual diaphragm distributor, the timing should be set with all vacuum lines to the distributor removed and the engine running probably no higher than 600 rpm to make sure you don't get into the centrifugal advance. Make sure you plug both vacuum lines removed from a dual diaphragm distributor (since one of them goes to the intake manifold.)

2. Lean out the carburetor Most carburetors have one or more screws to adjust the mixture of fuel and air. A leaner mixture (i.e. less fuel and more air) will usually produce fewer pollutants.

* Stock Capris with 2.0 OHC 4-cylinders, 2.3 "Lima" 4-cylinders, 2.6 liter V-6s and 1974 2.8 liter V-6s have some variant of the Weber 32/36, (or the Holley Motorcraft 5200 license-built copy) . The mixture is adjusted with a screw on the side of the carb.

* 1976 and 1977 Capri IIs with 2.8 liter V-6 engines have a Motorcraft 2150 carburetor. The mixture is adjusted with the two screws in the front of the carb base. Each screw adjusts one barrel of the carb. Make sure that you turn the screws equal amounts.

Set the idle mixture with engine fully warmed up. When adjusting for "best idle" (see below) turn the screw(s) in very small increments (about 1/16 of a turn at a time), and allow about 15 sec for each change to affect idle speed, on either carb.

If you have an idle limiter cap on the idle mixture screw make sure it is set to max lean.

If you don't have a limiter, set the carb to nominal curb idle (Ford spec), adjust the mixture for best idle (usually the highest rpm), if "best idle" increases rpm more than 50 rpm above previous setting, reset rpm to nominal again and repeat until "best idle" is within 50 rpm of nominal, then lean the mixture (turn screw(s) clockwise) until the idle speed drops 50-100 rpm. (Important: This idle speed is NOT the "raised" idle speed from #3 below, it is the idle speed specified by Ford.)

3. Raise the idle speed slightly. If you know what the allowable (by the state) upper limit is for your engine shoot for about 50 rpm below that with engine fully warmed up and distributor adjusted properly.

4. Change the oil. We're not 100 percent sure why this works, but it does. Some have speculated that with cleaner oil, the oil that blows by the piston rings will burn more cleanly. Dave Wells' current mechanic claims it was an old trick of his, however Dave had discovered it himself some years earlier, somewhat accidentally, with his 1973 2000 OHC. He failed New Jersey's inspection, changed his oil, and then passed! (go figure!) Changing the oil seems to benefit hydrocarbon emissions the most.

Change the Spark Plugs Obviously, the fuel/air mixture will not burn properly if your spark plugs are fouled. New spark plugs will burn more cleanly than fouled ones, and new spark plugs are cheap, however, if your spark plugs are fouled, you might have other more significant problems.

On the current tank of gas add some Techron or similar injector cleaner.Then use some throttle-body cleaning spray, then change the plugs and oil. When the gas tank is near empty put in 1/4 tank of premium gas and a bottle of gas line anti-freeze (alcohol). Before the test, be sure the motors is at operating temp. Give it a good run before the test.

all copied from various sites....