engine and drivetrain Failed my visual smog inspection!

[Guest Anonymous]

Smog from the tail pipe of my 76 2002 is perfect he says I run cleaner then most newer cars in the dodge neon range. Anyway he failed me on the visual inspection because he couldn't check the timing of the car on the pully, hence there is no mark for number one cylinder. So I will take a sharpy and mark it because he doesn't understand how to check it with the hole in the bell housing when I explain it to him. Second the carcoal canister I think its called on the right hand side of the engine compartment has a hose that is not connected to anything its just dangleing down below the master cylinder. I'd hook it up to something but Im not sure where it goes. Its only got two vacum hoses connected to it and the top one is the one in question. None of the diagrams I've seen shows me where it goes. Third the factory air filter hosing has a small hole next to the breather for the valve cover, that a hose should be connected too. He wants to see it connected, does that come from the carb maybe? If I fix those three things today he will pass me and I will be able to get that stupid sticker out of my window. Im in San Francisco by the way.

[daniswaytough]

get yourself a 75 or earlier man! how do you get by without pulling your hair out in that bastion of greenness?

[Mike Self]

an inner fender well in the engine compartment. That (or the owners manual) should show you where the missing and offending hoses go.

Failing that, someone on the board with a Cal spec 76 should have the info for you.

mike

[Guest Anonymous]

Its my first 2002 and the car has 80,000 original miles. I paid $350 for it and did nothing to it but deal with these smog issues. It runs great! Thats how I get by.

[Mark92131]

The charcoal canister on my 1975 has two connections. The middle one is connected to a blue line that runs through the firewall and connects to the fuel expansion tank in the trunk. The other connector on the canister is connected to the small connector on the bottom of my air cleaner.

I hope this helps.

Mark92131

[steve k.]

if those are the only two smog problems you have, fix them and run with it!!! Power to the '76 in California!!!

where in California are you?

steve k.

[BarryA]

dangling hose reaches to the air cleaner and the id of the hose is aproximately the same as the od of the nipple on the air cleaner, the odds are pretty good that that's where it goes (it's probably the low-vacuum line that provides negative pressure to suck fuel vapor into the carb from the charcoal cannister).

On the timing ball / timing setting issue, part of the problem may be that the smog guy can't see the ball because it's covered with dirt, oil, or dust from the clutch disc (the ball is pretty small - about the size of a bb).

If so, you might try cleaning the ball so it's easier to find (find the ball by parking the car on a level surface, put it in 2nd or 3rd with the engine and e-brake off, and have somebody slooowly roll the car forward or back while you look down the hole with a strong flashlight until you find it). Clean the ball off with a bit of rag crimped into the end of piece of wire clothes hanger and soaked in solvent, lacquer thinnner or acetone - the ball should be shiny, polished stainless steel.

[JerryC]

If so, you might try cleaning the ball so it's easier to find (find the ball by parking the car on a level surface, put it in 2nd or 3rd with the engine and e-brake off, and have somebody slooowly roll the car forward or back while you look down the hole with a strong flashlight until you find it). Clean the ball off with a bit of rag crimped into the end of piece of wire clothes hanger and soaked in solvent, lacquer thinnner or acetone - the ball should be shiny, polished stainless steel.

What Barry said, then once the ball is clean, put a dab of white paint on the end of your coat hanger and mark the flywheel to highlight the ball's location so it is easy to find.

[Guest Anonymous]

If you can't find the ball on the flywheel mark don't worry. Set piston #1 at TDC you can use the index on the distributor aligned with the rotor scribe mark. Then put a dot on the flywheel through the inspection hole in the bell housing with that coat hanger that you've been using. That mark sync's with timing on TDC. good luck

[Ray-2002tii]

get yourself a 75 or earlier man! how do you get by without pulling your hair out in that bastion of greenness?

That's really going to help him out!