Moment of Panic, Sigh of relief, Back to the Future

[Saudade]

I was prepping for smog test on my '88. Checked cap and rotor (good), pulled a few plugs (looked good), checked engine oil and trans fluid (good). Saw some remnants of coolant residue from my radiator/water pump change from a week ago and decided to wash it all out. I do periodically wash out the engine bay and when I do, I disconnect the TPS and IAC and carefully wrap the TPS and IAC with plastic wrap to protect them from any water. I also am careful to not directly spray any water in that general area. So wash all of it out and use my shop vac on "blow" to get rid of excess water, and wipe down the areas. All looks good. Reconnect everything.

So start the engine, runs fine, idles fine, revs fine. Shut it it down and put away tools, hose, vac, etc. Go to start again and idle jumps to about 1500 rpm. Shut down and restart, idle jumps to 2500 rpm!! Dang!! What did I do? So thinking I may have broken one of the crazy fragile vac lines, I check them all out and they're all good. Pull the intake tube and TB looks clean but I spray it out anyway. Removed the IAC so I can check it and clean the IAC passage. All looks good. Reconnect, start and immediately jumps back to 2500 rpm. So I check the IAC and TPS connectors and spot a bit of corrosion so I clean them up. Still no good. So out comes the propane torch to check for any intake leaks. None found, idle still at 2500. So fiddling around a bit more I move the TPS harness over and notice the TPS moved a bit. Apparently, the top screw retaining the TPS was a bit loose. When I disconnected them earlier and moved the harness around, then wrapped them, I must have bumped the TPS and knocked it out of adjustment. Readjusted the TPS, made sure the screws were tight and BINGO, back to a normal idle. Shut down/restart a few times and still good. Went for a short drive to get up to full temp. Back home and try a few more starts, all good. Whew!!

So off to the smog test. Due to the methods needed to test a Pre-OBD vehicle, they couldn't do it that day so I'll have to come back. Meanwhile, I parked next to a DeLorean so I took a quick pic. There's a DeLorean dealer nearby so I see these things around often. The shop appeared to be doing some work on it. Neat bike repair shop in the background. Lot's of Harleys, MotoGuzzi's, some Ducati's and others.



More to come after smog testing.

 

[Saudade]

Passed smog test today. Here's the results. Guess the Delorean went back to.....

 

[my2monkeys]

Dang, those are good #s. Is it the original motor and it must have a new cat?

 

[Saudade]

Original motor/trans. Cat was replaced in 2014. But only driven about 15K since then.

 

[Anak]

There should be some sort of recognition for smog check PTSD. Kali should be on the hook for reparations to all the millions of people who have suffered under that tyranny.

Hopefully you can at least breathe easy for the next 23 months.

 

[lawsoncl]

Hopefully you can at least breathe easy

Funny you should phrase it that way, considering why California became so strict on their emissions laws. But yeah, it would be nice if they'd just follow the same laws as all the other states.

 

[Saudade]

You got that right.

When filling out the paper work and chatting with the guy, he joked I had a 50/50 chance. I knew this was a joke as it either passes or not, so 50/50. Besides, he always tries that one every time I come there (I have other cars that require biannual smog). Anyway, I tell him my batting average is a bit less than that. He grins, then takes it around the back into one of the bays. The test begins. The tension mounts. Despite the assortment of curios in the lobby (they even had an old Etch-A-Sketch, yes I doodled with it a bit), I couldn't stay still so I walked outside. Walked around the building, looked at the motorcycles, peeked in the open bay to see my XJ with wires and hoses coming out if at as if it were in surgery.

Finally, I see the tech back out of the bay and bring it around front. I head to the counter to learn the results. Meanwhile there are 2 other people checking out and retrieving their cars. The first person failed with high NOx and they were discussing replacing the CAT and what exhaust shop they should go to (not a good sign). Still with one other person in front of me, he looks up at me, gives me a thumbs up (now a good sign). Finally get to check out and he comments that it's running pretty clean for a car this old. We chat a bit longer, then pay, grab my keys and head out. Sweet victory!!

For those not subject to it, in CA, 1976 to 1999 cars are subject to "tailpipe sniffing" while on a dyno, plus an evap pressurization test (including the cap) and a visual verification that all emissions gear is present, functioning, and where applicable, CARB approved (especially the CAT). Newer cars still get the visual, but an OBD scan is accepted in lieu of the dyno. As long as the MIL is out and all applicable readiness monitors are Complete, and the visual check is good, you pass.

So good now for 2 years. Whew!

 

[asymptonic]

Congrats on passing. I get that it's hard but when I moved to SoCal 30 years ago it was really ugly. My fiance at the time tried doing some hikes above LA and you couldn't see downtown at all through the thick pea soup smog. We moved away after a few years, but when I visited ten years later it was so much better. Air smelled clean and the same hike we could see clear through to where she went to school for a short time. It's hard for us old cars but when you have millions of them poorly maintained it adds up real quick. Can feel hard on us that care about our Jeeps but really meant to squeeze people that don't give two shts about what they're driving.