I've just read these new regulations and it seems to me visual test is not a good idea like and idea of using optical instruments to measure how exaust is transparent.... tuned up gasoline engine may generate only one visually determined thing - water steam! Usually we can see it when it is cold outdoors. But black pre blue smoke.... belive me if you can see it your engine is really bad.
Smoke test is usuall for diesel engines, and rally in Europe according new regulations no smoke is permoted. Dust filters are installed in exaust. But what a reason to check gasoline engine for smoke? CO and CxHx pollution when twice higher normal are invisible!
Just wanted to apologize concerning my crack about the "liberal mind". It wasn't appropriate on this type of forum and it was off topic. I should have known better, but couldn't help myself. This forum is about ford trucks and thank god politics are not a part of it. Sorry to let my political opinions spill over into neutral territory, no offense was intended to those with left leanings (like my mom and sister incidentally). Peace...
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1997 Aerostar Extended 3.0 2WD, 28K miles
You are right that it is an important issue that is related to trucks. However, I had no choice when it spilled over into political territory. We all know how bitter these arguments could become, hence my decision to close the thread, but leave it on the forum instead of deleting it.
In light of Aero-fan post, I'll reopen that thread and delete anything that's politically inflammatory.
As for other posters, please remember, we're all friends here, so try not to start a flame war.
vehicle caused pollution and it's effects upon us, our children and grandchildren are valid pertinent subjects for discussion on our Aero forum
blind political ideology attacks have no place here
my Aero always passes our strict air pollution testing here in Wa. i have not seen the gray haze over our metropolitan area since the late '70s. i will never forget the sight of flying into S. Calif in the 70s during smog alerts, couldn't see the runway until the last moment and stepping off the plane into the lung killing muck was like being in hell.
wife's Hondas always pass.
i keep up on the engine performance maintenance.
the days of old stink fume burn the eyes exhaust pickups and other rigs on the road are almost over.
With gasoline engine, it is possible to fail smog long before you see any visible exhaust, as most of the pollutants are invisible. By the time you see smoky emissions, it's really dirty.
I've always maintained that making your engine run as efficiently as possible will naturally run cleaner. Most of the pollution are caused by incomplete combustion, which means at least some of the fuel is not being converted to useful work. Keeping your engine running optimally is still the best way to obtain the best fuel economy and performance while keeping the emissions low.
96_4wdr sorry if what I said put you off, didn't mean to. I've really appreciated all the very in depth technical info you've made available on this site, as I'm sure everyone else does too. But for the record, I'm not against emissions testing or emissions controls or keeping your vehicle running in optimum form -far from it. And I am an evironmentalist as well, I probably spend more time outside camping and biking and hiking and working in the woods than 99% of the general population. And as you may have seen, I'm currently doing everything I can to improve the efficiency of my aerostar and to increase its fuel mileage as much as possible (up to and including even installing a 2.3 engine!). The only reason I made my sarcastic comment about the subject that JT brought up was because of the facts he described concerning that specific scenario and how it would be paid for. First is that if there was any visible black or bluish smoke you would fail the test, even if you had passed the most stringent emissions test in the country with flying colors. But how is it possible to pass the uber-stringent CA emissions test and have visible black or blue smoke coming out of your exhaust? That means either the engine is running too rich and/or it's burning a considerable amount of oil. If it's running too rich or it's burning oil then these particulates should already be detected using the test technology, not by the discretionary judgment of some govt bureaucrat working at the testing center. And I certainly wouldn't think that an engine running so rich as to be blowing visible smoke would be producing "passing" levels of NOx, CO and CO2. Same thing goes for visible oil burning, which also I would certainly think would mean a contaminated catalytic converter, again making me wonder how it could pass the test in the first place. Also, as Pablo has wisely pointed out, I've seen my various vehicles blow "visible" smoke from time to time in the form of harmless water vapor. I could easily see some govt bureaucrat on a damp day failing cars for "blowing smoke" for this reason. Bottomline is that the described "smoke test" is not scientific and it certainly casts doubt on the actual emission test iself if cars blowing blue and black smoke can pass with flying colors. If the existing emissions test machines cannot detect visible smoke (and not water vapor), then the machines should be upgraded so that they can. Giving govt bureaucrats the ability to "pass/fail" a vehicle simply based on their discretion or "eyeball judgment" is a bad idea in my opinion.
The second issue (as JT described it) is how the cars that failed the test will be fixed - and who pays for it? Up to $500 of taxpayer money will go to every car that fails? And it's estimated that "at least 10% will fail"?? Whew, that's a LOT of money. And California is already in deep trouble with its deficit and budgetary problems. The cost of living in California is out of control already. This kind of drain on the treasury will certainly provoke even higher taxes, which again will increase the cost of living even further. I love California and spend quite a bit of time there on business trips. I've often thought of moving to San Diego or elsewhere in CA, but I always come to my senses because of the crazy cost of living and the excessive taxation/regulation. If you're a hardworking taxpayer (and not everyone is), living in California can be a very frustrating experience because of how often your taxes are squandered and wasted on unintelligent and poorly thought out programs. The same can be said of many regulations that law makers come up with based on "the best of intentions" instead of sound logic and intelligent analysis. That's an opinion, but whether you're on the left or the right or down the middle, there is no doubt that the federal and state government wastes HUGE amounts of taxpayer money on all sorts of things. The smoke test as it's been described by JT in the earlier thread, to me sounds like one of these situations.
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1997 Aerostar Extended 3.0 2WD, 28K miles
May be this low is to reanimate automotive industry. Nobody wants to get new car till old runs well. Cars are reliable and emission lows makes us change cars.
as I've understood any car ore small truck is possible to convert to electric. Made in China batteries are cheap now. Whan gas was cheapper it was no reason to do it... now there is some reason. For Aerostar I think 70 kWt is enought.
What my problem with it is that if the Smog station was Honest they would look at the Auto when it pulled up and tell the owner if its going to pass the no smoke test before anything else was done.
But after talking to some Local Smog Shops the test is done AFTER they hook you car up and put all your info in. If you fail........ $45-$60 Easy dollars.
Now here's bad part......They're be telling the owner that a full engine rebuild is the only way to fix it if it fails the No Smoke Test.
I told them what a Scam. What about one of the many Sensors that can go bad? or the ECM? Bad Cat Converter? As far as the engine a bad Valve Guide or Valve could let oil leak through and make it to smoke. As can Bad or Stuck Rings. So a WHOLE rebuild is over-kill, It would be a good Idea but most engines wouldn't need it.
They got mad at me and walked off...............
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Removing from the Front a Aerostar 3.0/4.0 Engine & Rebuilding a 3.0 WebPage
(New Home)
http://www.webng.com/JTHill/
Maybe this would give them someplace to use all the lead they've been putting into children's toys until now.
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Dave Mac
94 XLT Long 237 K, still driving while I work on the other one
92 XL Short 138 K and back in the workshop
89 Tempo 157 K and still haven't worked this one out
Maybe this would give them someplace to use all the lead they've been putting into children's toys until now.
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They make gel batteries.... alllead is used for toys.... LOL
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