What a pain in the rear this is. I went today get my truck emissioned and they told me that I need a cat. converter smog pump and a couple other small things. I have a 79 3/4 ton 4x4 crew cab w/ the 460. I dont think I have ever seen these things on this year truck. Anyone else have these or go through this?
Thanks
JC

 

I have a 79 1/2 ton 4x4 with a 351M. Emissions has been a pain. My dad bought the tuck new and instantly removed the stock exhaust with the cat and put on dual exhaust so that he could run regular gas which was cheaper than unleaded back then. Fortunantly he kept all of the rest of the emission components intact. So when I moved to Arizona 7 years ago I put two cats in my dual exhaust and added tail pipes so that I could pass emissions.

I think your sitituation might be a little different though. I believe they determine what you need to pass as far as emissions go by the vin number. And I thought that in 79 you could only get a 351M or 400 in the 4x4 and that the crew cabs where only available in 2wd. Also I thought that in 79 only the 1/2 tons only had the emissions stuff and not the 3/4 tons. You may want to start by decoding the vin and determining exactly what motor you are supossed to be trying to meet the emissions for.

I plan on doing some engine work one of these days so when I went through emissions in January I asked the guy what all I needed to have. Fortunantly here in AZ it is easier than California. In California everything must be stock even the air cleaner with heat riser. Here for my truck I need cats, PCV valve, air pump, engine vent into the air cleaner. EGR valve and evaporative system. I may have missed something. And also you must pass the sniffer test with the values determined by your vin number.

I hope this rambling helped. Let me know if I can answer anymore questions.

Where did you move here from?

 

Ironic you guys are both having trouble with emissions. I understand that on an older vehicle it would be tougher though. When I was in high school, my '78 bronco (351m) would fail emissions so I had to go to the shop and tinker with it enough to get it to pass. I just took my '00 F250 (V10) down to the Chandler test facility this morning and I swear either my truck runs as clean as anything I've ever seen (zero's across the board on CO and only 2ppm in HC's) or the guys didn't know what they were doing (I was in and out of there in 15 minutes).

Anyways, wideopen don't get discouraged with it. Like crs said, we have it pretty easy out here compared to alot of other states. I know that doesn't make your truck pass any easier but it looks like crs has you goin' down the right path. When it failed, did you take right over to the emission shop next door to see what they say? I sometimes wonder if these guys make up the rules at times....

 

In 79 they did make the CC 4x4 and mine is a 3/4 ton. I have been told that the emissions ratings are diffrent for diffrent GVW's. I need to look into this.
They basically said I needed thing you just said the cats and so on. They told me to go down to the central station and talk to the guys down there they know more about the older trucks. Looks like I might being heading for the junk yard for some parts. I did go in and talk to the guy and asked what I needed. He said acourding to there book (if he is reading it right) I need all this. The truck is orinally from california, I told his this thinking they have tougher laws. He said AZ has tougher laws the Ca. So I dont know.
Oh and CRS I have lived here my whole life I just went to Oregon to buy the truck couldnt find any CC 4x4 here.
Thanks for the help guys.

 

Not sure if you've been on their site (or if it's even helpful) but here's the link to the emissions. It has alot of info about this stuff.
http://www.azdeq.gov/environ/air/vei/index.html

The GVWR rule is broken up 3 ways (this is in the paperwork that was sent to me):
1. All 1981 and newer model year vehicles under 8501lbs GVWR - $27.75 every other year
2. Most other vehicles (except heavy duty diesels): $19.00 (which is what yours will fall under, as was mine)
3. Heavy-duty diesel vehicles (greater than 8500 lbs GVW): $28.00

Good luck!

 

thanks for the info, I will just go down there and see what they say.

 

Down here in Tucson you have to smog every year. Price just went up to $12.25. I just bought a 79 F250 2wd on ebay for $500 by accident (if you can belive that). The truck paint job shows that it was a company truck from Quaker State Oil. All the smog stuff is there. It was a police impound, but the registration was still good, in California, till the end of this month (according to the seller). I can't find out if it passes because the tranny won't shift out of 1st (C6).

 

12.50 ???? thats cheap it cost me 19 bucks....thats horse manure.

 

...I had to go through the same thing with 79 (f250 460 2x auto)when I moved here 4 years ago. Now Ive got it down to a science. basically, swap metering rods run it through then swap 'em back. breezed through last 3 years.
...Be advise though. One year they had me in the computer as a 80,000 lb vehicule!!! Try getting that through emissions! of course once I pointed out the mistake they made they would NOT refund all the failed pass's I'd made previously...
...The real rip off is the motorcycle testing!

 

Had to run my 72 through 5 times before it passed. The engine is new, only 5K miles, new electronic distributor, wires, plugs and carb and it FAILED. I had to set the timing to ZERO before it passed the idle test. Load test was fine. I set it back to 12* once I got home as the thing had NO power at all.

This test is such a joke, it only a money maker for the state, PERIOD!

I think Ca only test back to 77-78 or so. How do some these old POS cars/truck even pass? I see smoke coming out the rear and they still pass??

Sorry for venting, but I'm still kind of pissed over this farce.

Keith

 

My brother lives in CA. He learned that they just upped the year to '76, but it will be the last time they move it.

 

...FYI... I discovered that Az or at least Maricopa county has STRICTER emission inspections that Orange County...!!!

 

You're all right. California just has the sniffer test. Most people where we lived around, were against the dyno. We got here last year, and it took 4 times passing through with my truck. Here's the kicker, the 5th time, I had my mechanic do it, and my truck passed. Imagine that, I was spitting snake vemon by then!! I felt really worked over.

This year, we took it to a different place. They told me my car didn't pass, said it was either too hot or too cold. When asked which was it, they didn't know. So, I took my chance, and romped on it down an old highway. It passed.

The next week, here's where it really fried my hide. I took my 78 F-150 4x4, with larger tires, to the same testing place. The guy get my truck on the dyno test, and begins the test. He approaches the idle test, then jumps out of my truck, and approaches me. Says, can't finish the test, your brakes don't work. I immediately asked if he knew that older trucks, especially with bigger tires, might need the brakes pumped? He said yes, but he couldn't stop it.

I ended our conversation like this "Do you honestly think I used my Wilma Flinstone feet to get here? Do you think I ran every stoplight and sign?" I left, and found another place. Guess what, they passed me the first time, without the brake job!!

Someone PLEASE explain to me why my car had a huge fan placed in front of my car, yet, my truck did not??? By the way, my truck doesn't have cats, my car does. Could they have been trying to cool my cats off to offset the readings?

Almost forgot, when was the Last time these dynos were calibrated? Even computers have to be updated, and tuned. Or maybe because I'm a woman.

 

The fan was put there for overheating prevention. the electric fan (in your car) generates an electric load, which changes the idle, in turn changing the idle reading. Your truck has the fan turning all the time (I'm sure you know that). The Dyno is only there to simulate driving conditions there is not a specific speed that is run, just a range. Somewhere between 25 & 35 mph (I think).

 

...Well if you ask them they'll say their constantly calibrated.
...They use the fan on motocycles too.
...Until you get you truck dialed in it gonna feel like they are out to get you... Well, actually they ARE out to get you..... But there really is no way around it. My first couple times through I paid a mechanic cause they have the O2 snifflers. Once it passed, I recorded the setting then set the engine to run like I want. time for insp rolls around I swap metering rods tweak the idle, check the gas caps and run it through. No problems for the past 3 years now.
... What really sucks is the harley.. well it DID really suck until I discover I had a burnt valve.... Now I just temporarily lean the hell of it to pass insp... and again reset everything the way I want it.
good luck....