AirCare

[Thomas]

I have just moved from the Island to Vancouver and now have to have my 65 Beetle aircared. I'm a little scared to have it done and I wonder if there is any pointers you have that would help me pass. I've heard fresh oil helps and your timing and idle speeds might be set different to help it pass. Thanks Thomas.

[Bruce]

Se it up according to the book.

[silas]

okay...i'm not dvlgkk or an expert but...

in a perfect world you'd use a gas analyzer or an lm1 to tune it to run like it should (correct a/f ratio for optimal power, fuel economy & emmisions)...

without those (and if you dont want to go to a shop and get them to set it up)...i'd say oil change, valve adjustment, point gap adjustment, check your timing, make sure you're firing on all cylinders, make sure there are no intake or exhaust leaks, do not "over octane" your motor (unless it requires it...a stocker should run just fine on 87 with no knock), take it for a nice tear to get it up to operating temp...and then take it through aircare. if you pass, great. if you fail, the results you get will tell you what you need to do to get it to pass.

[Bruce]

.... take it for a nice tear to get it up to operating temp....

That is one of the biggest problems in the winter in an aircooled car.  If you don't have the stock thermostat and cooling flaps, you will never be able to get it up to proper operating temps.  If you can wait until warmer temps, that will help.  Also, a dry day will help reduce icing on the manifold.

[buggy1]

It's a bitch to do when its colder, mine will only pass on a warm day.

[Bruce]

If you had to go in today, I would remove the rear tin above the muffler. This will allow the fan to recycle the warm air off the cylinders and heads.

[bml63b]

sorry i thought cars older than 30 plus years don't need to be air cared check into this as i have insured my car for the first time in twenty years, didn't need to air care  ........ check with icbc before you go to any trouble .

[Bruce]

There's no need to check anything.  There is no limit to the age of the car that must pass.  I once talked to a guy with a 47 Ford that went through Aircare.  I have heard about one guy who complained that his Model T Ford shouldn't have to go through Aircare but it did.
The reason you didn't have to go through it is because your particular car hasn't ever been through, so it didn't have an aircare fail or expire to prevent your local autoplan agent from selling you insurance.  Just like any car new to BC doesn't have to go through aircare.  Just wait until next year.

[silas]

a few more points to make on preparing for an aircare inspection....

-check & adjust your tire pressures for accurate psi.

-tell them you're going to ride along for the test, hop in the passengers seat and make sure they do the driving test it in 2nd gear (i seem to recall bruce saying somewhere that it is an aircare policy).

so today i went & passed aircare with no problems.

but the "techs" at aircare are a f@#king piece of work i tell you....

first, i go to show the guy the vin tag under the bonnet and i tell him to get his flashlight out and i point directly at the vin # AND i read it out to him and he has no response...i point and read it out again and he says "oh yeah...there it is...i could have found it if you would have told me". ?? try listeming next time you f@#king dillhole.

next, i'm riding along and buddy puts the car in 3rd and i was going to say something about it then but i figured i'd wait until the end to see the results. if it passes, i'm ok with it...but if it fails i'm kicking ass and taking names.

so it passes but i still confront the guy and tell him that i'm pretty sure it's an aircare policy to test the vehicle in 2nd gear (i also tell him that acvws need the higher rpm for fan speed/cooling and dont like to be lugged). his response..."i used to have an old beetle...i've been working here for 10 years so i know how to test cars...in 2nd gear the rpms are too high and sometimes the test can last for 90 seconds and that could jeopordize the motor..."

my response to that was that he should probably look into the aircare policies & procedures a little further and find out what testing requirements are for an older acvw.

so i know bruce is going to chime in and say "you should have parked the car right then and there and demanded to see the manager".

sure i could have...but i really couldnt be bothered. i had allready given them 23 of my hard earned dollars, 20 minutes of my time, and the car had passed. i was done.

i just wanted to pass the info on to the others here so they know what to expect.

so...what happened to thomas (the guy that started this thread)?

[Thomas]

Thanks for all the info. I'm going to give the car the once over this weekend and take the car in next week as I can't delay it any longer. Thanks Thomas.

[bml63b]

next year i will apply for vintage plates and not worry ......

[Bruce]

next year i will apply for vintage plates and not worry ......

To get collector plates, you must pass aircare.

[red snapper]

next year i will apply for vintage plates and not worry ......

To get collector plates, you must pass aircare.

Isnt it only once though?

[Bruce]

next, i'm riding along and buddy puts the car in 3rd and i was going to say something about it then but i figured i'd wait until the end to see the results. if it passes, i'm ok with it...but if it fails i'm kicking ass and taking names.

so i know bruce is going to chime in and say "you should have parked the car right then and there and demanded to see the manager".

No, this is a good way to get a free re-test in the event you fail the test in 3rd gear.
I guarantee, if you did back-to-back tests in 2nd and 3rd, the 3rd gear test will show higher CO and HC numbers.  Probably NOx too.

There are two entities involved with the vehicle testing.  The actual testing stations and their employees are a private co that is contracted by the provincial gov't to test the cars.  Then there's the branch of the provincial gov't that administers the program.  The test parameters and procedures were designed by Aircare head office, a branch of the provincial gov't.  One detail is that the test supposed to be done in 2nd gear on stick cars.  There is no allowance for doing it in 3rd.
If your engine blows up during the test, the private co doing the testing is responsible.  I think this is why they like to do it in 3rd.  I don't know what it's like for the Honda/Toyota/Chevy guys, whether they get tested in 3rd all the time like we get.  I suspect our louder engines prompt the test guys to upshift.

[Bruce]

next year i will apply for vintage plates and not worry ......

To get collector plates, you must pass aircare.

Isnt it only once though?

Yes.
If you have a car that can't pass, you're not gonna get collector plates.  Also, if your car is a 59-83, it must be totally stock.

[red snapper]

I think there is also a modified collector plate also. From what I understand, you go through once and pass, you dont have to worry about it ever again.I could be mistaken, but doesnt Jim have one? I ask because I hope to do this to my Fiat somehow.

[silas]

so i know bruce is going to chime in and say "you should have parked the car right then and there and demanded to see the manager".

No,

  i'm just joking with you buddy!!!

this is a good way to get a free re-test in the event you fail the test in 3rd gear

that's the way i was looking at it, that's why i didnt mention anything during the test. if my car failed after the test that he did in 3rd gear i would have summoned up a s#!t storm and demanded a retest in 2nd gear.

I guarantee, if you did back-to-back tests in 2nd and 3rd, the 3rd gear test will show higher CO and HC numbers.  Probably NOx too.

and as much as i would have loved to do a back to back test (one in 3rd and the next in 2nd)...i wasnt about to cough up the dough to that money making machine.

There are two entities involved with the vehicle testing.  The actual testing stations and their employees are a private co that is contracted by the provincial gov't to test the cars.  Then there's the branch of the provincial gov't that administers the program.  The test parameters and procedures were designed by Aircare head office, a branch of the provincial gov't.  One detail is that the test supposed to be done in 2nd gear on stick cars.  There is no allowance for doing it in 3rd.
If your engine blows up during the test, the private co doing the testing is responsible.  I think this is why they like to do it in 3rd.  I don't know what it's like for the Honda/Toyota/Chevy guys, whether they get tested in 3rd all the time like we get.  I suspect our louder engines prompt the test guys to upshift.

that's good info bruce.

I think there is also a modified collector plate also. From what I understand, you go through once and pass, you dont have to worry about it ever again.I could be mistaken, but doesnt Jim have one?

yes...modified collectors is for modified vehicles (engine, trans, suspension, ect) '58 and older. yes...jim does have it. i'm pretty sure russ & erin have it on their oval and joe cormier has it on his oval too. definately something to consider if your vehicle falls into that category.

and you're right brian...pass once for modified collectors and you're good forever...just like bruce has previously stated for collectors plates!!!

[Bruce]

I guarantee, if you did back-to-back tests in 2nd and 3rd, the 3rd gear test will show higher CO and HC numbers.  Probably NOx too.

and as much as i would have loved to do a back to back test (one in 3rd and the next in 2nd)...i wasnt about to cough up the dough to that money making machine.

I just reviewed these 2 back-to-back tests I refered to.  The CO and HC weren't significantly different.  The NOx on the 3rd gear test was 50% higher than in 2nd.  Lugging the engine in 3rd causes extra load on the engine, resulting in higher temps in the combustion chamber.  This causes oxides of Nitrogen to form.  NOx does not form at lower temps.  However, most of our VWs don't have to pass a NOx standard.

[Thomas]

Well I decided to give it a try today and what a F#@&ing experience that was. I got the car nice and warm and went straight in and had to wait 15-20 mins for the guy to enter the car info. He didn"t like my vin tag up front and made me take out my back seat to see the other. Next came the road test!!! First the guy got it already and went to go but forgot to lower it on the dyno and tried to launch my car. Next he couldn't shift the gears so he made me get in to shift gears from him. He also ran it in third gear and when he was slowing it down he would stall it so we had to redo the test a couple times. The result of my experience is a fail  on high CO at idle.As a result of living on the north island I have always done my own engine work so I most likely have something done wrong. Can anyone refer me to a good shop (I'm living downtown @ Howe and Pacific) or any easy fixes for this problem. Thank Thomas.

[Bruce]

... high CO at idle.

If you only failed at idle, his 3rd gear testing didn't cause it.  Although I would have still made them do it over again in 2nd.

High idle CO means it is too rich.  What is the reading?  The cure is to turn in the idle mixture screw.

[Thomas]

The reading @ idle was 9.9 CO (5.54 being the max). I set the mixture screws on my dual kardons by turning them in until the engine starts stalling and then back them out until the rpms level out. Is this the correct way?Thanks Thomas.

[Bruce]

Was the CO reading 9.9% or 9.99%?  If it was the latter, your true reading is much higher.  Their machines can't read more than 999.

If you can get a very fine tachometer for setting the idle, connect it up.  Mine can show a 20 rpm change.
Turn in each idle mix screw one at a time, watching the rpms.  If you can go in 1/8 of a turn without the rpms changing, you've leaned it out. If you can go more, keep going.
When you do get it to drop, unscrew that mix screw by the last 1/8 of a turn to see if the rpms pick up.

[Thomas]

It was 9.99 CO so I  guess it was higher yikes!!! I will try what you said using the digital tach on my timing light. Is there anyplace where you I can get the CO tested on my car before I go back in?

[Bruce]

VanWonder in North Van may be able to dial it in, but they will charge you more than $24.

[dirtydeedss]

if you were to lower your car so much it cant get onto the dyno they will only do an idle test, then rev it up like its on the dyno but it wont be under load, fairly easy pass.  Thats what i did

[Bruce]

You got lucky.  They have an rpm limit for idle speed of 1100rpm.  Exceed that, you fail.
My stupid tach reads 300 rpm high at idle.  The guy kept looking at it (reading 1300) and kept warning me he could fail me for it.

In this case, lowering the car won't help, the car passes the driving part.

[dods1600]

I'm just curious, does anyone know if an exhaust leak will effect any of the eadings at idle?

[Bruce]

In theory, no.  But I don't trust Aircare.

An exhaust leak not only lets exh out, it draws air in.  That air dilutes the mixture, reducing all the numbers. (yay!)  However, the guys at Aircare aren't dumb.  They recognize this way of "cheating", so they also measure the O2 content of your exh.  When they measure too much oxygen, they apply a multiplication fudge factor to all your readings to compensate for the leak.
If the leak is too big, the test aborts.  This is what happens when their probe does not extend far enough into your tailpipe.  Air gets drawn back in the tail pipe a short distance at idle.  If not far enough in, the probe will detect this air.  I've had mine kicked out many times for this reason, so every time I go in, I tell the guy he needs to seal up the tail pipe.  They use a rubber hose over your tail pipe and probe.

If you're going in this time of year, make sure your engine is as warm as possible.

[jim martin]

I think there is also a modified collector plate also. From what I understand, you go through once and pass, you dont have to worry about it ever again.I could be mistaken, but doesnt Jim have one? I ask because I hope to do this to my Fiat somehow.

yes , modified collectors is what i have , if you have any questions just give me a call and i can stear you in the correct path .

as for aircare ,yes i'm a certified aircare tech.i've said it before .there is no magic needed to pass aircare .
the main point many seam to overlook is the first basic step .is your motor in good shape ??.this does not mean change your oil and adjust the valves .this means check the compression , plugs condition and leakage of all 4 cylinders .because if its bad you will always have a problem getting to pass aircare .this is the point people start bitchen about aircare instead of fixin there motor. then they try some magic song and dance and of course it doesn't work and get pissed off .forget it and fix the problem with the motor first . if your timing is slightly off it won't have much effect on your results if your motor is in good shape.carburation jetting is second most important .if you go to aircare and you know your motor is in fantastic shape ,then be glad to get real readings you can use to jet and adjust your carburator .you will get better milage and better drivability .
there are many local people that have big stroker motors and large duration cams with high compression and pass with no problem at all .why ? because there motors were mechanically sound and jetted correctly.
up until my last head change i ran the same jetting and timing at the track and on the street .
this is not dirrected at anyone ,just a general point.

[AlanU]

I've tested aircooled cars on my 4gas analyser and the readings can change in a course of 1 hour of tweeking. Test the untouched warmed up engine and the readings will be different.

I'm sorry but the flat4 is very inconsistant regardless of what you do. I find retarding the timing will help the idle emissions significantly but even there are variables from sniffer to sniffer at the aircare station.

You can have a watercooled car (any make) with or without catalytic and you'll see more consistant results on the idle test. You can have an aircooled changing CO and HC by a larger margin without a question.

I will not do aircooled aircare repairs since my shop has one of the highest success rates in aircare. I do not sift out the "hard to pass" ones but I value my sanity. I've tested/repaired a large handful of aircooled beetles and everytime its like pulling teeth. Playing with stock engines is not as bad but even the "o" rings on the a/f mixture screw and air bypass adjusters are tight or very loose. Altrom no longer sells the 6 dollar repair kits so off to CIP1 or the US to get a kit. If your dedictated aircooled vdub shop its easier since you'll have more parts on hand rather than waiting for a supplier to deliver parts.

I recall even the head of aircare understands the "all over the map" characteristics of an aircooled VW. He's tweeked them and saw sudden changes with the inconsistant beasts. If the engine is tuned at a certain temp and sits in the "line" for a long time at aircare the change in temps of the engine and air quality will change the CO and HC readings. I see this all the time.

I have a stock motor and I yanked it and I "lent" it out. The "other" cars readings were completely totally different even though the timing/carbs were untouched. Any explanations? yes...... SUCKS TO BE US OWNING AIRCOOLEDS. The variables of air temps/quality, temp of engine when adjusted, variances in aircare sniffer calibration makes it a tough thing to deal with when it comes to aircare.