Author Topic: Aircare (Read 5366 times)

jason_hamilton · « **Reply #30 on:** August 31, 2007, 04:43:33 PM »

Quote

Not only is the engine size a factor, so is the weight. I don't know if you can change the weight of the car since they get that info off your insurance papers.

Well, that's an excellent point. My vehicle registraion states my car weighs 1200kg. My sales brochure says it weighs 1918 pounds (870 kg).

Thus, the standards for my car should be:
Driving Mode HC Standard: 433 parts per million
Driving Mode CO Standard: 5.08 percent
Driving Mode NOx Standard: 4633 parts per million
Idle Mode HC Standard: 1056 parts per million
Idle Mode CO Standard: 5.58 percent

It would have squeaked through this year on my first try.

I think I'm going to call ICBC.

Bruce · « **Reply #31 on:** August 31, 2007, 06:19:59 PM »

If you can't get it fixed on Tues, let me know, I have a contact that will take care of it.

jim martin · « **Reply #32 on:** August 31, 2007, 07:15:40 PM »

bruce i think those cutoff points are taken into acount with pollution devices,ie catalyst etc.i think that is the difference.if you can prove that your car came without such devices aircare in burnaby can alter your cutoff points.
we do this all the time with cars brought over from germany .

Bruce · « **Reply #33 on:** August 31, 2007, 09:07:08 PM »

You are talking about private imports, right?

It doesn't help me because as far as they are concerned, I removed the stock FI and EGR. They have no sympathy if your car is tampered with. That is why there is no repair limit for 92 and newer cars. As far as they are concerned, since we got the Aircare program in 92, if you tampered with the smog equipment, you knew you were creating problems.

I know Aircare will try to accomodate private imports that don't have CDN spec emissions equipment. I heard about a guy who had a Vanagon he brought from Germany that had a carburated Type 1 1600 DP engine -- stock!

Chris E. · « **Reply #34 on:** September 01, 2007, 08:19:45 PM »

Not sure if anyone has mentioned this yet but here it is anyways. If your car failed anything on the driving portion of the test, here is a tip. Between october and april if you have even one studded snow tire on your car (drive wheels) it can not be driven on the dyno. Therefore idle test only. Hope this helps someone.

jason_hamilton · « **Reply #35 on:** September 02, 2007, 11:48:12 PM »

Well, mine passed, and here's how.
First off, I immediately went down to my local Autoplan agent with my registration and my original owner's handbook. I showed both to the guy and explained that when my car was registered the agent mistook the gross vehicle weight (1200 kg) for the net vehicle weight (870kg), and I'd like him to correct the error. He looks at me dubiously like I'm trying to put one over on him, and barely glances at the owner's hand book. But he calls ICBC to ask. When he gets off the phone he tells me I have to take the car to a weigh station on the highway and get a weight ticket. I remind him that my car is now un-insured and I already have proof from the manufacturer (in the form of my owner's manual) of what the car weighs. He says \"doesn't matter\".
Just then his manager comes back from lunch. She's been selling me insurance for a few years and remembers me and my car (she had a boyfriend that used to have a Ghia), and is always sympathetic as I spend about $5K a year on insurance with her for our various household vehicles. She assesses the situation and carefully explains to the agent that proof is proof and, in the interest of customer service, he'd better stop acting like a dick and go ahead and change the weight on my papers. Done. So I buy a day permit, knowing that my maximum allowables just went up by, like, 20%.

BUT

I have a secret weapon.

A couple of years ago when it failed, I had taken this same car to Duane's German Autohaus, and told him if he would make it pass AirCare, I'd give him a bunch of money. He ended up hand-drilling me a teeny-tiny main jet that I carefully tucked away in my tool box. I slipped this jet into my carb and took it through AirCare on Saturday. The tech could barely get it to do the 40/kmh as the off-idle stumble was so bad, but by the time it was on the idle test he was already giving me the thumbs up while I was still in the waiting booth. (This same tech had failed my car both times last weekend, and apparently used to own a Type 181 Thing some years back).

The results speak for themselves:

Stock Main Jet, 25 August 2007
Driving HC = 167ppm
Driving CO = 5.26% (FAIL)
Driving NOx = 530ppm
Idle HC = 507ppm
Idle CO = 4.56%

Duane's Main Jet, 01 September 2007
Driving HC = 70ppm (lowered by 58%)
Driving CO = 0.14% (lowered by 97%)
Driving NOx = 1364ppm (up by 138%, but still just 29% of the maximum allowable)
Idle HC = 275ppm (lowered by 45%)
Idle CO = 1.77% (lowered by 62%)

Bruce · « **Reply #36 on:** September 04, 2007, 02:35:43 AM »

Jason, since Duane's jet caused driving problems, you are obviously not going to leave it in there, right? If you put the 120 back in, at 5+% CO it is too rich. By using a smaller main jet, you will not only get better mileage, you will have less chance of fouling plugs (and get longer plug life). You will also make more power with the smaller jet.

Do you have a 116 to try? The original 30 PICT-2 that came with your car came with a 116 and your experience at Aircare is proving it is the right size. Then next year you won't have to make any adjustments.
I may have one if you don't.

The jet Duane made for you may cause future fails at Aircare if you use it. At .14% it is far too lean. You run the risk of a lean misfire. If that happens during the test, it is an instant fail.

jason_hamilton · « **Reply #37 on:** September 04, 2007, 10:30:29 AM »

Yes, I've already put the 120 back in, and I will absolutely be re-jetting the carb. CIP offers a 6-jet kit that includes a 112.5 and a 115, but I'd like to find a 116 and a 117.5 as well, so I'm going to look around some more.

Bruce · « **Reply #38 on:** September 04, 2007, 10:48:51 AM »

Initially I was going to suggest a 115, but then a quick look in the blue Bentley showed the correct one to be a 116. That's what will do the trick. I'll have a look-see if I have one.

GMB · « **Reply #39 on:** September 04, 2007, 12:23:24 PM »

Hey Bruce. Why is the main jet even having so much of an effect on Jasons readings? Could the testers be using second bear instead of third and using too many RPMs? Usually the main jet has very little effect on the readings. I had a beetle though on Saturday at the Surrey Station and they were in third gear the engine might have been turning 1200 RPM. Jason do you know what gear the guy was in when he was testing your car?
Gary

GMB · « **Reply #40 on:** September 04, 2007, 12:29:05 PM »

Hey Bruce. Why is the main jet even having so much of an effect on Jasons readings? Could the testers be using second bear instead of third and using too many RPMs? Usually the main jet has very little effect on the readings. I had a beetle though on Saturday at the Surrey Station and they were in third gear the engine might have been turning 1200 RPM. Jason do you know what gear the guy was in when he was testing your car?
Gary

biggest tip =target two rpm ranges ,idle and 2000 rpm .
your car only is running off the idle jet in both these ranges ,set you idle a/f ratio at mid to upper 13's ,then check your cruise 2000 rpm and note your a/f ratio ,that will be set by either a increase or decrease in idle jet size,also reseting your idle mixture will have a small effect on cruise a/f ratio as there will still be a few drops coming out the idle inlet while the majority will be out the progression ports.

jason_hamilton · « **Reply #41 on:** September 04, 2007, 01:01:20 PM »

Quote

Jason do you know what gear the guy was in when he was testing your car?
Gary

It just so happened I asked him. He did the driving test in 2nd gear.

Chris · « **Reply #42 on:** September 04, 2007, 01:18:50 PM »

The standard for the driving test is 2nd gear when doing the old method test, you can however request that they use 3rd gear, you must speak with the station manager before hand to arrange it. A friend of mine was a district manager for aircare previously and said that was the process.

Bruce · « **Reply #43 on:** September 04, 2007, 07:53:57 PM »

I'm with you Gary. It is a mystery to me too. But the numbers don't lie. My thoughts are that a wimpy stock engine is at a greater % of it's total potential hp than bigger engines with dual carbs.

Chris is right, the test is supposed to be done in 2nd gear. Although I'm sure you can get them to do it in 3rd, that is a bad idea. Lugging the engine will cause the numbers to get worse, not better. I have seen the effects once with my old Super. Back to back tests, one in 2nd the other in 3rd. The 3rd gear tests showed much higher CO. Lugging the engine makes it run hotter, hotter makes it richer since the incoming air is expanded more. When it is expanded more, there's less oxygen mass per given volume of air, therefore richer.
According to the Aircare HO, the test must be done in 2nd. The testing stations are always worried they are going to blow up customer's cars, so sometimes they shift to 3rd.
If you see the guy shift it into 3rd, let it go. Then if it fails, demand they re-test it for FREE in 2nd gear. Let them know that you know the standard. Usually a threat to call Aircare HO is all they need to re-test. If they don't do it, just call Aircare HO, they will take care of it.