I'm trying to sell a 73 Fastback I have. The buyer wanted me to get it e-checked, I was reluctant, but need this car gone. I brought it in this morning and it failed. Which surprised me cause it runs really good.
It is not FI anymore
Dual baby Webbers (I-34) on a stock 1600 DP
It had high HC at idle, 1223 and 1000 is the limit. Apparently HC are the result of unburned gas. At 2500 rpms it was within the limit, 734 out of 1000.
Could this be something simple, syncing the carbs, adjusting the timing, I have nether the time, nor desire to F with this car.
Could I just crank up the timing and run some of the e-check additives and maybe squeeze by.
Or maybe lean out the carbs a bunch, and which screw would do that?
Help I just want to wash my hands of this car.
Samson

Seems like leaning it out a bit would work to pass emissions. Set it back when you are done. You have to get a 73 emission tested?

Welcome to Weber World. Here's some hints, things that have worked for me (and I deal with this all the time). Set the valves at .016". DO NOT ADVANCE THE TIMING! That'll make it even worse! Make sure the vacuum retard works, if it has one. (I think '73 did.) Run REGULAR grade fuel. If it has any other fuel in it, drain it out and replace it. It might help to properly synch the carbs and adjust the mixture, but you need to do all the things I listed to ensure the best possible chance of it's passing. The Cap'n

Sell it in California.....Exempt here!

Dude, "F" Colorado. It will be on the evilbay if this guy doesn't take it.
Cap'n thanks for the advice. I have no desire to spend the time adjusting the valves. If i turn the timing down will that help? I'm not sure what dizzy is on it, no vacuum, and I set it to 31deg BTDC at 3500rpm, what I've heard VWs like. which is staticly 11BTDC at idle. I think stock is like 7degs at idle.
The dude is only offering me $900 for a good running solid 73 fasty. I had no idea how much smaller the enthusiest crowd was for T3 than for bugs and Busses, and everything else for that matter. I've had this thing listed for two months and have had like 12 people e-mail, and 2 people come out. When I had my 73 bug listed last year I was getting 4 e-mails a day.

Lean it out by using some ethanol. One gallon ethanol to five gallons gas.

Thank God El Paso County CO opted out of the AIR program ... so no more testing for us down here (my 914 2.0 w/dual Webers would never pass emissions here ... my HC rating was over 10,000ppm).

If they can get it to pass, they need to make sure they pay the extra and get Classic Car plates on it, that way they'll never have to pass emissions with it again as long as they own it.

Put it on Craigslist in Colorado Springs and Pueblo ... we don't have to deal with emissions down here so it might sell easier.


If you were going to keep it I'd yank the dual carbs off it and put a stock manifold and carb on it ... get it to pass emissions, get the classic car plates and then put the dual carbs back on it. (or tell the buyer he'll have to do that ... passing emissions is HIS responsibility).


Oh I forgot, if you spend more than $715 on repairs and it still won't pass, you can get a waiver (of course if the car is a 68 or older that drops to $75).

Also drive it around for a bit on the highway. make sure it is nice and warmed up before the test. My Jetta failed for HC and I drove it around a bunch and didn't let it iddle while waiting in line for the test and it passed. The emissions guys even told me to do that.

make sure you have NO intake leaks. retarding the timing can help bring down the h.c.'s. vw's run "excessive h.c.'s" when running good unfortunately. and unfortunately if you keep it running as when it passed the smog test you'll probably burn it up. some times you can just lean down the idle screw mix and bring down the h.c., but usually it will lightly missfire bringing the h.c. back up. it really is almost impossible to do by ear with out a c.o./h.c. machine.

anyone ever mess with achol mix for smogging?

Retard the timing (base timing), maybe 4 degrees. That will reduce the HC for ya!
Depending on how your CO was you may get away with turning out your idle adjustment screw a bit, as well as raising the idle a little. Your close, I would retard the timing and raise idle if you can.. Good luck
John

Actually, it's Samson's responsibility as the seller (according to state law) to get it past emissions.

It may be as easy as timing, or adjusting the idle setting on your carbs. At least its only a 2-speed idle test.

I think the buyer is being a prick for calling you on the test for a $900 deal.

Ben is right. The seller is legally obligated to provide a passed emissions certificate. It's not common practice, but if the buyer takes the car in to have the testing done and it fails he can come back on the seller.

Samson,

Run the car around for 20 minutes and get it good and warm. Well up to normal operating temp. Even a highway run at 65-75 for 5 minutes and then a drive around town. Then stop in a parking lot just before the emissions station and retard the timing just a couple of degrees.

Keep the car running the entire time your waiting in line for testing. Should do the trick. You're not that far off.

get a CDI box

100 bucks. Multiple spark, hotter spark (if you swap the coil out) = cleaner burn, better idle, and more power

easiest way i know of to clean it up

Spend $100 on a car he's trying to get rid of for $900? He doesn't need a CDI box just to get past emissions when he's only 200 off on a car he's trying to sell.

Lovely, so this stupid law is even stupider

Well if you can't get it to pass then I return to my original idea and that is to try to sell it to someone outside of the Denver area ... hell, if I didn't just buy back my old 914 I might have been interested in it at $900.

Post it on Craigslist in Pueblo and The Springs.

box is an investment. take it off once it passes. put it on your 914 or other car.....

thesamba

I've taken well over my share of 30 year old cars through Colorado emissions testing. What I posted here in addition to a snugging up of all manifold and carb nuts/studs/bolts will get the car through testing if it's only 200 PPM off on HC. If it doesn't, there's a bigger problem that eeds to be addressed.

what do you need to see for your fasty? can you post a picture or 2?

k