RE: Emissions Question

["Paul Novak" <spammit@domain.elided>]

Roger,

Does Illinois really test CO2 (carbon dioxide) in addition to CO (carbon
monoxide) and HC(hydrocarbons)?

If so, it seems to me that anything that makes CO2 go down would make CO
and/or HC go up.

Here is why:  the carbon that goes in in the form of hydrocarbon fuel (plus
some atmospheric carbon dioxide) has to come out as one of the following:
unburned hydrocarbon, CO, CO2 or some other carbon compound (ignoring the
carbon that sticks to your valves until the next Italian Tuneup).  To put it
another way, as my freshman chemistry professor colorfully explained the Law
of Conservation of Matter, many years ago:  "Ever'body gotta be sumplace."
The carbon atoms that go into the system gotta go somewhere...

Now there should be some fancy alchemy happening inside the catalytic
converter, where present, but not the kind that changes one element into
another.

I know that CO2 is a greenhouse gas, and greenhouse gases are a Bad Thing,
but aren't HC and CO Badder Things?

Of course, the foregoing is based on the idea that a government policy might
be rational...hmmm.

Regards,

Paul.

-----Original Message-----
...

Illinois requires an idle test that must pass these limits:
HC 600 ppm
CO 6%
CO + CO2 6%

The last time I took an emissions test about 8 years ago my numbers were:
HC 400 ppm
CO 4%
CO2 12%

...
--
to be removed from alfa, see /bin/digest-subs.cgi
or email "unsubscribe alfa" to majordomo@domain.elided