Any emissions testing/ failing

[Eric Storhok <alfa@domain.elided>]

This is like a bi-annual discussion, and I have to say, its getting rather 
old- for some reason, I feel for Fred...

First of all, if you expect to pass emissions with major portions of your 
car missing, then you are either fooling yourself or your state has very 
lax standards.  200ppm HC is a car, with no catalyst, running pretty darn 
lean.  If you do manage to run lean enough (which I don't think that an 
Alfa engine is capable of doing) you will eventually reduce the CO.  But 
that is not the point.

You can run as hot as you want, but with no catalyst, you will put out 
about 200-1000ppm of HC.  The other note, the single wire O2 sensor 
generally doesn't work at idle, as there isn't enough heat to keep it 
working.  I'm not even sure if you converted it to a 3 wire if it would 
even try to run closed loop.

Now with a new cat, with a new O2 sensor, I'll harbor a guess that you'll 
be under 100ppm HC and well less than 1%CO.

As for the right or wrong of emissions testing, if you live in California 
(or any of the green states), that is your choice, AND you are part of the 
society that voted the people into office that passed the laws that you 
follow.  Personally, I have no problem with it, as you have 2 choices: do 
the work, or eventually have cars banned.  Do you have any idea what the 
emissions laws have done for our environment?  Go to any major European 
city to remind yourself.  Are they taking it a little too far right 
now?  Perhaps, but there is no question that air quality is better than 20 
years ago, and WAY better than 30-40 years ago.

Anyway, as a reminder, to keep the emissions low, make sure the WHOLE 
system is working correctly.

Eric Storhok
Ann Arbor, MI



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