Smog Test Fail: Air Injection, Ignition Timing, Fuel Cap

[Fordverde]

have you check your cat also?

[SleightOHand]

So I got the EGR valve cleaned and dried. I didn't have anything to get behind the stem, so it's not perfect, but it's a lot better than it was before. Interestingly, I found a mechanic's receipt from the previous owner from about 2 years ago noting the EGR wasn't working because of a plugged intake. So I guess there's a history of this:



Will all this buildup nullify any gains from cleaning the valve?

[worfdog]

On my 89 I cleaned the passages with a gun bore wire brush and a lot of carb cleaner. Took a while but it worked. The way I found out mine was stopped up was by manually operating the EGR while the engine is idling, if the engine starts idling rough or shuts off the passages are clear. If nothing happens, the EGR is bad or the passages are stopped up.

[SleightOHand]

On my 89 I cleaned the passages with a gun bore wire brush and a lot of carb cleaner. Took a while but it worked. The way I found out mine was stopped up was by manually operating the EGR while the engine is idling, if the engine starts idling rough or shuts off the passages are clear. If nothing happens, the EGR is bad or the passages are stopped up.

That's a really good idea! Does the brush have to be long to go the full length of the passages or will something designed for a handgun work? Should I be worried about flakes/chunks of carbon gunking up the intake?

[worfdog]

I attached mine with some good stiff wire and ran it thru several times. The brush will drag out much of the carbon build up. You could most likely go to a hardware store or wal mart and get a stiff brush on a long flexible wire handle, the type used to clean spouts with and run it thru. Get a small funnel and attach a hose to it that will fit tightly in the hole and pour or squirt the the carb cleaner in and let it soak awhile to make it easier to remove the carbon, seafoam may also be good to use as a carbon solvent. I stuck a air hose up and blew thru it. When I heard air noise from the carb, I knew I had cleaned it good. The passage From the head to the EGR valve is the one most prone to stop up. The best way to check to see if it is clear is to just start the car up, If it's clear it will blow exhaust out.

[SleightOHand]

This is kind of embarrassing to admit, but when I was under the hood today I found that the #2 spark plug was about a half-turn loose. I kept hearing this tick-tick-tick sound and I thought it was the #1 wire vibrating against the plastic piece leading to the air cleaner, but the sound went away when I touched the #2 wire. The sound was the plug rattling in its hole.

Anyway, got the EGR valve reinstalled and it made the engine die when I operated it manually, so I guess it's working. I still want to get in there and clean out some of that carbon buildup. I got a 10-pack of various sized wire brushes from Harbor Freight and a bottle of carb cleaner from Kragen so I should be good to go. Also got a bottle of Guaranteed to Pass and that's in the gas tank now too.

I also picked up a timing light at Harbor Freight and the timing looks like it's right at TDC. Would retarding it mean to move the distributor so that the crank mark moves forward on the scale (towards the front of the car) or back?

Thanks everyone for the help/input/suggestions!!

[JohnGunn]

When seen from the front of the engine, on the passenger's side of car, the engine turns clockwise. So, if you retard the timing, the the spark will come later allowing the crankshaft to turn a little farther and the mark on the pulley will move toward the right.

Another way to look at it is to think in terms of the crankshaft pulley. Imagine that your crankshaft pulley is physically marked as follows:

-5__-4__-3__-2__-1__0__+1__+2__+3___+4__+5

When the timing is set to 0 degrees, the pointer on the engine will line up with the 0 mark on the pulley. When set to -1 it will line up with the -1 mark. At that time, the 0 mark on the pulley will be pushed one degree to the right.

This is difficult to describe in words. If, after reading this, you are still not sure. Ask the question again and let someone else give it a try.

John Gunn
Coronado, CA

[FestYboy]

the timing mark will move clockwise if retarded, and counter clockwise when advanced (this is as you look at the timing cover from the PASSENGER side).

another way to view it is, if, while looking at the dizzy from the driver side, rotating the dizzy COUNTER clockwise will retard the timing, and CLOCKwise will advance the timing.

[SleightOHand]

Thanks for the help. The new cap/rotor/plugs/wires should be here Wednesday so I'll make the adjustments then.

I wanted to run seafoam through before then so that it wouldn't dirty up the new plugs, but I can't seem to find a good vacuum line to use. The car dies when the PCV hose is unplugged, but not when the oil filler cap is off. Is this normal? I'm thinking no because others recommend using the PCV hose to suck in the seafoam.
And there's not enough slack in the brake booster line to get it off it seems. There's maybe an inch between the two elbowed connection points and the hose won't slide because of the elbows. Are there any other good lines to use in that mess of vacuum lines under the hood?

[FestYboy]

pulling the PCV hose off the PCV can cause the engine to stall (loss of vaccum, and instant lean condition). try to find a smaller vac hose to use, it may take a bit longer, but you'll have less of a chance of hydro-locking the engine that way...

[SleightOHand]

I understand the reason it stalls, but why does it it only do it with the pcv valve and not the oil filler cap? It would seem the oil filler hole would cause a much greater vacuum leak than the pcv.

[JohnGunn]

I understand the reason it stalls, but why does it it only do it with the pcv valve and not the oil filler cap? It would seem the oil filler hole would cause a much greater vacuum leak than the pcv.

Note: The following information is based on my understanding of the PCV system on my fuel injected '90 Festiva L. Also, I have never used Seafoam.

Don't forget there is a valve in the PCV valve which restricts the flow of air from the valve cover into the intake plenum. If you disconnect the hose at the PCV valve you loose that restriction and much more air flows through the completely open hose.

When you open the oil filler cap, even though you have created a much larger opening for air to flow through, the flow of that air to the plenum is still restricted by the PCV valve. You might be able to get Seafoam into your system by removing the PCV valve with hose attached and dip it into and out of a bowl of Seafoam as the running of the engine allows.

Seafoam recommends using the hose from the brake vacuum assist chamber. That works because that hose also has a valve built into it to restrict flow of too much air into the plenum.

John Gunn
Coronado, CA

[WmWatt]

Removing the oil filller cap shouldn't make any difference. There is a spring in the PCV valve which opens when the engine sucks on it, ie. increased vaccum, to pull blow by fumes into he combustion chambers instead of letting them get into the outside atmosphere. Whether it sucks air from a closed or open valve cover shouldn't make any difference, it's the same as an engine with no blow by fumes.

[JohnGunn]

Removing the oil filller cap shouldn't make any difference. There is a spring in the PCV valve which opens when the engine sucks on it, ie. increased vaccum, to pull blow by fumes into he combustion chambers instead of letting them get into the outside atmosphere. Whether it sucks air from a closed or open valve cover shouldn't make any difference, it's the same as an engine with no blow by fumes.

I agree.

John Gunn
Coronado, CA

[SleightOHand]

Just got back from a test-repair place. Still didn't pass. Still a gross polluter. CO went down enough to pass, but HC and NO are still over. Passed the visual test this time though, so I guess that's good (even though I didn't change anything there).

The guy told me that since I had already done the basic tune-up stuff, it's probably the catalytic converter that needs to be replaced. Any other options or do I just bite the bullet?