<VV> Inspections and emission systems. No Corvair!

[George Jones]

Love the OBD II systems. My wife's Windstar was tossing a code, (both banks
too lean), and after cleaning and testing the obvious (MAF, throttle body,
etc), I stumbled upon a tech note regarding intake manifold bolts being held
in place with bolts with rubber seals. A little more research and I found
out that Ford did a production change to the rubber seals. Seems the seals,
when exposed to the oil/vapors from the PCV system, were breaking down and
allowing air into the charge. $80 later, and about 4 hours of labor, and I
was back on the road with a green board. Wouldn't have even know that I had
a problem without the OBD II. If you're thinking about buying one, buy the
best one you can afford. Sometimes, knowing only what the code is, isn't
enough. Stepping up to the second tier gives you the ability to reset codes
and monitor engine function while driving (especially good for
troubleshooting O2 sensor problems).

On 1/12/07, Sethracer at aol.com <Sethracer at aol.com> wrote:
>
>
> In a message dated 1/12/2007 9:08:43 AM Pacific Standard Time,
> GBrandes at loebermotors.com writes:
>
> Hi  Bill,
>
> I have to disagree with you about the emission stuff just to make  a
> profit for dealers and manufactures, they are mandated by state  and
> federal government.
>
>
>
> For those of us who own OBDII cars, a scan tool can make it much easier to
> avoid the big dealer costs. All cars since 1996 have the port. Tools start
> at
> about $30 - and up, way up if you want tons of features. I popped a code
> (slang for turning on the check engine light) on my 1996 Camaro at about
> 105K
> miles. The car still ran fine. I rented a code reader (for free) from a
> local
> AutoZone. It identified the problem as a failed Oxygen Sensor ahead of the
> converter. I reset the Check engine light and returned the code  reader.
> nthe next
> morning the light came back on. Okay - I pulled the spare  Oxygen sensor
> off
> a tailpipe I had saved after parting out another Camaro, slid  under and
> replaced the failed unit. Went back and re-rented the code reader  to
> reset the
> light again and returned the tester unit. Cost so far "Zero" -  But had I
> not
> parted out that other car, I would have had to buy a  Oxygen sensor -say
> $70 or
> so. And the car has worked fine since, passed a  bi-annual smog test, with
> no
> issues. Now, I am not saying that the Corvair  should somehow have the On
> Board
> Diagnostic sensors added. The simplicity of the  Corvair is certainly one
> of
> it's attractive features. But the new systems,  mandated by government
> regulations have certainly made it easier to find what  goes wrong on
> newer cars. The
> argument could be made that the sensor  that failed on the Camaro didn't
> matter to the running or emissions of the  car. It actually could have
> impacted
> the usability if the computer didn't  have a correct feedback on the fuel
> injection effectiveness. But think of how  many time we have chased down
> drivability
> problems on our Corvairs, replacing  part after part to try and subdue the
> problem. The systems in the new cars are  much better at isolating the
> problems
> so they can be addressed. The Corvair  I am building right now will have a
> wide-band oxygen sensors "on-board", with  additional sensors and readings
> for
> addressing any response or performance  issues. According to the SEMA
> newsletter, the California Air Resources Board  (CARB) is examining the
> possibility of
> testing older cars again, cars which  have been out of the California smog
> testing system for years. Some day we may  all be fitting additional
> aftermarket
> systems or putting our cars in museums. -  Seth Emerson
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-- 
__________________________________
George Jones
Corvair Society of America (Since 1987)
Tidewater Corvair Club (Since 1987)
Central Virginia Corvair Club (Since 2006)
'65 Monza Crown V8 Convertible   http://www.cardomain.com/ride/2397326
'66 Monza Coupe (Custom in work)
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