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CA Smog: Failed This Time. Need Help with Action Plan.

GM Guy said:
the vac pumps look identical, but IIRC the 94 and 95 are threaded, and the 96+ are drilled out for straight through bolts. something like that, as I couldn't use my 1997-early 99 engine's vac pump in my 95. IDK, but am pretty certain that the 95 and older bracket wont work.

any junkyards around to get stuff? If you are short, I may be able to come up with a pump and bracket from a 96+ I'd let you borrow. we could insure the shit out of it and hope USPS looses it on the way back to me, and then we could split the proceeds and blow it at Leroydiesel.com. :)

I would do a little more research and see if it negatively impacts you if you test at a different location? have you been using the same spot for years, or just whoever offers smog check services? I would say a fresh air filter and fuel filter, some power service silver bottle, and a quick trip around town to warm it up fully would go a long ways to get it to pass.

good luck!
Click to expand...

Good call! AZ requires a 'repair' after one fails. Funny 'replace air filter' gets listed. My stuff gets a new air filter at least once a year needed or not.

If you retard the timing you can reduce black smoke - via tune or moving the pump.
 
THEFERMANATOR said:
CAT CONVERTERS started on the 6.5 in 94 when the DS4 injection pump came out, and to my knowledge ALL 6.5's with DS4 pumps had a cat converter on them. The federal emission LB7 DURAMAX is the only DURAMAX that didn't have a cat converter on it either, so for the most part GM diesels from 94+ had them except for federal trucks from 01-early 04.
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Have owned a '94, '95 and the '99 and they all had cat converters on them.

I checked the fuel and it's at 3/4 tank, so we'll burn it off going to Big Bear in the weekend. I'll install the kitty Saturday AM. Also, sprung a coolant leak at one of the plastic Ts above the passenger side valve cover. It was like a solid stream of piss after I shut down Saturday, too hot to work on. It was coming straight off the clamp on the line intersecting the upper of two lines going from front yo back.

I guess when it rains, it pours. WTF, I'm game.
 
Big T said:
Also, sprung a coolant leak at one of the plastic Ts above the passenger side valve cover. It was like a solid stream of piss after I shut down Saturday, too hot to work on. It was coming straight off the clamp on the line intersecting the upper of two lines going from front yo back.
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Those tee's are plastic and will fail sooner or later after prolong exposure to heat.

Mine crumpled when I tried to work on something else.

Not too difficult to replace, except they have 2 different hose sizes: 5/8" and 3/4".
In my case, in emergency a while, I used 3/4" tee and shove the 5/8" hose into 3/4" tee.
 
JMJNet said:
Those tee's are plastic and will fail sooner or later after prolong exposure to heat.

Mine crumpled when I tried to work on something else.

Not too difficult to replace, except they have 2 different hose sizes: 5/8" and 3/4".
In my case, in emergency a while, I used 3/4" tee and shove the 5/8" hose into 3/4" tee.
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Yep it must have broke when I was reaching down for the rear glow plug on that side., but I was already smelling coolant before that. I'm relieved as I was thinking blown head gasket. Would NAPA carry replacements? Or is this a dealer part?
 
If possible, I'd replace that "T" with something a little more substantial like brass.
If you decide you need a loner Vac Pump, I've got one off my 96 still on the shelf. Just give me a call.
I can send it to you and then pick it up when I'm back down that way come February.
 
For the coolant 'T', details are here: http://www.thetruckstop.us/forum/sh...se-tee-leaking&p=430061&viewfull=1#post430061 Short version is part #12522867 from a '92 - 96 Impala will fix it; seeing as it is now Tuesday and you are planning to work on the Burb this weekend, try the dealership first. I got one through GMPartsGiant and it works fine. If you have the time, I'd go the brass route and I'm likely to do that during one of my upcoming upgrade projects.

Toward the cat, still stand by that the L65's do not call for cat's, but in stating that, I went back and re-researched and found a lot of commentary regarding soot traps as OE on the L65 and not helping is that I cannot find details which explain the difference nor my notes about just the 97 & 98's . . . To add to the mix, CARB could have called for a cat, but did not find any specific information on that search either. One thing that is clear in terms of a cat on the 6.5, is that there is plenty of thoughts about what it does, does not do, and what the actual requirements are :crazy: . Even commentary here on TTS was used as sources of information in terms of the L65 calling for a soot trap, but not the cat. Not looking to stir the pot, just summing-up what information is out there . . .

But back to the original goal of getting the Burb to pass the visual inspection . . . In the end, the people running the visual tests are setting the rules as they see fit and it is always best to go the easy route by doing what they want just to get the certificate and then fight the battle later (if you want). Personally, when it comes time for the re-test, I'd still skip the first station and come up with some excuse to hit another one.
 
JayTheCPA said:
Toward the cat, still stand by that the L65's do not call for cat's, but in stating that, I went back and re-researched and found a lot of commentary regarding soot traps as OE on the L65 and not helping is that I cannot find details which explain the difference nor my notes about just the 97 & 98's . . . To add to the mix, CARB could have called for a cat, but did not find any specific information on that search either. One thing that is clear in terms of a cat on the 6.5, is that there is plenty of thoughts about what it does, does not do, and what the actual requirements are :crazy: . Even commentary here on TTS was used as sources of information in terms of the L65 calling for a soot trap, but not the cat. Not looking to stir the pot, just summing-up what information is out there . . .
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Maybe 3500HD's didn't have a cat with a 6.5L, but ALL 1500/2500 BURBS with a 6.5L had one, and every 1500/2500/3500 light duty pickup I have ever seen had one. A friend of mine had a 00 3500 dually and I know for a fact it had one on it. The 6.5L started them in 94, same year as DODGE did with the CUMMINS, and much like DODGE with the CUMMINS they did away with them for a short time when the cleaner diesels came out in the 21st century.
 
I will go take a tally, but I don't feel I have more than 1 or 2 above 8,000 lbs GVWR with a soot trap. may not have any. I know for a fact my 93 doesn't, nor does my 95. the rest I have to crawl under.

I know mom and dad's 1998 K2500HD (8 lug full floater) has one.
 
Not sure if Ol' Blue had one at some point but it doesn't have one and judging by the pipe it has been that way awhile. The pipe closest to the downpipe is OLD, 2ft in front of the muffler to the tail pipe is a lot newer.
 
Well the more I look at the paper work from the test, the more it becomes clear that the information regarding the failure was entered into the CA computer system. So the missing cat converter, disconnected vac line will travel to my my next test.

The cat converter will get reinstalled. It's the orange plastic vac line that's the problem as there's nothing to connect it to. I could just clamp it to the turbo oil drain line hoping that their check is nothing more than pulling on it, but if they trace it down, I'm screwed. I could just install a vac pump and connect that line to it and take it back to the same tester and satisfy him, while leaving the ATT in place (he never noted the black vac line was not connected). I'm afraid the fail because of tampering and the items checked (cat converter, vac line and smoke lingering 2 to 3 seconds) will create a fishing expedition if I took it to another testing station.

Did we ever arrive at a conclusion whether the vac pump bracket is different between the '95 and the '99?
 
I've got an old EGR valve you can just bolt to the top of intake manifold and connect the line too. They aren't going to pull it off and see if you've got the right intake manifold!
 
X2 on making the vacuum line look and seem functional.

Better question is how to address the smoke if a warmer engine does not 'fix' it . . .

Rather than fly blind into the next inspection, do you have any mechanic buddies (or friends of friends) that can offer pointers, and (even better yet) a pre-inspection for getting past all this?
 
Paveltolz said:
I've got an old EGR valve you can just bolt to the top of intake manifold and connect the line too. They aren't going to pull it off and see if you've got the right intake manifold!
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Paul, you're right. He just wants to see it connected to something. The rest of the engine compartment he's scratching his head. Can you imagine if I had the ATT with Banks Sidewinder and Leroy Spooler? If that spooler is vacuum actuated, I might have my future solution for attaching the vac line.:rof:

I'll PM you my address.
 
JayTheCPA said:
X2 on making the vacuum line look and seem functional.

Better question is how to address the smoke if a warmer engine does not 'fix' it . . .

Rather than fly blind into the next inspection, do you have any mechanic buddies (or friends of friends) that can offer pointers, and (even better yet) a pre-inspection for getting past all this?
Click to expand...

It's a completely subjective eyeball test. The test guy went negative when he saw the cat converter missing and the disconnected orange vac line. I know how much it smokes and will see if running it warm on biodiesel improves it. Worst case, I'm buying a used ECM with OEM programming to reduce the smoke.

I'm my own mechanic and because of this site, I know more about these engines than any local mechanic would know.
 
The emissions label is all they need. "Catalyst" on the label means there had better be something that looks like one on the rig. I recall CARB making noise about paperwork for replacements to make life more difficult. CA may have ended the roadside emissions checkpoints they had when I was there - they are like DUI checkpoints. I wouldn't run anything in CA without a soot trap/kitty/catalyst on it if it was required. Soot trap is a joke name for a plugged 6.5 catalyst.

The emissions label shows what the vac lines goes to. It has to be plausible and near the stock location.

Imagine the fun of putting all of those back on a 1980's gas engine after they were removed and the shop dug into it...

Does your 'other' address have the same emissions requirements? Maybe you need a cabin in a emissions exempt AZ area not CA and your house becomes your vacation/snowbird location... :hello:

Big T said:
Paul, you're right. He just wants to see it connected to something. The rest of the engine compartment he's scratching his head. Can you imagine if I had the ATT with Banks Sidewinder and Leroy Spooler? If that spooler is vacuum actuated, I might have my future solution for attaching the vac line.:rof:

I'll PM you my address.
Click to expand...

I do believe the vac line is supposed to run to this yellow can in the following pictures... It has "BD" on it.
http://www.thetruckstop.us/forum/sh...stall-with-A-C&p=452101&viewfull=1#post452101
 
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