Scott Turner writes:
I haven't been using my B much for the past six months or so and
as luck would have it, it came up for a smog check (CA). This is
a 1979 MGB with the usual plethora of smog gear.
>> Anyway, I took it in for testing (which my work offers for a very
>> cheap price) and it came back high on HC and CO at idle. The actual
>> readings were HC (ppm) 243 [permitted 150], CO (%) 3.14 [permitted
>> 1.2]. The mechanic also said the EGR valve was working but apparently
>> blocked. (Of course, he also said the catalytic converter was missing
>> - he just didn't know where to find it.) Timing was fine at 10 btdc.
I have a 1980 MGB which should have the same emission set up as yours
and it passes the New York State smog test with no problems. Assuming that
you have the original Zenith-Stromberg carb, a good catalyst, and that
your air pump is working, you should be able to adjust your mixture so that
the car will pass. I would suggest a normal tune up sequence (adjust the
valves, replace the plugs, replace the air filter ) before you try to adjust
the mixture. If your catalyst is not doing a proper job of cleaning up
the exhaust, you can probably still pass by leaning out the mixture and
increasing the idle speed. That is what the PO of my car did. Of course
it shook like crazy at idle and was difficult to start, but it did pass.
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