My car passed MOT smoke test - amazing!

[devonutopia]

Passed UK emissions for smoke test today! F**K KNOWS how?!

Provided a "1.5" smoke sample with 3.5 being a fail. I have no idea what the numbers mean but the car was running better today with a fresh tank of diesel from a different source.

Just have the rest of the MOT to get through (worried about sound levels from my exhaust) and another year of clear motoring!

 

[mojogoes]

having a friend who has just opened a MOT bay not far from me i think i'll be in the same boat as you jason

 

[velociT]

Just some sort of an opacity test?

I would think especially if you blow it out on the way to the inspection, there wouldn't be much soot left to fail the test.

 

[LurkerMike]

I would stuff the exhaust full of steel wool with a long rod to push it way up and out of sight. Then I would pin it into place with a couple of small diameter bolts in an "X" passing through small holes I would drill in the sides of the pipes. This will reduce the soot for a few miles as it will trap some of it and it will definitely make the exhaust quieter for a few days.

 

[devonutopia]

Noise is definitely my next worry.... Steel wool may well be my only choice beyond fitting an actual silencer.

 

[IBsurfer69]

The sad thing is, my car is no where near the level yours is at and next year when they start the new smog laws on diesels in California, I'm probably going to fail just because I have a FMIC.

 

[Turbospool]

I would stuff the exhaust full of steel wool with a long rod to push it way up and out of sight. Then I would pin it into place with a couple of small diameter bolts in an "X" passing through small holes I would drill in the sides of the pipes. This will reduce the soot for a few miles as it will trap some of it and it will definitely make the exhaust quieter for a few days.

Would this not affect performance Any long range affects if it was removed again?

 

[vwmikel]

I hope I never have to smog my car....I have no idea what the hell I'd even tell them.

 

[LurkerMike]

Would this not affect performance Any long range affects if it was removed again?

Ripped from the book, "Steel Wool Tricks for Dummies"...

Pre-plan how to secure the steel wool and make a "kit" with the steel wool, any tools, hardware or other items needed to install and secure the steel wool.

Place this kit in the car.

Drive to the vicinity of the testing station.

Pull over in an obscure area where no one will notice you installing the steel wool.

Install steel wool kit.

Drive one block to testing station.

Test.

Drive one block to obscure location.

Remove steel wool.

Enjoy car until next testing appointment.

 

[hatemi]

Here the values that can pass are under 2. If its over 3 or 4 then you get a red sticker in your windscreen meaning your car is illegal to drive on the street. Dont ask me how I know...

 

[Keebler145]

I hope I never have to smog my car....I have no idea what the hell I'd even tell them.

tell em you took it to the VW garage and they said everythign was OK DUH

 

[LurkerMike]

Do they measure the temp of the exhaust? Because if they don't have a minimum exhaust temp requirement, a couple of Y pipes and a blower fan could become your bestest friend...

 

[vwmikel]

tell em you took it to the VW garage and they said everythign was OK DUH

Do you think they'd believe it was an ALH? I could change the ECU part number that comes up when they scan it.

 

[Keebler145]

Do you think they'd believe it was an ALH? I could change the ECU part number that comes up when they scan it.

Hell i don't know lol people are so dumb sometimes. But, VW dealers crack me up. My fenders were rusting and I took my car in to let them have a look (hoping to get new ones under warranty) and they told me they had to drive it to the body shop and see if it was a repaint job or replace. I tossed the mechanic my key when he came back he was mumbling something about how the gas models weren't under warranty. i just looked at him in amazement apparently my car is "too fast" to be the 1.9tdi? I thought I was going to have to pop the hood to prove my car was indeed diesel. The damn car is so loud it's obvious it's a diesel I think he was just joking but still there is a possibility, they really may just be that dumb .

 

[mojogoes]

Do they measure the temp of the exhaust? Because if they don't have a minimum exhaust temp requirement, a couple of Y pipes and a blower fan could become your bestest friend...

Lol..........why not just have a low power 90hp mot de-tune done , i've got one its very clean with no power and only rev's up to 4000rpm its a real blast come mot time that is

 

[LurkerMike]

Lol..........why not just have a low power 90hp mot de-tune done , i've got one its very clean with no power and only rev's up to 4000rpm its a real blast come mot time that is

Why stop there... why not go with say a 60 hp tune?

 

[mojogoes]

Why stop there... why not go with say a 60 hp tune?

My thoughts exactly!!..........now that would be real fun to drive .

 

[LurkerMike]

My thoughts exactly!!..........now that would be real fun to drive .

For THE INSPECTORS silly! Tune to 60hp for the test and then retune to the way YOU had it as soon as you pass!

That way the will think the car is tired and weak and may feel sorry for you and overlook some minor infractions...

The LAST thing you ever need is an inspector who is INTERESTED in your car or who ENVIES it!

 

[Farfromovin]

Do you think they'd believe it was an ALH? I could change the ECU part number that comes up when they scan it.

They don't know anything the computer doesn't tell them. If the ECU says ALH, they should be believers

 

[devonutopia]

Unfortunately for me, the noise thing is not linked to the tune. At tickover the thing is probably over the legal limit (which is 74 Dba from memory) and my car is 92 @ 4000rpm. Will get it looked at, and probably install steel wool the night before the test. It's not going to affect anything in the brief drive to work & the test centre.

 

[mojogoes]

Here dev is the end of your exhaust straight single or twined.....if its a single outlet you could fit a cherry bomb on the end just for the test....lol won't look great but it'll do the job.

 

[devonutopia]

Hmm, would look very "done for the MOT only"

It is literally just a sawn off bit of exhaust pipe.

 

[LurkerMike]

Unfortunately for me, the noise thing is not linked to the tune. At tickover the thing is probably over the legal limit (which is 74 Dba from memory) and my car is 92 @ 4000rpm. Will get it looked at, and probably install steel wool the night before the test. It's not going to affect anything in the brief drive to work & the test centre.

I had a V8 gasser back in the day that I did the steel wool trick to for temporary noise abatement. The car ran a little rich and the header gaskets leaked... after about 5 miles the steel wool caught fire and burned inside the exhaust pipes! I know this because a friend was following me and said I was shooting white and orange/red flames out of my exhaust pipes and the car suddenly started getting louder. When I pulled over, there was no steel wool left in the pipes.

Was it the heat too great or the mixture to rich or even excessive O2 in the exhaust from the leaking header gaskets that caused the steel wool to burn out? I dunno... and maybe it would not be an issue on a diesel. I'm just saying I would not plan to drive very far with the exhaust packed with steel wool.

Your results my vary...

 

[nokivasara]

Passed UK emissions for smoke test today! F**K KNOWS how?!

Provided a "1.5" smoke sample with 3.5 being a fail. I have no idea what the numbers mean but the car was running better today with a fresh tank of diesel from a different source.

Just have the rest of the MOT to get through (worried about sound levels from my exhaust) and another year of clear motoring!

The limit for the smokelevel is 0.7 for my Golf, I´d love to have a 3.5 limit

But on the other side they don´t bother checking the sound levels unless it´s real loud. Like a n/a gasser without mufflers kind of loud.

 

[DPM]

You'd need to have a REALLY crappy tune to get 3.5 in a free-acceleration test, IMO.

 

[hatemi]

Try stock tune with R520 and custom 12mm pump 4.5...

 

[bluesmoker]

actually passing an emission test with a proper chip or tuning module is quite easy, here are my resuts. note my opacity dropped from a pass (27%) (pass limit at 30%) to 7%.

the reasons why: cleaned my intake (yucky), ULSD and b20
my car also had a van aken box installed for the smog test

this is why I get miffed at these guys for egr/cat deletes, ccv puke cans etc., these illegal and polluting mods are not necessay for performance

2006-12-20 08:32:3893,0002008-12-15 9 %

2004-12-10 11:29:3756,0002006-12-06 27 %

 

[vindaloo]

actually passing an emission test with a proper chip or tuning module is quite easy, here are my resuts. note my opacity dropped from a pass (27%) (pass limit at 30%) to 7%.

the reasons why: cleaned my intake (yucky), ULSD and b20
my car also had a van aken box installed for the smog test

this is why I get miffed at these guys for egr/cat deletes, ccv puke cans etc., these illegal and polluting mods are not necessay for performance

2006-12-20 08:32:3893,0002008-12-15 9 %

2004-12-10 11:29:3756,0002006-12-06 27 %

I think it's wrong to utterly discount these mods. Turbo spoolup and top end power will suffer with a cat as opposed to an open pipe. Having to take the car to bits to clean the EGR and manifold (and turbo pipes and intercooler?)? It's easier (and not illegal everywhere) to kill the EGR.

Catch cans on the breathers, I agree with. VTAing breathers, I don't agree with. The amount of fuel/water/oil vapours ejected is significant under boost.

It all has to be put in context of getting caught doing it though. Living in the UK, the MOT test is the annual roadworthiness test and it's available at many small, independent garages.

An official of some kind will likely never see your car to check emmissions equipment, noise etc... And though local councils do sometimes run roadside sniff tests. These aren't run by recognised experts.

J.

 

[bluesmoker]

I think it's wrong to utterly discount these mods. Turbo spoolup and top end power will suffer with a cat as opposed to an open pipe. Having to take the car to bits to clean the EGR and manifold (and turbo pipes and intercooler?)? It's easier (and not illegal everywhere) to kill the EGR.

Catch cans on the breathers, I agree with. VTAing breathers, I don't agree with. The amount of fuel/water/oil vapours ejected is significant under boost.

It all has to be put in context of getting caught doing it though. Living in the UK, the MOT test is the annual roadworthiness test and it's available at many small, independent garages.

An official of some kind will likely never see your car to check emmissions equipment, noise etc... And though local councils do sometimes run roadside sniff tests. These aren't run by recognised experts.

J.

let me be clear, it is illegal in north america and by you bypassing the smog junk on your car you are polluting the atmosphere that we all breathe

think of it this way, a baby pees in your pool and you have to swim in it, what you guys are doing with the ccvs, egrs and cats is the same thing only on a smaller scale