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Reduced emission vehicle

For a while, at least
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A small electric fan blows clean air into the exhaust flow, and dilutes the NOx and CO.
Once the emission test has been passed, the exhaust can be reconnected as normal.
Ling, Sep 27 2005

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       This type of system was used on some of the older rotary engine Mazdas to burn up extra hydrocarbons. It used some kind of belt-driven pump to force air into a small chamber coming off of the exhaust manifold and reduced emmissions quite a bit.
discontinuuity, Sep 27 2005
  

       Turn the heater on full blast, that draws heat from the engine. Had to do it once. 110 in AZ getting emmisions tested and the car was on the verge of over heating.
Antegrity, Sep 27 2005
  

       Baked, called a smog pump. Check 80's GM models. The half-assedest emissions "control" I ever saw.
elhigh, Sep 27 2005
  

       What el said - you're not *reducing* anything, only diluting it.
DrCurry, Sep 27 2005
  

       That's what the idea is about, cheating on an emissions test.
half, Sep 27 2005
  

       Has anyone noticed
Reduced
Emission
Vechile is also R.E.V
andrew1, Sep 27 2005
  

       In 1990, when the Clean Air Act was introduced (US), my slightly modified ’79 Trans-Am wouldn’t pass emissions – not even close. So, I’d nearly empty the tank, pour in a gallon of “dry gas” (ethanol), drive it around a bit, then get it inspected. It passed emissions with flying colors.
Shz, Sep 27 2005
  

       Not necessarily. Ethanol does not burn as efficiently as gasoline, and therefore requires more fuel. Ethanol is also more harsh, causing more wear and tear on key components of the engine. Thus, an engine designed to run ethanol would likely need to be heavier.   

       Furthermore, with today's common practice of corn-based ethanol, you get only about 1.4 x the energy output of fuel from the energy input, which presumably would be a drain on the power grid, which has its own, albeit not as severe as autos, emissions problems to curtail. Furthermore, there are the emissions required for harvesting and increased amount of land-based hauling from a larger geographic area. Factor all of that in, and it's anybody's guess how much benefit there is to switching.   

       My '84 Mercury Cougar also had the asinine smog pump on it. Just drained power and therefore probably raised the smog level instead of lowering it.
RayfordSteele, Sep 28 2005
  

       Can anyone explain how the smog pump worked, or didn't work?
Ling, Sep 28 2005
  

       As I understand it, the theory is that it provided more oxygen in the exhaust stream to help finish burning the remaining hydrocarbons.   

       I've got one car that has an air injection pump. It's on a car that's notorious for barely passing emissions, but I've never had any trouble.   

       Too much timing advance will up the NOx considerably, as I recall finding out when our 1984 Thunderbird failed. (A car I later happily gave away, though it passed emissions no problem when I adjusted things properly.)
half, Sep 28 2005
  

       So, even if none of the hydrocarbons in the exhaust flow were burnt, then it would work by dilution anyway!
I've never seen an emission test, but I assume it is done at idle, when exhaust gases are at the lowest temperature and flow rate.
Ling, Sep 28 2005
  
      
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