Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with emissions

1983 Honda Emmisions Help

nestor_makhno — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 20:53:16 -0800

Failed the air system inspection for Arizona emissions. What does that mean? I have a 1983 Honda Accord, carbureted, that I just took to Arizona emissions testing. It passed all of the criteria with flying colors except next to Air System it says "Failed." Down below it says that the vehicle has passed the emissions test but failed the equipment test. I can't get it registered till it passes. The only thing I noticed before taking it in is that there was a hole in hose that, I believe, brings air from the radiator to the top of the carburetor.

air filter, emissions testing...

figTree — Thu, 23 Apr 2009 12:55:19 -0800

logistics of taking air filter out for emissions test? i heard that taking out the air filter would significantly in helping a car pass an emissions test. Makes sense to me, im just wondering if it is "safe" to drive for 30 - 50 mins without an air filter, as id like to warm up the car too. Whats the worst that could happen? its fuel injection if that matters. thanks! my car barely failed last time on the NO or NO3 count (or whatever nitrogen something they measure), also had not the best gas in there at the time. i would just like to double make sure im not going to have to go back for a 3rd time... any other simple tricks appreciated too. thanks!

Where could I find a ranking of foods by their carbon footprint?

GIMG — Tue, 10 Mar 2009 17:28:49 -0800

Where could I find a ranking of foods by their carbon footprint? I remember hearing that cheese, fish, and tomatoes, even have a higher carbon footprint than chicken.

Does anyone know where I could get an extensive and reliable list of foods by carbon footprint?

Candles vs Light Bulbs Smackdown

storybored — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 09:53:16 -0800

Candles vs fluorescent light bulbs smackdown: which produces more greenhouse gases? Which one is environmentally friendlier when you figure in all the emissions? I'm in a heated(!) debate about the folks who turned off their lights during the Earth hour but proceeded to light candles instead.

And has anyone studied the health ramifications from the combustion byproducts of candles?

If you believe in climate change, is it wrong to drive or fly?

MetaMonkey — Mon, 28 Jan 2008 06:47:10 -0800

If you believe climate change is real, bad, and man-made: does that mean it's wrong to take a flight or drive a car? Are there any reasonable excuses?

Is it safe to drive with a slow emissions leak?

odayoday — Fri, 21 Sep 2007 09:10:36 -0800

A few days ago my check engine light came on, so I took my car to an auto parts store and had them run a check. They said that the computer said I have a slow emissions leak. My cousin died earlier this week, and I need to drive approximately 100 miles this afternoon to go to her funeral. Is this safe? And when I take the car in, how much should I expect to pay for this?

I want to travel guilt free.

visual mechanic — Thu, 22 Feb 2007 11:34:24 -0800

How many trees do I have to plant to offset commercial airflight? Is there an easy formula which can tell me how many trees (and what kind) I have to plant to offset the CO2 emissions (and any other greenhouse related gases) that any particular commercial airflight that I take is responsible for?

Cheap Jeep?

fuzzbean — Thu, 19 Oct 2006 22:00:14 -0800

How hard/expensive is it likely to be to get a ten-year-old Jeep to pass California emissions standards? Here's the deal. My aunt, in FL, has a Jeep (cloth-top, not sure of the exact model). The jeep is roughly ten years old. It's been very well maintained, low mileage, regular oil changes, no known mechanical problems, etc. etc. Gas mileage is in the 20mpg range; not great but not abysmal. I am able to take ownership of said Jeep for a ridiculously small amount of money.

I will be registering Jeep in California. I understand that California has rather stricter standards for emissions than most states. I don't want to try to drive the Jeep across the country only to find that it will cost me a ridiculous sum of money to bring it up to standards or that it can't be done, I can't register it, and I'm SOL.

So tell me: should I take the car and hope that it won't be too pricy to bring it up to meet standards, or should I skip it and just look into buying a used car in CA? The car is cheap enough that if it cost me less than $3K to retrofit it with (whatever) I'd be happy with that outcome, as long as it'll pass.

What the hell's going on with my car?

Vervain — Wed, 23 Aug 2006 10:59:42 -0800

CarRepairFilter: Help me figure out what's going on with my usually well-behaved car, and what, if anything, it might have to do with a letter I got from Acura back in January... Basically, it looks like Acura made a deal with the EPA because the onboard computer in some of the '95-'97 models is not CA-emission-compatible. As a result, they're replacing (for free) the spark plugs, ignition wires, distributor cap/rotor on qualified cars with 75,000-150,000 miles.

As for my car: it's a '96 Integra, with about 140,000 miles. I'd say I put less than 10,000 miles a year on it, since I don't have much of a commute. I've been searching for a new mechanic for awhile, since the place I'd been going to went downhill fast. As a result, the car hasn't really been looked at in about a year.

There's definitely something up with the brakes, and I think the old mechanics might've had something to do with that; last time I was in, they made some comment about the back brakes being "20% on one side, and (less) on the other". For the record, their fix might've evened it out, but it also made the brakes very spongy. Right now they're very grabby, almost pulsing, and there's a ticking noise from the back brakes when I'm slowing down. This goes away when I apply more pressure to the brake pedal.

In addition to that, I think the clutch may be starting to go. But I could be wrong--this is my first standard-transmission vehicle, so I don't know what to look for. Over the past few days, the engine has been running rougher for a few seconds after upshifting, eventually kicking into a smoother ride. But it's only while accelerating; downshifting seems to be just as peachy as ever.

Long story short, I know I've neglected the poor thing and that I'm going to be dropping some money on car repairs in addition to the free fixes the letter mentions, but that's about all I know. (I'm not mechanically inclined.) Can you give me an idea of what might be going on, so I know what to ask about when I take it in?

Do carbon offsets really cook with gas, or just evaporate into thin air?

skyboy — Wed, 04 Jan 2006 15:05:45 -0800

Dang, those new year's resolutions... For the first time, I'm tempted to buy emissions "offsets" for my car in order to support the research and development of cleaner energy choices. Is this a good idea, or would I be wasting my money? Sure, offsets aren't very expensive, but I always want my charitable spending to be used effectively, so I'm seeking some advice... I've heard of TerraPass, and have also considered Better World Club's offsets (mostly because I need to renew my roadside assistance soon) -- are there others? Since neither of these are non-profit orgs, I'm wondering if there are any offset "watchdog" organizations, or even any generally-accepted practices for designating funds obtained from offset sales.

Gentle guidance: I'm looking for thumbs-up or thumbs-down info specifically on offsets, so you don't have to remind me that there's a myriad of other ways to contribute. I already donate to established nonprofit organizations -- ones whose track record I can research, esp. via sites like CharityNavigator and Give.org. And I'm planning to sign up for green power from my electric utility when the option becomes available.

200,000-Mile Toyota Pickup with New Muffler and Tailpipe Fails NO PPM Test -- Any Idea as to Nature of Problem?

Witty — Thu, 10 Jun 2004 09:03:37 -0800

My truck failed an emissions test for the first time (in No. Virginia). It's a 1993 Toyota pick-up, 2x4, 2.4L - 4cyl. (ext. cab). I just turned 200,000 miles on it last month and replaced the muffler and tailpipe the day before the inspection. The failure is with the NO ppm test. It failed at both 15 MPH and 25, but not by much. Am I looking at a converter problem for sure or is there something I can do first before replacing it? What's the best way to approch this problem?