Bdawg22

Sonicfrog, I feel for you and Murphy. My Dorothy (87 DL) failed yesterday in the south bay. I may be a bit down farther away from passing than you but found this one time waiver program that I'm considering: http://www.smogcheck.ca.gov/80_BARResources/02_SmogCheck/Referee_Centers-FS.pdf The $650 repair bit is no fun--maybe some beer for the tech? I'll keep an eye on your thread though for pointers for when I try to repair the problems myself. Happy smogging :/

Naru, Thank you! I'm in the process of removing that sucker but not sure if there's anything to look out for in the process...?

Thanks yblocker! Very good to know about the adjustments for elevation. Just checked to see what its set at and brought the tdc mark up to the mark on the block--there's only 3 lined notches and no numbers :/ the one closest to the driver side is marked with paint. Assuming that's where its set but can't seem to find any other number indicating where its at. Guessing I need a gun for that? I was reading some previous threads and came upon one about a guy having similar fuel/idling problems when the car was cold and found the problem to be a build up of crap in the tank filter/intake. SInce this car sat for about 5 years prior to me owning with only occasional use I'm a little suspicious of what's lurking in the tank even though I've been driving it for a couple years. My fingers are crossed that by the time I get to the problem, I haven't burned out my cats! actually this is a carbureted car. I'll let you know when I determine the timing and if I find anything good in the tank :/

1st post on one of these. So happy to see other Subaru lovers out there!! Here goes: Trying to get my '87 Subie DL to pass CA smog requirements and...failing. I need help as my registration is up and I've already been cited. I'm already too far down the rabbit hole of repairs (and fun) in the past 2 years to turn back now and junk her. So far, in trying to get "legal" in CA, I've done the following: *new fuel pump, and inline filters *new timing belts *new cats *new rotor head, distributor, spark plugs and cables The reason I failed smog recently was because I was running too lean and there wasn't enough gas to air in the mix. Sure enough, there's a factory label under the hood saying the car's idle mix was modified for "principal use at high altitude". I'm hoping adjusting this for the coast will fix the problem--can anyone out there tell me how to adjust this correctly? Also, I'd love to hear any suggestions/theories on how to pass smog if this doesn't work. Thanks SUBARU FAMILY!