so im supposed to have gotten my car smogged a little while ago, but in fear of the results, i have put it off. ive got an 88 GL with 71,000 miles. what do you guys usually do before dealing with the test?

make sure the engine isnt smoking, hey even with low miles it's possible

 

tune it up, get the check engine light off if it's on

 

make sure the timing is correct, for sure (i failed because of 2 degrees off)

 

the day of the test, drive around and get the gas light to come on, put in a gallon of so of denatured alcohol in the tank, drive it into the shop

 

and you should be OK

Perform an oil change before you do the test.

 

Also make sure everything is stock. Timing etc. New plugs never hurt, but unless you have spark problems probably wont help as much as the oil change.

 

Also make sure you drive the car for a while before taking it to the tester. Get your catalytic converter good and hot. Sometimes if the shop is busy your car will sit for a while, so maybe try to go on a wednesday morning or some off-day when there is no one there and you can get right in. The hotter your cat is, the better.

 

-Brian

I just smogged my 87 with 188K. Didn't change the air filter or the oil. Just new plugs and wires and it passed cleaner than my 93 used to with the roughly the same miles. Nevada is less strict than California by a long shot, but these cars usually do pretty well. Our 89 toyota camry was horrible when it came to smog and sometimes just vacuuming out the air box was enough to make it pass. A new air filter is also a good idea.