taraf

Hi All
I need a little advice. I bought this old 83 pickup from a neighbour who has long term illness. It hadn't run for 3+ years. Its not in great condition (but its cute). Due to his brain damage and memory loss, it seems he told me some things that maybe aren't quite right about the truck. He said he put a new carb on it. Don't know it this is true, but the hoses seem dodgy. I live in LA. I had it smogged : GROSS POLLUTER. It idles rough. I took it for a drive on a very hot day and it stalled a lot at lights and idle and finally wouldn't start - seemed like fuel vaporisation. I've been running carb cleaner in the gas.

Now I have to decide to throw money at it or not. One mechanic said the carb will never pass smog. So:

Will it pass CA smog?
What should I do (first) - change out all fuel and vacuum lines ?
I'm told it isn't the original 22R engine, but it is a 22R. Did the carbs change over those years?
How do I know which carb it is?
Can someone recommend someone (preferably in SGV) who will get it onto smog passing condition for me ?

thanks for your advice!

83

Oh Boy. It's hard to say. It could be so many things. Are you very mechanically inclined? Working on carbs isn't exactly easy, and the Aisin is especially complicated. At least for someone who hasn't been doing this stuff for a while. .

Most people switch to a Weber carb. They make smog legal versions.

I don't know anything about that stuff, since we don't even have inspections out here, but...things to do/check:

Yes, vacuum lines. Check for leaks by spraying with starter fluid or carb cleaner. If the idle goes up, you found a leak. But replacing all the vacuum lines is a good idea.

Spray a bunch of carb cleaner in and around the carb.

New plugs and wires. Distributer cap and rotor. Air filter. Oil change.

Check the timing. Adjust the valves.

Pull and clean the egr valve.

Only you can decide how much money/work to put into it. And if the carb needs to be rebuilt or replaced...while doing all the above stuff is something you'll want to do anyways, doing all that will not get it to pass smog if the carb or all the other emissions stuff is bad.


Not seeing or driving or knowing this truck, I can't say if it's "worth it". I've put a lot of money into trucks in the past, deciding they were. But that doesn't mean it's necessarily a good idea. For some, as long as the body and frame are good, we figure all the rest can be rebuilt and replaced. It isn't cheap, but if you want the truck and decide it's worth it, then it's worth it.

If you just wanted a cheap, cool old truck you wouldn't have to put a bunch of money into...well, maybe get something a little less old and in better shape. Regardless of passing smog and getting it to run better, it's a 30 year old truck. These trucks can run "forever", but it takes a lot of tinkering and minor adjustments to keep them that way. And depending on how many miles and how well it was historically maintained, a lot of major stuff might be about to give out.

But I have no way of knowing from over here on the internet...

Pri$erulz

83 gave you some pretty good advice there.

I own an '81 and am getting ready to try and smog my truck that was listed as a gross polluter too. There are so many little things that can go wrong with the emissions systems it can be overwhelming. If you want to keep it, get a FSM, some tools, and start going through the emissions system to try and find the problem. It is pretty clearly laid out how to check each valve or mechanism related to it and a mechanic is going to grab the same book and go through the same processes.

If you replace vacuum and fuel lines, get the necessary diagrams and verify that everything is hooked up correctly in the first place. Then take each vacuum hoses off one at a time, measure it with the new hose, cut it, replace it, and move on to the next one so you don't trip yourself up. There should be a part number on the carb; write it down and google it to find out what it is. You could do the same with the engine. In ca, if you replace an engine it has to be the same year or newer in order to be smog legal. It also has to have the same emissions equipment as the year of the engine-not the body of the truck.

I have a post in this section asking for help on my weber swap and vacuum hose locations for my year of truck. 81 and 82 have about three times as many vacuum hoses as your 83 but the diagrams I posted in there might be of some help.

Good luck.