New Guy with an emissions project. Any Cali people here?

[Hillbillybuddha]

My first Datsun since my little brother drove my 1972 240z into oncoming traffic back in the 80's

My girlfriend decided to buy me a truck yesterday. (She really is great) because my old 1966 F250 gets about 10mpg. She saw a 83 Datsun/Nissan 720 for sale for $500. Great deal, right? Drives and handles great! I mean, it is a peppy little monster. The only problem, the guy told her, was that it was registered out of state. I guess by, "registered in another state", he meant one without emissions controls.

I opened the hood and there are no vacuum hoses; aftermarket headers, no cat, weber carb, tiny aftermarket airfilter, no O2 sensors that I saw (but no "check engine light" either???) and who knows what else. All great stuff if I lived in the land of the free but here in california, we have a responsibility to our friends and neighbors who like to breath and stuff.

So, it would seem that I have some work to do. Luckily, tomorrow is 50% off day at the Pick n Pull, and an 82 Datsun 720 got dropped off at the lot yesterday (according to their website) So the plan is, go pull all the emissions stuff off of that truck, plug it onto my truck, have a CAT installed and give the old smog test "a go". I assume I'll fail the first test but it will give me a base from which to build from. 

Here's my question, the lack of the "Check Engine" light. I'm assuming that the ECU has been changed (or deleted??? I'm at work now and haven't looked all that close yet) Actually, I'm not sure what my question is... Ok, here's one. I consider myself a good, shade tree mechanic. I've rebuilt engines, I've rebuilt transmissions, I was about to put powersteering and power disc brakes on my 66 F250. If there's a job, I can generally get it done (unless its welding and needs to look pretty. I can weld and I can "pretty" but I can't seem to do both) 

 

So, how hard is this going to be? 

 

I just realized I do, in fact, have a question:
It seems that, at Pick n Pull, they have an 1982 720 (Z22S engine) and a few 1986 and 87 Nissan 720's (which I'm guessing would have the Z24i engine) and I believe that I have the Z24 engine.)

Will these emission systems be the same or close enough? I'm mostly worries about passing the "visual inspection" part of the test.

 

Thanks,
Joel


Oh, one more question. How does that engine run so well with all those open vacuum connections? I mean, really! I put my finger over one of the ports and my finger got sucked right to it... Crazy!

 

[datsunaholic]

'83 720s don't have an ECU or a Check Engine light.  '84s do.  '83s are an odd duck- they have year specific emissions, as they are the only year to use a non-feedback carb on a Z24.  '84+ used a feedback carb.  '82 used fairly different emissions systems, and different manifolds.  They MIGHT be able to be made to look right... but there are different air recirculation/air injection tubes specific to the year.

 

The other issue is that if it's a non-California truck, you may have some issues in that respect alone. 

[Hillbillybuddha]

Not what I was hoping to hear. But it's good to know the truth of a situation, I guess. 

 

I haven't been able to find any info on O2 sensors either, so I'm guessing that they weren't part of the stock set-up. 

 

I'm going to guess that the smog techs around here haven't seen many 720s, so if I can make it look stock (ish); properly hook up an EVAP Charcoal canister, air recirculation tubes, etc. Put stock headers back on and add a CAT, I'm hoping all will be good. Or this could just be a very expensive experiment. 

 

I'm guessing that the CAT, good fuel (with a touch of methnyol), New plugs (two per cylinder must really burn off that fuel well) and wires + cap, maybe some seabreeze in the manifold to brake down any carbon build up on the heads/valves, oil change, etc. 

 

I'm guessing that I can get it to pass the exhaust test, the rest is just visual. so if it looks right it passes. (although, I can just hear the tech now,"what do you mean it dont have a check engine light? I never heard of that")

 

Also. I've brought a lot of cars into California over the years and never had a problem, not once. In fact, the last time I moved back to Cali, I brought an 88 Volvo 240 and an 89 Acura Legend with a V-Tech engine swap. Both passed the first time. so I'm not that worried about it being an out of state vehicle. It just cost more to register

 

DATSUNAHOLIC, Thanks for the info. I do appreciate you taking the time to answer my questions. I'm really going to keep my fingers crossed on this on.

[Hillbillybuddha]

One more question, do you know if other year air cleaner, carb and headers will fit the 83?

 

Thanks

[datsunaholic]

The air cleaner is probably the least of the problems- they didn't change much, except in the number of air injection tubes.

 

This is a 1983, Federal Emissions, air cleaner.  It's on my '83 King Cab:

 

 

Notice it only has one air injection tube.

 

The next is a 1981 510, which had a Z20S.  However the emissions are similar to the trucks for '81-82:

 

 

It has 2 tubes instead of 1.  Most California ones had 2 tubes, though this wasn't a Cali car.

 

Here's what the '81 Exhaust manifold looks like- you can see where the 2 tubes go on the manifold.  This is actually a Z24 I put the manifolds from a '81 Z20 on, because it went into my '81 Wagon. 

 

 

The rear tube is the EGR tube, which all NAPS-Z engines had. 

 

So, as you see you need the air cleaner that matches the manifold, or at least the part of the air cleaner the tubes attach to (the rest of the air cleaner is the same).  Cali also requires the heat riser (the heat riser hose is missing in the pic but you can see where it goes), which generally means you can't get away with a header.  I've heard of headers that have all the proper attachments for smog ports and a place to attach the heat riser, but they aren't common and have to be CARB certified to use in Cali.  

 

'83 Federal uses no O2 sensor, dunno about California.  It was used with the feedback carb, which was used in '84.  As far as a stock carb goes, the '83 was a one-year wonder.  But I think the '81-82 Z22 carb is close enough to pass IF it bolts to the manifold.  The '84-86 carbs used a different base bolt pattern than the '81-82.  But '83?  I've never had my carb off to see which bolt pattern it has.

[Hillbillybuddha]

DATSONAHOLIC, thanks for coming through again. I understand I'm up against it with this project and its the first time I'll be doing this in reverse. Hopefully I'll be able to pull it all one truck so it'll match up. I think that'll be my best bet. In fact, if I pull the whole top end of of a 84, 85 or 86 I'm guessing I can just bolt the whole thing to the bottom end in the truck, if that's what it takes then that's what it takes. I might even end up fuel injected. We'll see. Maybe I'll just get lucky. Got to happen some time. Right.

 

I should probably be getting discouraged but that's just not my thing, I really do love a challenge.

[Hillbillybuddha]

Hey Datsunaholic, two quick questions.

 

1) Did Nissan replace/ update/ or just do away with  A.I.V. (Is that what the tubes running from the airbox to the manifold is called?) on the 84 and up 720's? I went to the pick and pull and the only truck with that setup was an 1981.

 

2) it would seem from your comment that it will but I just wanted to clarify; the exhaust manifold from a Z22 will fit on a Z24?

 

Thanks

 

Joel

[datsunaholic]

They may have eliminated the air injection in '84 when the o2 sensor/feedback carb was used- don't know for sure.

 

Z22 manifold bolts right on.  Z22 exhaust manifolds were the same as a Z20 manifold, and I did that swap.  Intake is different BUT can still be used, just not optimally.

[Hillbillybuddha]

took me most of the day but I think I've done it.

 

 

 

I'll let you know how it goes.

 

Thanks for the help.

 

Joel

[Sick720]

Well i have a weber carb too, and what i did was cut the bottom out of a spare stock air cleaner i hadt and stuck it over the weber carb. Without the weber air filter. I had it looking as stock as possible. And put about a quart of denatured alcohol to a 1/4 tank of gas. Drove about seven miles to the smog shop, and just around the block from the place i pulled over and swapped the stock filter on it, had it looking stock as can be, and it passed with flying colors. Haha even below California standards. So i hope this is helpful to you. 'Cause it sure worked for me.

[Sick720]

I would say come on down and I'd let you borrow everything to get it smogged, but you're about a hundred miles away. But the best of luck to you man, i know how much of a pain California can be. And don't let shut your motor off when you get the the smog shop keep that cat hot. Ohh! And i have an extra cat too if it would help you out.

[Anxietyxbeast]

i just got a 1981 nissan datsun 300$ i looked under the hood and found two hoses near the carb not connecting to anything and one is actually plugged with a golf tee....  

[Anxietyxbeast]

i have a 1981 nissan datsun king cab and i have some hoses that arent connecting into anything near the carb... help?

[Anxietyxbeast]

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