I took my car in for a smog test today and it failed. The guy showed my why. When I first got my car I replaced the three small hoses that go to/ from the turbo over boost with the blue silicone hose from IPD and apparently that is not OK in California and I have to replace it with standard hose and then it will pass.
Can anyone tell me the correct inside diameter for these hoses?

I am going to replace the spark plugs soon, are the IPD Volvo plugs and the Bosch the same thing or what is the best for my car?

 

Ummm I'm not sure that is true at all. Just because you have silicone hoses doesn't mean you at going to fail smog. As long as you installed all the hoses correctly to their proper locations you should be good.

 

I failed the visual inspection because California does not acknowledge the silicone hoses as not rotting when they get oil on them, go figure. Personally after I get it to pass I plan on putting the silicone back on.

 

Copy and paste:

I just used regular vacuum line instead of the silicon.

I have replaced the 3 vacuum lines for the turbo that connect to the BCS and the size was 6mm. The line from the turbo to the intake manifold looked like it was 5mm but the part store only had 4mm and 6mm and the 4mm worked just fine.

 

Thanks KissaFrog
I'll pick some up tomorrow and then wait for the rain to stop so I can start working on it. Any opinion on what are the best spark plugs?

 

That question will start a fight !!

I'm running AC Delco platinum with a MSD coil. Bought a coil and built my own mount. I have no complaints and haven't had any problems with them.

I like the longevity of platinum but just a stock copper core Champion is a good choice too. Champion is what the 2.3s originally came with. I'm not sure there is much difference in performance between Champion, NGK, Bosch ...
Depending on how hard you push your vehicle if you go with a stock copper core it's best to check them once in a while. Guys pushing a lot of boost and occasionally racing can go through them pretty quickly. Some as short as 5K but average you should get 20-30K from a set.
I would stay away from E3, split fire or any other "special" plug. In my experience you don't get the promised bang for your buck (IMHO).

That said I do run E3 in my lawn and garden stuff. Don't need to gap and the guys who use them say they run better and foul less often. But in a car, nope.

 

Take it somewhere else for your smog test. They are being ****.

I passed with silicone everywhere.

 

It does sound pretty odd. You're not changing the function or capacity of anything you're only using a better material to perform the original equipments function as designed by the manufacturer.

 

I agree with you guys, it sounds ridicules.

 

I just bought the high out put coil from IPD but all the customer comments talk of the mount being a pain. Anyone have any suggestions on that?
Does anyone know what the output of the stock coil is?

 

As a student of automotive in southern california, I can say this guy is being over zealous with his inspection. How this benefits him? I can't see an obvious reason seeing as most offer a free retest within 90 days.
show him the BAR manual for california smog tests and make a threat to go to the BBB and the BAR if he doesnt pass you. heres the manual-

http://www.bar.ca.gov/80_BARResource...08-09%20V3.pdf

as you can see it says you may not MODIFY an emission control system. which you didnt do. even if those hoses were used in an emission system, you cannot be penalized for using a different material so long as the functionality of the system in not compromised.

 

If you bought it from IPD then I believe it comes with the mount. The same coil is sold at automotive stores for about half the price but of course you do not get the mounting hardware. What I did with mine is took a plate of aluminum and copied the IPD hardware to save a few bucks.

 

boxpin yours looks like it sits lower than the IPD mount and from the sound of it thats a good thing.
Kyle thanks now I have some more light reading but I will look it over. I have had good success at this smog tester in the past so I don't want to push him over the edge but if its in writing what can he do.

 

I installed the new coil today but it looks like I will need to modify the upper portion of the stock air cleaner to get some clearance. Has anyone else done this kind of modification? It looks like I might be able to get it soft enough with a heat gun to press in the side but if that doesn't work I will have to cut it and glue some sort of patch. There is a noticeable difference with the hotter coil.

 

Here is my home made mount.

 

On mine it looked like there was not much room between the coil and the hood. How much does that mount raise the coil? I was thinking of using a heat gun to soften the upper filter cover and press it in a little.

 

Mine is up higher but it doesn't touch the hood. I just made it out of scrap something I had laying around that had the right lip on it to allow me to mount it to the original holes. I cut it to width and then welded two of the pieces together for the proper length. A little spray paint to hide my welding skills and there it is. The thing I'd change next time is mounting it so it doesn't interfere with the air filter housings top hold down clamp. It's a real pain to get to the one hold down right under the coil and also get the top itself off and on.

I wouldn't see a problem with extending the ignition module wires to mount the coil in a different location. If I redo it that's what I would do for access to the hold down clamps for the filter housing. Just not on the firewall due to the heat from the turbo.

After all you are only limited by your imagination (and the laws of physics ).

 

I spent a half an hour today working the filter housing top with a heat gun and a flat metal plate that I have laying around and now I have about 1/8 inch clearance between the coil and housing. I also removed the metal clip for the last filter cover hold down so It can't short out the coil terminals. I am kind of looking at the idea of mounting the coil between the drivers side headlight and the battery, any thoughts on that idea.

 

I was looking at a photo of my battery area, too cold to go pop the hood and stand there for me today. That battery area is what I was thing of too.

 

The battery area looks good but you being in Minnesota your almost into the second ice age so just stay inside if you can. I'll write up what I come up with.