I'm glad we don't have to do that in Georgia.
Try taking it to a different smog checking station

 

Problem is that I already dropped 50 bucks on a shop that was too stupid to do what they need to do.

 

I'm bringing it to be smogged for the THIRD time today. Wish me luck. My car will probably need it. I have replaced all the vacuum lines in the evap system, and some that weren't. Reset the timing to stock, and it runs at idle perfectly with the spout connector off, but very rough with it on.

 

Wow, just got home from dropping it off. Before it would kick and buck when I went to start driving until it eventually settled down and ran alright. Now it runs smooth as glass from engine on to engine off. I assumed that that was just how the old cars were. I had never really driven anything older than my dad's 99 pick up, and figured that a 14 year old car just wasn't going to be as smooth running as my parents' cars. Man was I wrong, my car could run circles around theirs (not a competition I know) in just comfort of driving.

 

Hooraaaaay.

Peter's car runs like a car now '

I should have someone go over the II's engine :P

 

**** IT! It failed, again, for the third time. They say that there is a hole in one of the vacuum lines between the intake and the gas tank. All of which I painstakingly replaced last weekend. He said that they would be glad to locate the leak for 140 dollars, and that they will then replace all the vacuum lines free... If they are going to replace all of the lines then where is there even a need to check for where the leak is now? He also said my timing is still off, and he said that 10* AIC means absolutely nothing, even though that is pretty much the only mark on the balancer. He told me that only a shop could do it correctly, and that I have to give them 50 bucks to repair it. What the...?

 

Snapped in half, most likely in my ignition... I didn't notice it until I went out to turn on my car...

 

 

oh gosh

 

Lesson: Don't let your buddy try to turn on your radio...

 

smack hiim

 

I called Ford, and they said they only have the keys by VIN from '96 on. I'm having a locksmith come out and make a key for it, since I can't find the other half of the original key anywhere, and I'm fairly sure that it's not in the ignition.

 

$85 for a locksmith to come out here and make a key to fit it. ~$20 if I bring a lock to the shop (about a mile away) I'll be trying to get a lock out for the remainder of the evening.

 

I found the rest of the key under my car... Don't ask me how it got there. I'll see if a locksmith can make a copy tomorrow. It's pretty twisted though.

 

how do you think that happened?

 

I have no idea. I was under the car for a bit after I took the key out because I was workin on the last vacuum line by the tank, and I got up, put the car down, walked inside, walked outside to turn the car on, and the key was broken. I really expected that the rest of the key was in the ignition. I have no idea what I could have done that would have broken the key while I was just laying on my crawler.

 

Got a new key cut.

 

LoL. Looks like they are just trying to get extra money...

 

^I agree, that's such a load of it. California's rules are too strict.

 

It's even more stupid since the car is passing cleaner than most other cars. It's just these other "tests" that have nothing to do with smog itself.