The Brussels Post, 1974-05-08, Page 17inspections Producing Good Results
All eyes are on the "scoreboard" that flashes results of the
mandatory emissions test ail Chicago cars must undergo. Since
introduced in June 1973, tests hove been held for tens of
thousands of Chicago car-owners. About two of every three
owners,get the green "pass" light and one-third the red "fail"
light. The "abort" light is for o small percentage of vehicles
that (wino, be tested due to major engine malfunctions or
unudaptability to the testing equipment.
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Inefficient, .Cooling Systems
Can Cut Gasoline Mileage
is
Little children leap up
and down in glee and their
waits smile when they see
it, This source of pleasure
for Chicago residents is a
multi-colored "Scoreboard"
that flashes results of the
recently-introduced com-
pulsory emissions tests in
the second largest U.S. city.
The scoreboard with its
green and red lights that
tells motorists they "Pass"
or "Fail" their emissions
probes may be a showman's
touch to the serious pro-
grain.
But when it flashes green
for a car that has just com-
pleted the test, the car own-
er seems to feel genuine joy
and a sense of satisfaction
that his or her car is not
part of Chicago's air pollu-
tion problem. '
One Third Fail
The emissions inspection
program was begun in Chi-
cago in June of 1973. Since
then tens of thousands of
cars have ,been probed to
see if they meet hydrocar-
' bon and carbon monoxide
limits established by the
city.
To date, about two out of
every three cars have been
able to meet the standards,
The one-third who, have
failed have been told the
probable causes of their
problems and asked to re-
turn for a retest after the
necessary engine adjust-
ments have been made.
The test itself is short and
simple for the motorist. He
drives to one of 18 check
lanes situated in various
parts of Chicago. The ear is
hooked up to a test equip-
ment van, with an infra-red
emissions probe inserted in
the tail pipe and a lead
attached to the ignition
system. Information about
the car is fed into a com-
puter and emission read-
ings are taken at two speeds
— one at normal sidle and
a second at fast idle.
It is the computer and
test machines, rather than
the operator, that deter-
mines pass or fail. Since
allowable limits differ for
age of car and for private
or commercial vehicles, the
computer instantly com-
pares the emissions of the
car being tested and what
permissible levels are. Re-
sults are simultaneously
printed out for the car
owner` and flashed on the
"scoreboard" for him to see.
Cars that pass are adorn-
ed with a blue and white
sticker which is valid for 12
months.
One Major Problem
Despite the fact that the
emissions checks are man-
datory, helpful to the en-
vironment, fairly fast and
painless, the Chicago in-
spection program has one
major problem. Not enough
cars are being brought in to
utilize the capacity of the
check lanes,
According to program di-
rector Joe Seliber, "We try
to remind rnolorists time is
of the. essence. While the
law states a deadline for
compliance,, we urge mo-
torists to have inspections
done well before that dead-
line when facilities aren't
crowded."
Pollution Wastes Gas
Seliber belieVes one ap-
proach to getting more cars
in for testing lies in the
current fuel crisis. He said
that the same engine mal-
functions that cause high
emissions are the ones that
waste gasoline. Once the
high emissions are brought
under control, gasoline con-
sumption will go down.
Emissions inspections are
conducted without extra
cost to motorists as part of
their annual Chicago car
license fees. There are ap-
proximately one million ve-
hicles in the city,
No one pours gasoline in
his radiator, but a car's
cooling system can be re-
sponsible for reducing gas-
oline mileage. So can other
car parts that seemingly
have no connection with
fuel consumption.
Since the condition of the
cooling system affects en-
gine performance, abnor-
malities in cooling temper-
atures curtail gasoline mile-
age. A faulty thermostat,
causing an engine to run
too cool, creates a condition
where more gas is needed
to maintain power. An over-
heating engine also ham-
pers efficient combustion of
fuel.
Inside the engine, a stuck
heat riser valve also wastes
gas. When this valve is not
operating as it should, fuel
is not vaporized efficiently
and excess raw gas escapes
into the exhaust.
As for the exhaust system
itself, if there is any ob-
struction in it, fuel econ-
omy suffers, The reason is
the obstruction will make
the engine work harder and
thus use more gas.
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