Hi everyone. So I have this car and it does not want to pass smog. No CEL but the smog results say that the engine is idling higher than factory setting and the emissions are too high. So would I just need to adjust that? Also I found out that it only has 69 hp. Is that sufficient enough to travel through mountains, would it do okay going uphill? Also is it worth adding hp for that reason? If so what are some recommendations? Thanks
Welcome to the forum…
Reading between the lines here, it sounds like, according to your questions, that you know nothing about cars… So I recommend taking it to a shop with good word of mouth and or reviews to have a mechanic with a 4 gas analyzer repair your vehicle and get it ready for smog testing (whatever that is in your state)…
What is the history on this vehicle??? Last full tune up, spark plugs, ignition wires, distributor cap and rotor button changed, fuel filter, air filter replaced, ignition timing checked and set, carburetor checked and probably rebuilt and idle set, checked for vacuum leaks, compression test done…
If the engine even can still produce those mighty 69 HP then in the right gear it should be able to climb hills, you won’t be passing Hellcats or anything but it should make it, but the cooling system needs to be in good working order…
Adding more power, hummm… If you put a turbo or super charger on it (and the engine could even hold the extra power, not throw a rod or blow the rings out of it) and threw about 10 psi of boost at it giving it a huge 50% more power then you are still just barely over 100 HP, your still not going to win any races… lol
So NO, adding HP to an engine that never had any to begin with, without spending a lot of money on it to get it to hold all that new power is pointless…
Any idea what the mileage on the vehicle is??
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If this travel is for a vacation trip, get a rental car.
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My first question is, have you been using ethanol gas in the vehicle?
Tester
+1
The engine in this little car is close to 4 decades old, and it wasn’t built robustly enough in the first place for a huge power boost. Also, the brakes are not strong enough for the hot-rodding ideas of the OP.
If the OP spent the money to do that type of modification (which would likely cost as much as the car’s current book value), there is a high likelihood that the engine would self-destruct after he did a couple of full-acceleration runs.
If the OP wants a car with more power, he should buy one, rather than attempting to modify this old car.
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Hi. Thanks for replying. For the history I know that an older guy had it and used it as a normal commuter car. Then sold it to a guy who I’m buying it from and no longer wants it because he wanted to do a swap on it but couldn’t. As for the mileage it has 170k. I test drove and it runs amazing. Was just curious how it would do going over mountains. And as for the horsepower, I only really want extra hp for the purpose of it being extremely low and performing better over climbs. I have no intention of running the engine or anything of that nature especially at high rpms. This will mainly be a work car and daily commuter for around town. And for the smog, the guy I’m buying it from can’t get it to pass so I wanted to know if it was worth buying without the smog and attempt to pass it myself.
Yes it would be for a travel trip but wouldn’t hurt to take it once in a while. And it does make more sense to rent a car because it does have 170k miles. I wouldn’t want to add too many miles to it at once.
I honestly have no idea. I’m in the process of buying it but I’m assuming the current owner has been using unleaded most likely from chevron and Shell or similar
Trying to give you advice without seeing the car is very difficult, aside from generalities. As with any used car purchase, you should have a qualified mechanic go over the vehicle and give you their opinion about its general condition. A hands-on examination is the only way to really answer your questions.
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The gasoline sold in California has been E10 since the late 1980’s. You can expect ethanol has been used in the car nearly its whole life.
Depending on what state you are in, you may not be able to register the car in your name until it passes emissions.
You could very easily be stuck with a car you can’t do anything with.
Also the original VW Beetles sold in the states only had 36hp
The reason I ask is, ethanol gas cannot be used in the engine.
Ethanol gas can damage the fuel system in this vehicle, including the carburetor. And this may be why it’s failing the emissions.
Instead, a non-oxy gas should be used in the vehicle to prevent damage. Which is more expensive.
https://motorweek.org/goss_garage/ethanol_classic_cars/
Tester
I have a question. I am not in an area that requires smog tests, and I own 1990’s cars. Do states allow a car to pass if it meets the standards of the day it was sold? What if it were built prior to emission standards of any sort?
Not the day, but the year.
The emission sticker under the hood reflects the emission regulation the vehicle must pass for that model year.
Tester
The emissions rules are pretty strict here in Calif, but not so strict that the test is impossible to pass. The engine must be in good operating condition & have all the emissions-related parts installed that it had when new. The passing specs are the same as when the vehicle was manufactured. I think most vehicles prior to 1975 vintages are not required to pass emissions tests.
In order to pass emissions testing on OBD I & prior engines, it’s very important that the idle rpm be correct. I can’t speak to your engine, but on my early 90’s Corolla, the idle rpm is manually adjusted by turning a screw. The computer has no way to adjust the idle rpm on these cars, & presumes the idle rpm is correct in its calculations for the air/fuel mixture. I pay a lot of att’n to getting the idle rpm spot-on before emissions testing on my OBD I Corolla, using a lab o-scope.
Do you know how your car’s idle rpm is set? Is it a manual adjustment done at tune-up time? Also, what emissions component(s) test too high, and how much too high? My Corolla has always passed emissions, and easily for most of the tests, but has sometimes comes close to not passing the HC (hydrocarbon) component of the test. IIRC the HC limit is 135 ppm, and it tests in the 90 - 130 range.
Is that what Nissan spec’d the engine power? If so, then it must be enough power for the weight of the car and its transmission’s capabilities, b/c Nissan wouldn’t sell a car that couldn’t travel safely on normal mountain roads. You may have to go a little slower than some other cars on steep up-hills is all. I seem to recall my late 70’s VW Rabbit had about 75 HP, and that was plenty of power for it. My Corolla has about 100 HP. (At some point there was a change to how engine HP was calculated, not sure if that occurred in this time range.)
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If he current owner cannot get the car to pass smog, do not buy this car. Why would want to open that can of worms?
You might be buying a car that will never pass and can’t be registered.
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OP would have to get a really low price before taking on that risk. But if price was low enough, in some states it might be worth taking the risk. I don’t think it is even possible to transfer title on a car here in Calif if it needs an emissions test and it hasn’t already passed.
Very few Nissan Pulsars remain, a rare sight today but very little collector interest in these coupes. The car weighs 1800 lbs. The small, low horsepower engine was typical for economy cars of that time period.
I wouldn’t buy this car for economic reasons, anyone concerned about book value or replacement parts cost should seek a different hobby.
Junkyard Gem: 1985 Nissan Pulsar NX - Autoblog
The 69hp rating is about right, if I recall
I had a 1988 Sentra and I believe it was rated at around the same horsepower and it was sufficient for day-to-day driving, but no more. It had a stick shift, fwiw.
The Pulsar looks even smaller than a Sentra of the same time period, so 69hp should be enough, provided it also has a stick shift
I wouldn’t pay more than $500 . . . and that’s if it’s in great shape mechanically, has little to no rust AND the current owner can get it to pass a smog test
Maybe the current owner is trying to get $500 BECAUSE he can’t get it to pass smog and it also may be more than a junkyard is willing to give him? . . . ?
Yes, but after almost 40 years of use, how much power does that little engine still have? Surely it must have lost at least some of its compression by this time.