WA state's emissions test was a SNAP

autostaretx

Erratic Member
My 2005 2500 with 25k miles has finally become old enough to require an emissions test here in Seattle.
Vehicles below 8501 GVW would receive the "normal" dyno test,
vehicles over 8500 GVW (such as my 8550 GVW) would get a SNAP test.

It was a dark and stormy day... (temp about 40F, 10 to 15mph wind, 90% relative humidity or higher)...
So i drove around for 15 minutes doing a few errands (and turned on the Boost heater to help) to warm up the Sprinter.
Things got behind, and i ended up arriving at the North Seattle emissions test station at 12:15pm, which i feared would put me in a long lunch-time waiting line, idling. Much to my surprise, there were 5 operating test lanes, and only one other car in the entire facility... so it was "drive right in, no waiting".
A sign at the driveway told "oversize vehicles" to take Lane 5, so i did.

The first stop captured my VIN, license plate number, and the $15 fee.
The tester recognized it as a Sprinter. He knew they were built by Mercedes (i'm Freightliner badged).
The database didn't have the data, so he asked me if i knew my number of cylinders (5) and displacement (2.7L).
He said that most folks didn't know their displacements. I told him all of the older US Sprinters had 2.7L.
Automatic? Yup. Diesel? Yup. One tail pipe? Yup.

Then i drove forward to the test station.
They had me stop shy of the dyno, and passed me a cigar-lighter plug to attach to my 12v socket.
They said it was to get the RPM.
(you probably -can- see ignition pulses impressed on the 12v lines on a gas engine.. but diesels don't have sparkplugs)
Oh, well... who am i to argue with Officialdom? (dumb?)
Then they asked me to watch the screen, and stomp on the accelerator pedal when the cartoon sneaker did.
It did, so i did. I watch my RPM gauge, and the screen.... i hit about 4000 rpm, but the screen didn't see it.
So i asked if there was an OBD plug we could use.
They had one, so i unplugged my ScanGauge and plugged in their cable.
Retry... and this time the screen was getting my RPM (680 idle).
Now the test protocol (with me pushing the pedal):
Three short vaROOM(1 sec)/idle (for at least 10 seconds) cycles, to clear soot from the pipes.
Then they put the opacity probe into the tail pipe, and three more vaROOM/idle cycles.
(the display showed 2750, 3700 and 4100 RPM for the three tests)
I passed (the score is 0 to 100% opacity, "40" is passing, i tested "2").
I handed back their OBD cable, took the results sheet and started to drive out.
They stopped me just before i left the building, and raised the roll-up door a foot
(i'm pretty sure it was well above me, but they were being careful). Exeunt stage left.

Since i didn't have my ScanGauge attached during the test, i can't say for sure what my MAP peaked at
(i was slightly fearful of popping my Turbo Resonator), but an after-the-fact vaROOM showed only 18 PSIA.

--dick
p.s. Washington State accepts Emission tests performed within the previous 12 months... so if you feel you're falling off the opacity wagon, you could test in January for registration renewal in the following December.
 

jdcaples

Not Suitable w/220v Gen
Yeah, that is the best idea for non-DPF-equipped diesel engines. If you're in Seattle, do your emissions test in August, +90 F weather and you'll have a better chance of passing. If you can stomach it, go to a Propel bio-diesel station (and put something approximating B100 into your tank) and you'll pass with flying colors. That's how I tested a "2" with 1993 American 6.2L GM diesel technology in 2007.

I hate SNAP tests. They are not representative of nominal soot expulsion.

-Jon

PS: Power Service products also reduce opacity, but reduce lubricity if that matters to you. I got that from Arlen Spicer's test in 2007 or so....
 
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jdcaples

Not Suitable w/220v Gen
This article talks about 9 States that require diesel SNAP tests. This isn't a comprehensive list. They missed Washington and New Hampshire for unstated reasons. The author probably missed ones I don't know about.

-Jon


http://www.dieselpowermag.com/tech/1006dp_nine_states_that_require_diesel_emissions_tests/index.html (content below)

Nine States That Require Diesel Emissions Tests
Law Of The Land
From the June, 2010 issue of Diesel Power
By Mike McGlothlin

In light of California's new diesel emissions laws, which went into effect January 1, 2010, we took a closer look at the country as a whole to find out exactly which states are testing light-duty diesel vehicles with gross vehicle weight ratings (GVWR) up to 14,000 pounds. What we discovered was that every state conducting tests on diesel pickups is only doing so in select counties, or highly populated areas (except Connecticut, which tests statewide). We agree with this practice because in densely populated areas there are bound to be more commuters, and ultimately more pollution. Here is a list of all states currently conducting diesel emissions testing.

Diesel Power Diesel Emissions Testing States Connecticut State
Connecticut
Counties: All

Vehicles Tested: All model years more than four years old with a 10,000-pound GVWR or less
Test Type(s): Smoke opacity (snap-idle procedure with no load on engine)

Diesel Power Diesel Emissions Testing States Colorado State
Colorado
Counties: Adams, Arapahoe, Boulder, Broomfield, Denver, Douglas, and Jefferson

Vehicles Tested: All model years with a 14,000-pound GVWR or less (new vehicles are exempt for first four years)
Test Type(s): Visual inspection for emissions-equipment tampering, onboard diagnostics (OBD-II) check (if applicable), and a smoke opacity test

Diesel Power Diesel Emissions Testing States Arizona State
Arizona
County: Maricopa

Vehicles Tested: Any model year with an 8,501-pound GVWR or greater
Test Type(s): Smoke opacity (the vehicle makes three wide-open-throttle, non-loaded runs with the transmission in neutral)



Diesel Power Diesel Emissions Testing States California State
California
Counties: 40 of 58 (high population areas)

Vehicles Tested: '98-and-newer with a 14,000-pound GVWR or less
Test Type(s): Visual inspection for emissions-equipment tampering, onboard diagnostics (OBD-II) check, smoke opacity test (snap-idle procedure with no load on engine)




Diesel Power Diesel Emissions Testing States New York State
New York
Counties: Nassau, Rockland, Suffolk, and Westchester (New York City metropolitan area)

Vehicles Tested: All model years with more than an 8,501-pound GVWR
Test Type(s): Visual inspection for emissions-equipment tampering, onboard diagnostics (OBD-II) check (if applicable), and a smoke opacity test

Diesel Power Diesel Emissions Testing States Nevada State
Nevada
Counties: Clark and Washoe

Vehicles Tested: All model years with a 14,000-pound GVWR or less
Test Type(s): Visual inspection for emissions-equipment tampering, and a smoke opacity test using a dyno to create a load



Diesel Power Diesel Emissions Testing States Utah State
Utah
Counties: Davis, Salt Lake, Utah, and Weber

Vehicles Tested: All model years with a 14,000-pound GVWR or less
Test Type(s): Visual inspection for emissions-equipment tampering, and a smoke opacity test




Diesel Power Diesel Emissions Testing States Wisconsin State
Wisconsin
Counties: Kenosha, Milwaukee, Ozaukee, Racine, Sheboygan, Washington, and Waukesha

Vehicles Tested: '07-and-newer models between 8,501 pounds and 14,000 pounds GVWR (dedicated farm vehicles are exempt)
Test Type(s): Onboard diagnostics (OBD-II) check


Diesel Power Diesel Emissions Testing States Tennessee State
Tennessee
Counties: Davidson, Hamilton, Rutherford, Sumner, Williamson, and Wilson

Vehicles Tested: All model years with a 10,500-pound GVWR or less
Test Type(s): Smoke opacity, and onboard diagnostics (OBD-II) check (if applicable)
 

autostaretx

Erratic Member
If you Google for "SNAP diesel emissions test", you'll see a number of other states, by being pointed at their DOT requirements pages.
Maine, Massachusetts, New Jersey to name a few. I didn't dug a little deeper to see what their GVW limits were.

Update: Mass used OBD if possible, Maine exempts GVW below 14000, NJ exempts below 18000.

--dick
 
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