mot and emissions

catoutthebag

Garage was unable to do my mot as it would have apparently failed on emissions test. They said they revved it up and smoke was coming out.
I do a lot of driving including motorway and never seen or smelled smoke. He said it would have dissipated.
I asked my options : new engine or new car. He said. Erm not REALLY my options.
I asked what it was and he says 'engine worn out'. Very technical I know. .and a favourite phrase of his!

So he said something about taking some oil out? (Would it be caused by too much oil)...or putting in an additive?

He's the equivalent of a non creative accountant ...so any suggestions I can put to him please?

Strider590

Replace flux capacitor........


Seriously, what car/make/model/engine/fuel ?

pogofish

Is the smoke-bucket you groundbreaking and multi-award winning MK1 Focus?

catoutthebag

Strider590 wrote: »

Replace flux capacitor........


Seriously, what car/make/model/engine/fuel ?

1.6 petrol

reeac

As far as I'm aware a garage just does the mot test and then tells you the result (pass or fail) and lists the reasons for any failure. They don't just refuse to do it. It could be helpful to see the emission results unless the smoke was so dense as to constitute a workplace hazard. Could also be helpful to know age and mileage of car and also engine oil consumption.

Retrogamer

What colour is the smoke?

I'm guessing it might be blue smoke from the description. If so, you wouldn't normally see it when driving.

How many miles is on the car and what year is it?

onomatopoeia99

If the bores or valve guides are shot due to wear, then it either a moderately expensive job (cylinder head removal, strip down, new guides, rebuild) or a very expensive one (engine removal, dismantle, rebore, new pistons and rings, rebuild).

Unless the car is reasonably valuable, or you're going to do it yourself, economically it's one for the crusher.

If you've just overfilled it with oil, then draining some out might help. Pre '76 cars have a visible smoke test rather than emissions measurement, I don't know if that test also applies to newer cars or it is just emissions, but if you've got a blue or black haze behind it when it's sat still at idle then it's going to fail (white haze = steam which shouldn't affect emissions, but will mean head gasket failure and overheating).

catoutthebag

reeac wrote: »

As far as I'm aware a garage just does the mot test and then tells you the result (pass or fail) and lists the reasons for any failure. They don't just refuse to do it. It could be helpful to see the emission results unless the smoke was so dense as to constitute a workplace hazard. Could also be helpful to know age and mileage of car and also engine oil consumption.

Why would they waste my and their time to do it if it was going to fail? Though they did claim that it filled their work room with smoke. Never seen smoke from it myself.

Oil consumption Is high. It's about 110k miles and 17 years old.

catoutthebag

onomatopoeia99 wrote: »

If the bores or valve guides are shot due to wear, then it either a moderately expensive job (cylinder head removal, strip down, new guides, rebuild) or a very expensive one (engine removal, dismantle, rebore, new pistons and rings, rebuild).

Unless the car is reasonably valuable, or you're going to do it yourself, economically it's one for the crusher.

If you've just overfilled it with oil, then draining some out might help. Pre '76 cars have a visible smoke test rather than emissions measurement, I don't know if that test also applies to newer cars or it is just emissions, but if you've got a blue or black haze behind it when it's sat still at idle then it's going to fail (white haze = steam which shouldn't affect emissions, but will mean head gasket failure and overheating).

My plan was to buy a newer car in summer when mlre viable, privately. It is not viable to get scrap value which is what you're implying? I've spent several hundred on new plugs, cam belt, water pump and alternator belt and those receipts count for a lot on these cars.

So I just need an mot pass now til summer. And road tax due next week too which isn't cheap.

forgotmyname

If the oil is overfilled then it can increase the pressure and get forced past seals and piston rings etc.

Its if slightly over of on the max line then it wont be the issue. Time for a compression test, wet and dry.

catoutthebag

Well I did put a tonne of oil in couple weeks ago

Though I did remember the same garage say it was smoking when I first got it and had cam belt done