Clunking from under body

NO YOU are missing the point, There are NEW inspection laws that went into effect this year. They WILL put that vehicle on a dyno and test it AND they WILL plug a computer into it. ANY CODE that shows must be repaired OR IT WILL FAIL..Then they will put it on a lift and check it against what came stock on that vehicle. Your "Modified Driveshaft" will fail....

How do I know this? I am a NY licensed Inspector, with the rule book in front of me. Even upstate will be tested with a scanner starting this year. Currently it will start with '95 and up, then next year they are talking about full smog tests for ALL vehicles. I don't look forward to that.

I don't find it "sporting" to fail unsafe vehicles, that is the job. If anyone brings an illegal vehicle into a shop and they pass you by looking the other way they should be closed down. It is just asking for trouble. I can tell you of a few shops that have done that and have been reported and shut down, four of them have blood on their hands as well since vehicles they passed had mechanical failures that should have been found during a proper inspection, but they just checked the parking brake and passed them, the owners then had accidents. I WILL NOT DO THAT for anyone. If you bring me a vehicle that has an unsafe item IT WILL BE REPAIRED or it will not pass. Just the way it is. If you don't like it fine go somewhere else I don't cut corners on safety PERIOD.

As for the specs, I use the same books everyone else does, so it depends on the M/M/Y as to what is/isn't allowed. As for procedure it depends on what your checking. Torsion bars are tested on both ends. I look for motion between the mount and the bar (checking if rubber isolator is sheared) on the other end I check for damage on the hex. With the vehicle in the air the bar should not be free to move if it is the mount is probably bad since it has lost some preload. OR someone has cranked them down to lower the vehicle. Tie rods are easily checked by putting a bar between the joint and the linkage and trying to pop the joint apart, then allowing it to reseat. Ball joints are tested in a similar way but it depends on whether they are top/bottom as to testing with the vehicle on the tires or in the air. Bearings/hubs are tested using lateral play measured in at LEAST two planes of motion 90 degrees apart as well as listening for noise while on the dyno or test drive. Steering box and Idler arms are tested for the same types of motion as the tie rod ends, BUT they should not twist like a ball joint. Springs are checked for damage, excessive rust (especially on Subarus), deformed coils. Shocks/Struts for leakage, bent piston rods, damaged housings or mounts. Half shafts are checked for excessive play and damaged boots. Front tires for tread wear and damage. Front brakes for damage, wear on pads, caliper mounts and pins for motion, hoses for cracks or other damage and leaks. Rotors for thickness, scoring, heat damage,cracks. Subframe/Frame for cracks or broken welds. If there is a sway bar the mounts and links for damage. A -Arms for cracks, damage Bushings for excessive play or missing/damaged parts. That almost covers the front end. While doing this your also looking at the engine for oil and coolant leaks, steel brake lines for leaks or rusted areas that are ready to fail. Then you do the rear and then move to under the hood, then to the lights / horn / glass / mirrors. If it is 95 or newer in upstate you would also plug a scanner in and check for hard codes. Downstate they will also use a tailpipe probe and do the full emissions testing.

You silly, silly idiot. Your truck was equipped with a floater when it left GM. It now has a 1-piece. THAT WILL FAIL IT irregardless of it being safe or not.

What point of that statement do you not understand?

Doc

Steve, At least that's useful information rather than 'sporting' the idea of my vehicles being junk. Would be nice to see actual numbers - though like you said they vary by the numbers. I had an 88 S-10 that needed ball-joints to hold a better alignment even though it 'passed' safety limits, and the shop advised not to bother. They were worth doing anyway and it was much easier driving afterwords. It did move some (amount varied by where you looked, but was ~1/4 to 1/2" on the centerlink and at the tires (while off-ground)). Specs are interesting, but a nice tight front end is sometimes worth doing even though it's not 'spec' required. The NY inspections are a PITA, but understandable. The hardest part about the inspection is the timing of them - the

1 year waiver w/ $800 spent sounds like a fair compromise that I'd not previously heard about. Elliott

"Steve W." wrote:

Inline....................

OK, NOW you get it. And it wasn't me who said it, it was Steve W. who does the inspections in NY. He knows more about this topic than I ever will.

I'm not nuts about it either, but that's irrrelevant.

Doc

One correction, I wrote 800 the NEW amount is 450.00. It changes yearly. From DMV. If a Vehicle Fails Inspection

A vehicle must pass the emissions inspection test to receive an inspection sticker. The failure of the vehicle to pass the test can prevent the registration of the vehicle. You must have the vehicle repaired to meet the standards and pass a reinspection. If the vehicle does not pass a reinspection after major repairs are made, the DMV can issue a one-year waiver. To qualify for a waiver, the cost of the repairs cannot be less than $450. The maximum amount of the repair cost that qualifies for a waiver is adjusted annually with the Consumer Price Index.

If your vehicle failed the emissions inspection within the year before the date of the registration renewal, you cannot renew the vehicle registration. Inspection stations electronically send a record of all emissions inspections to the DMV. The DMV must have a record that your vehicle passed an emissions inspection during the previous year. Keep the receipt of your emissions inspection sticker to prove that the vehicle was inspected.

for some info. BUTthey don't cover it all.

Keep your state kleen.

So you can get out if you drive into a lake (you'd do it because you thought your truck would float).

I could only wish! I hate people who don't cancel almost as much as I hate those who don't use it.

Imagine that, no "I'm sorry I didn't know how fast I was going sir - my dash was out"

Who would ever want to get out of their truck in a hurry?

Eh....