heater inspection

I'm only acquainted with car inspection in Pa.and Md. but on TV I saw a woman who bougght a used car, found out that the heater core was leaking, and didn't take it for inspection until after she fixed the heater.

Is there any state where that would cause a car to fail inspection?

Reply to
micky
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Not enough information. However, ANY leaks that were noticeable in any vehicle system would fail the Texas inspection. Texas does not take the car apart for inspections like in other states though. Nothing is removed.

Reply to
Paul in Houston TX

Okay, that answers my question, there is at least one state.

She was in Massachusetts, which allows someone to get his money back if he takes it for inspectation within 7 days of purchase, it fails, and he tells the seller about this in 14 days. Even on an asis sale. But she never took if for inspection.

My mother lived in Pa. and for years had a heater core that leaked. I tried drilling a hole in the floor board and threading a wick through it, under the carpet, but it didn't work. Maybe antifreeze and water doesn't wick well, and anyway, the wick blew away after being in the wind for 1000 miles. Pa. had inspection twice a year thne and I'm sure this wouldn't have caused a failure, though Pa. does more than inspect for safety. If you've go

Maryland doesn't inspect the cooling system at all:

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Reply to
micky

NJ, MV inspection doesn't care about leaks, it's emissions compliance only. I don't see how any state inspection would spot a leaking heater core, u nless it's pouring out. In warm weather, the coolant flow is off, there wo uld be no leaking. The state was MA, why don't you google for what they che ck at inspection?

Reply to
trader_4

Every single one if it causes (and it usually will) an antifreeze fog on the inside of the windscreen when the defroster/defogger is used.

Reply to
clare

Interesting they do not even require the defroster to work?????

Reply to
clare

Exception for fuel leaks? If oil drips or radiator leaks mattered, none of my cars in the 60's would have passed.

I don't see how any state inspection would spot a leaking heater core, unless it's pouring out. In warm weather, the coolant flow is off, there would be no leaking. The state was MA, why don't you google for what they check at inspection?

MA does not care if your heater core leaks or if you piss on the seat.

Reply to
Ed Pawlowski

Florida doesn't inspect cars at all unless you live in one of the polluted blue cities. Then they scan for emission codes.

Reply to
gfretwell

Wrong.

Reply to
RonNNN

So, you have hot water flowing through your heater core when it 80 outside and the car interior is set to 70? Must be a unique car.

Reply to
trader_4

There may not be flow, but there is pressure on the hoses and core, and it *WILL* still leak.

Reply to
RonNNN

ide and the car interior is set to 70? Must be a unique car.

Thinking it through more, you're right. I was thinking valve off, no flow. But you're right, the return line is still open and going back to the cool ant loop, so it will leak. Probably not as much, but it would leak unless i t's some unusual design that cuts off both paths.

Reply to
trader_4

+1
Reply to
Stormin' Norman

When did NJ kill off their auto safety inspections?

Reply to
Stormin' Norman

When my '61 Pontiac heater leaked, I took off the hoses from the heater and put a piece of copper tubing to join them. Of course today, I'm not sure if I could even find the hoses under the hood.

I was at a radiator shop when a guy came in with a leaking heater. Book time was 8 hours labor to get it out and then back in. Ford Taurus.

Reply to
Ed Pawlowski

ly. I don't see how any state inspection would spot a leaking heater core , unless it's pouring out. In warm weather, the coolant flow is off, there would be no leaking. The state was MA, why don't you google for what they check at inspection?

Boy, that whole inspection thing is a classic cluster f* subject here. Orig inally, going back at least through the 60s,they tested ball joints, brakes test for stopping power, headlight aiming, horn, lights, all glass, tire tread, etc. But no emissions. Then I guess in 80s they started including emissions. By the time of Christie Whitman the federal EPA insisted that N J had to do a more extensive emissions test that included running the car o n a dyno, measuring the tailpipe emissions. This was mid 90s. It was going to cost the state several hundred million to totally overhaul the state ins pection stations to comply and install the new equipment that didn't even e xist.

Instead of fighting this classic EPA extremism, Whitman put up little fight and caved in. They awarded the contract to an out of state company. It wound up over budget, late and when they finally installed it, it didn't wo rk right, inspection times went through the roof, there were cars lined up for half a mile waiting hours. People were failing taking their cars to be fixed and finding out nothing was wrong. It took a few years to get it to work right. At that point that still tested everything, plus the epa dyno test.

Then, just a few years later EPA decides using the OBD data from the car is all that's required! So, NJ then tore out all that hundreds of millions i n east that never did a damn bit of good and junked it. This was mid 2000's . By around 2010 they decided to scrap all the other tests, except for emi ssions via OBD. Also, if you have an older car, pretty OBDII I think, you d on't have to ever go again. I have a classic Mercedes and that's one nice t hing, no more inspection at all.

That example is a classic of how the EPA can be extreme, out of control and really screw a lot of people and waste billions. They knew what Detroit wa s doing, that it wouldn't be too long before you could just use OBD, but th ey didn't care. Or were in bed with those that benefitted.

Reply to
trader_4

Pretty obvious when you drive there. Some of the worst clunkers I've seen on the road ANYWHERE - and I've driven in a lot of "third world" areas.

Reply to
clare

There will be flow too, in MOST cars still on the road. The vast majority do not control water flow through the heater core any more - they just control air flow, either through or around. This is particularly true of cars with "climate control" or automatic temperature control / AC

Reply to
clare

Try it on a Jag XJC. About 18 hours, and no short cuts.

Reply to
clare

So what? They were still passing you.

Reply to
gfretwell

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