Does Your Diesel Test Equipment Meet ARB’s New Standards?

• Benefits of the Bosch Smoke Opacimeter
• Technical Specification of Smoke Opacimeter
• Fleet Regulations

"...ARB resumed enforcement of the Heavy-Duty Vehicle Inspection Program (HDVIP) at California Highway Patrol truck inspection facilities and random roadside locations. Compliance with the HDVIP is mandatory and vehicles determined to exceed the opacity standards have been issued citations or notices of violation."

The opacity standards are 55% for pre-1991 engines and 40% for 1991 and newer engines. Also, smokemeters must now be SAE J1667 compliant.

"The ARB has the authority to audit all inspection records of the heavy-duty diesel-powered vehicles at owner/operator designated fleet locations and test vehicles for compliance. These audits are currently being conducted, and will be implemented on an enforcement basis, by October 1, 1999. All fleets must have completed inspections on 100% of their fleet vehicles by October 1, 1999."

Benefits of the Bosch Smoke Opacimeter

To meet the new requirements, fleet owners may use a full-flow or partial-flow smoke meter. There are vast differences between these meters. Full-flow meters require precise placement of the probe over the pipe. The operators must be properly trained on the use of full-flow meters to ensure accurate readings.

The Bosch Partial-Flow Smokemeter is user-friendly, extremely accurate and requires virtually no maintenance. The probe can be placed anywhere in the pipe and an accurate measurement can be taken. The design of the RTT 100 tends to eliminate operator error due to the positioning of the device.

Another important benefit is that the RTT 100 is controlled by a removable software cartridge. Should ARB develop different opacity standards, this cartridge can be removed and replaced with a cartridge calibrated to the new standards. With full-flow meters, updating is not possible. New meters would have to be purchased.

In addition, the Bosch RTT 100 Smokemeter is specified in the Society of Automotive Engineers testing procedure, which owners are required to follow.

Technical Specifications
The Bosch Smokemeter is 17-1/2-inches wide, 16-inches deep and 10-1/2-inches high. It weighs 50 pounds and can be ordered with a cart to easily transport the meter to your trucks.

Standard Equipment:

• Basic RTT Tester
• Battery Cables
• Internal Printer
• Four Rolls of Paper
• Telescoping Probe
• One-year Warranty
• Software Program Module
• Silicone Sample Hose
• Sample Probe
• Thumbwheel Wrench
• Operating Instructions

Optional Accessories:

• Data Terminal
• Optical RPM Kit
• MDM RPM Measuring Kit
• 35-amp Power Supply
• Cable for Data Terminal (52 ft. or 20 ft.)
• RPM Measurement System
• Equipment Cart
• Engine Oil Temperature Kit

Smoke Opacity Tests Must be Conducted on Regular Basis

The Air Resources board adopted amendments to the California Heavy Duty Vehicle Inspection Program and Periodic Smoke Inspection Program. The regulations apply to all diesel-powered heavy duty vehicles operating in California. This includes any fleet (a fleet is any group of two or more vehicles owned by the same company or entity); pre-1974 model-year vehicles and all vehicles with gross weight ratings of 6,001 pounds or more.

The new amendments took effect on July 1, 1998. Once tested, heavy-duty vehicles must be re-tested on an annual basis. Pre-1991 diesel-powered engines must meet an opacity rating of 55% and post-1991 engines must meet an opacity rating of 40%.

Heavy duty vehicles that do not meet these standards must be repaired and re-tested. Penalties could be as high as $1,800 per violation.

This testing can be done by an inspection facility or fleet owners can perform the testing themselves. CARB indicates that fleets with more than 16 trucks may benefit from purchasing the equipment and performing the testing in-house.

New Test Procedure
CARB specified that a new test procedure be followed, SAE J1667. You must be using the new test procedure now.

If you are considering performing the testing in-house, there are some important factors to consider when selecting a smoke opacimeter, the device needed to measure the opacity (denseness) of the smoke.