PER Notebook

Emission Compliant Engines & You

Emission compliant engine is a new term that everyone in the USA is going to have to get use to. Starting September 1, 1997, the environmental protection agency (EPA) added a new set of laws that will governor emissions given off by all small air cooled engines (under 25hp) sold for use in the USA. The industry refers to these as Phase 1 emission controls. Phase 2 is scheduled to kick in during the year 2002 and be completed by 2005. Phase 3 starts in California in 2007 and elsewhere in 2010. Visit the website link below for the current regulations.

Once phase 2 kicks in, it will be harder each year for engine manufactures to meet these requirements without overhead valve (OHV) engines. In addition, we may see other emission control system (ECS) equipment that we are not use to on small engines, but see on automobiles. These include; electronic fuel injection, ECU (computer) and catalytic converters. Truly, the engine of the future will be a high tech machine, with an onboard computer controlling everything from variable timing to keeping the fuel/air mixture at an exact level. Here's a link to the EPA official site on small engine emissions. This will take awhile to read through, but all the information is there:

http://www.epa.gov/otaq/equip-ld.htm

What will all this mean to you, the consumer as the industry likes to refer to you as? I am not an expert, but I have been to enough update clinics and schools recently to be able to draw some conclusions. So, here's my view on how I believe it will affect you in ways that you are not use to:

In order to maintain emission compliancy, you will not be able to change any adjustments or settings with the ECS. This will have to be done by authorized factory trained personnel.

You will be required to use only OEM replacement parts that have passed emission testing for the family of engines covered by the emission statement. These include common items like air cleaners and spark plugs.

Because of the smaller jet sizes in the carburetor, you will need to supply fresh clean fuel that should be treated with a fuel stabilizer. It should be stored in a cool darkened area, not in direct sunlight. Proper fuel filtration is a must.

You will not be able to easily modify any of the ECS components. This will affect popular conversions like propane and other fuels. Even though these are proven clean fuels, many aftermarket conversions have not been approved or tested by the EPA as part of the ECS for that family of engines.

Emission Label

The next question I'm sure everyone is asking is how can I tell if I'm about to purchase a new product with an emission compliant engine on it? All engines now have a sticker on them similar to the one shown, with important information about the unit such as model, type and serial number. In addition to this, emission engines contain the name "Family" with some numbers and letters after it. This is the EPA identification number. If it has this, then it is an emission compliant engine. Basically, all engines built for the USA market after September 1, 1997 will have this identification on them. Beware of knock-off engines. These copies of current popular engines may not meet EPA requirements or have even been emission tested.

Emission compliancy is something that we are all going to have to live with, whether it be a repair center or the consumer. The automotive industry has learned to live with it by keeping their personnal highly trained on all the latest equipment. The small engine industry will have to do the same. It will become more important for the repair shops to have the latest training and equipment to maintain this new generation of engines. As a consumer, you will need to take extra care of your equipment by using only fresh gasoline and oil that meets engine specifications. The use of only genuine parts will become even more important to maintain your engine. Once an emission engine starts to give problems you will need to rely on the dealer network for the latest emission compliant parts and technical information on these high tech engines - Bruce Perrault