Resume of Exhaust Emissions Testing Test Facilities The Ford facilities for testing exhaust emissions were described, and one of the Company's four test facilities was shown. This laboratory is equipped to test two cars simultaneously as they are driven on resistance loaded rollers in the exact pattern prescribed by the California test procedure. The complex test and recording equipment analyzes and records exhaust emissions at a precision of one part per million. Test Procedure An exacting test procedure is followed without appreciable variation. The vehicle is first inspected for conformance with appropriate specifications. A twelve-hour "soak" in a temperature range of 68° to 860 precedes the test. The vehicle is placed on the rollers, and the instruments and equipment are calibrated and connected. The engine is started and the car is operated through a twenty-minute seven-mode cycle, following precise directions given to the driver through a recorded tape. During the operating cycle, exhaust samples are continuously taken and analyzed for concentrations of hydrocarbon, carbon monoxide, and carbon dioxide. The concentrations are automatically recorded in analog form. The data are punched on IBM cards and processed by a computer which prints out a complete data report, showing whether the vehicle meets the California standard of no more than 275 parts per million of hydrocarbons and 1.5 mol percent of carbon monoxide. |