Timing off - can't pass smog test
I have a problem with my 1988 Toyota MR2 Supercharged. The timing is way off and won’t pass smog. Although the timing is off, the car runs fine. But it won’t pass smog.
Several years back I had a mechanic rebuild the engine. When this mechanic put the engine back together, he must have discovered a problem with a part and chose to eliminate this part from his reassembly – which I believe was a part of the emissions system. I don’t know for sure if the missing part is the reason for the timing being so far out, but I thought it would be a good place to start.
The problem is I can’t figure out what part is missing. This part has several vacuum type hoses that run to it. The vacuum hoses are pretty long(about 24”) and they feed from the intake manifold. Please see the image and notice the circle – this is where one of the two vacuum hoses come from. The other vacuum hose comes from the lower part of the intake manifold, about eight inches below the other vacuum hose connection. The two hoses had been “clamped off” on the other end - where the missing part is supposed to be.
So two questions: One is, can you tell me what is the missing part? And two is, do you think this part would dramatically effect timing?