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Classic Cars Project Cars--You Get to Vote on "Hold 'em or Fold 'em"
19418 messages, Last post on Dec 06, 2009 at 5:06 PM
You are in the Classic Cars Forum. Your Host is mr_shiftright
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Replying to: explorerx4 (Nov 04, 2009 5:08 pm) So if a standard 5-liter carbureted V-8 with 100,000+ miles on it can easily pass an emissions test, I'm guessing there's plenty of wiggle room for much bigger, higher performance engines...provided they're tuned up correctly.
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Replying to: andre1969 (Nov 05, 2009 7:05 am) Here's how it works in California at any rate: "The basic intent of the California engine change laws is that when you do an engine swap, the new engine/transmission cannot pollute more than the original engine/transmission. This means the newly installed engine must be the same year (or newer) as the vehicle, and all emissions controls on the newly installed engine must be installed and functional. Also, you can't put a heavy-duty truck engine (over 6000 lb GVW) into an S-10 Truck because heavy-duty truck engines have less stringent emissions limits than light duty trucks. To get your engine swap approved, you must go to a Referee Station." source: http://www.jagsthatrun.com
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Shifty - quite right. Now I know why a lot of late-model Saabs meet a premature death and go to the big parking lot in the sky. Also, I just had to share this note - a friend of mine recently traded in her '98 900 SE Turbo 5-speed sedan (it was giving her a lot of trouble) for a new Acura. And - she only received $800 for a trade-in! This was for a rust-free New England car with 120k miles on it! Man, she was so angry that she swore off Saabs forever.
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Replying to: jrosasmc (Nov 05, 2009 8:50 am) It's more like hedging a bet. Most people won't gamble more than they can afford to lose. For a Saab with a bad head gasket, I wouldn't gamble more than the $$$ I could get for it in a junkyard. |
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Replying to: Mr_Shiftright (Nov 05, 2009 8:11 am) And, while a 403 would pollute more than a 307, it might still be clean enough to pass the test. Well, actually I could see California's standards for 1989 being strict enough that a '77-79 engine with 1/3 more displacement wouldn't cut it, but in Maryland it would probably pass. How far back do they do emissions testing in CA? In Maryland, they go back through 1977, so my '76 LeMans just missed it. However, you can get historic tags on anything that's 1989 and older (1990 as of January 1, 2010), and with historic tags you're exempt from emissions testing.
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Replying to: andre1969 (Nov 05, 2009 9:43 am) CA tests vehicles from 1976 on up. Again, what comes out of the tailpipe doesn't matter. You could put a 2005 Prius engine into a 2008 Hummer and you'd fail the smog test.
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Replying to: Mr_Shiftright (Nov 05, 2009 10:09 am) That is my experience, for sure. The testing up here (Fairbanks, AK) doesn't even include pipe sniffing any more for vehicles that are computer-controlled. They pop the hood to do a visual inspection and plug it in to a computer. If that's good, you're good to go. I have a friend with an '85 Chevy van. He had a 305 in it originally, but replaced that with a 350 and some exhaust modifications. He took it to a local shop and had them tune it up to run "as clean as possible." In the end, I think he said the results were that tailpipe emissions were 1/3 of the allowable level, but he could not renew the tags on it because he had pulled the air pump system off it. But, he showed them. Rather than put all that garbage back on there, he drove it to New York, shipped it to Amsterdam, and now has it in Finland, where he lives for part of every year.  I other words, it has nothing to do with emissions, it has to do with revenue. 
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Replying to: xwesx (Nov 05, 2009 10:36 am) I guess we're just lucky in Maryland. I've never had them look under the hood of my car. Just take a mirror on a stick and look under to make sure it has a catalytic converter. And sometimes they'll take off the fuel cap and test it. They used to have this thing that they'd stick in your fuel filler to measure the opening, to make sure it wasn't routed out so you could put leaded gas in it, but I guess they quit doing that around the time they quit selling leaded gas. Maryland is also inconsistent about emissions testing, as some counties require it and others don't. And if it holds out until January 1, 2020, I can get historic tags for my 2000 Intrepid, and never have to deal with an emissions test again! 
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| but otherwise, this '77 Grand LeMans sedan looks like it would make a nice companion to my '76. It's even the same color (well, the proper shade of FireThorn...my '76 was repainted a darker maroon). I wonder though, with 94,000 miles, if its 301 engine might be close to the expiration date? | |
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I have never had the hood opened while driving through the DMV inspection station. The do the OBD test now (plug it in and no codes = GTG). Think that might be starting with 1998 models? They still have the rollers and tailpipe sniffer for older stuff. So, I assume a 1991 volvo would get that, and I doubt the rocket scientists working there could figure out there was a V8 under the hood. These are the same people that failed my 2001 Miata, because they didn't have the right plug for the port (or something ridiculous like that). So since they couldn't hook it up, they just failed it. ANd didn't bother to tell me why until I went back and harranged them. Anyway, just do what the rest of the gross polluters in the state do. Go to a private shop of low repute, and for your $50, you get a sticker.
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