SMOG CHECK

[Kukester2193]

Question to you all out there.

I am in SoCal, where we have all of those stupid smog regulations, and i recently acquired a 1976 '02. Do they tend to get through smog?

Or do i need to make modifications to the emissions control systems?

Thanks for your help.

[c.d.iesel]

http://www.dmv.ca.gov/vr/smogfaq.htm

[tjones02]

Everything, and I mean everything must be in working order. In the past in CA the EGR valve and hoses used to only need to be functional. But these days with the dyno IM-240 smog test the EGR system must actually WORK, I.E. the valve must start opening around 1800RPM to help clean up the NOX gasses. I have a trick for this if you need.

All the other equipment like the air injection system must also work.

I recommend Jack Fahuna of http://www.probimmer.com/ in Van Nuys is one shop in the LA area that I know can do this work....

Here's a few previous posts I have made on this subject....

http://www.bmw2002faq.com/component/option,com_forum/Itemid,57/page,viewtopic/t,303603/highlight,smog/

http://www.bmw2002faq.com/component/option,com_forum/Itemid,57/page,viewtopic/t,314521/highlight,smog/

http://www.bmw2002faq.com/component/option,com_forum/Itemid,57/page,viewtopic/t,308386/highlight,smog/

There's one more with lots of details that I can't find right now.

HTH

[dp2002]

I hate cars that need to get smog. I just went through the whole ordeal. $500 later I passed, but the car sounds like a beefy BMW. New cat is awful. Good Luck with it. Make sure you go to someone that knows BMWs.

[JFT]

I don't mean to be disrespectful or iconoclastic, but I've lived here in SoCal for a great many years. I find the smog laws anything but stupid. Yep, we still have smog, on hot summer days when atmospheric conditions are just right. But we have far, far less of it, far less frequently, than we used to have. And that is largely thanks to those "stupid smog laws."

Rather, I think that that living in California and buying a '76 '02 probably qualifies as a questionable decision. Better to examine that decision, one might think, than to bitch about the air-pollution laws. In fact, I'd think that any car from '76 on up to the year (whatever it was) when cars were widely equipped with a three-way catalytic converter (which obviously made meeting emissions regulations much easier) would be something to avoid. I'd also think that exactly this problem would make a '76 a great deal less valuable than an earlier one. But that's just me.

All that said, I hope that you can find a solution to your problem.

[BarryA]

.....Or do i need to make modifications to the emissions control systems?

quote]

DON'T want to do - the first step in the test proceedure is a visual inspection of all emissions related systems (evap hoses and canisters, A.I.R pump and hoses, EGR valve and hoses, etc) if there have been any modifications or anything is missing, the car fails on the spot.

Since the state considers virtally all older vehicle to be potential high polluters, you'll undoubtedly find that your registration renewal will require that the car must be smogged at a "test only" facility that is prohibited from making any adjustments or repairs - you may want to have a "pretest" done at a shop with emissions testing equipment where they can tweak the emissions related stuff to get it in passing condition.

There are a few workarounds on some parts of the emissions testing process depending on what emissions parts are still available in the parts pipeline - there's a fair amount of info on the CA ARB (Air Resources Board) and BAR (Bureau of Automotive Repair) web sites on how to apply for waivers, etc, and there are a few emissions legal aftermarket performance parts, like Weber 32/36 carbs with ARB E.O. tags.

[ricortes]

I don't mean to be disrespectful or iconoclastic, but I've lived here in SoCal for a great many years. I find the smog laws anything but stupid. Yep, we still have smog, on hot summer days when atmospheric conditions are just right. But we have far, far less of it, far less frequently, than we used to have. And that is largely thanks to those "stupid smog laws."

You just haven't looked deep enough to find the stupid part. It is any modification to the engine including ones that will actually lower smog. If for example someone installed a 2009 BMW engine that met all current requirements in a 1976 the car would fail the smog test. All the late model fuel injection mods you see here, modified ignitions, even changing the air cleaner, would most likely improve the engine efficiency but are illegal on a 1976 or later *anything*. I think the only modification you can legally make is converting it to run on diesel, propane, or natural gas. In other words it is illegal to make modifications that reduce the amount of smog your car puts out too.

Rick

[JFT]

Rick, I'm not looking for a fight or an argument, so let us not let this degenerate; but actually I have looked at this issue quite deeply indeed.

First, it's my understanding that you can indeed transplant a late engine into an early car and have it be perfectly legal. The combination merely has to meet the emissions requirements for that particular engine, which usually means that you have also to transplant the ecu for that particular engine, along with the catalytic converter, etc. Then the completed swap has to pass the emissions test. Seems reasonable enough. And I do believe that it's the rule that allows the hot rod community to continue to thrive.

Second, you're right, some mods discussed here on the FAQ may actually aid emissions - but how could the framers of these rules know, and specify for sure, which mods were permissable and which ones were not? For instance, which electronic ignition is approved, and for which car(s), and which one(s) is/are not? God knows that here in California, our legislators, the ones who actually voted this into state law after the Air Resources Board framed the rules and who it's tough to imagine having any sympathy at all for the car hobby, have enough problems dealing with simple stuff (see State Budget). Seems more effective to just issue the blanket rule, which is what they did.

Could our smog laws be better? Sure, they could. But are they stupid, on their face? Nope, don't think so, even as maddening and as frustrating as they might be.

[ricortes]

Rick, I'm not looking for a fight or an argument, so let us not let this degenerate; but actually I have looked at this issue quite deeply indeed.

I know what the law says, it just doesn't work that way. My experience was more then looking into. I performed a late model Mazda transplant into a 1978 model and was refused smog certificate and subsequently registration. As near as I can recall the quote from the tech at the smog arbitration went something like 'Even if it passes the smog test that combination of engine and vehicle was never road tested so we won't pass it." This is counter to what you are say here. The smog stooge can at their whim fail any combination of engine, carburetion, drive train, exhaust, et cetera that does not have the required road testing data. I ended up selling the car for $100 to a guy who used phoney tags to keep it on the road.

My brother builds a lot of hot rods. In all cases he works with pre 1970s cars to avoid the hassles. Just for reference to some of the info you may be working off of i.e. American Hotrod, Boyd Cottington was eventually found guilty on several different offenses including faking titles and skirting smog laws. In my experience he was about average compared to the rest of the hot rod scene in California.

This is really not rocket science. The problem with the law is it is arbitrary. If it worked exactly as you stated I would not have a problem with it. Thing is any stooge working for the state can use any 'pull out of his butt' reason to fail you on smog.

It is only tangental to actual emmissions! The law is written to be arbitrary. On the one hand it says you can make reasonable substitutions for parts that are no longer available and on the other hand they can refuse any part not tested in your combination. IOW: They can fail you for excessive emissions or because they feel like it.

Rick