Post your experiences with Emissions laws in your state

[Ludachris]

I keep seeing smog discussions pop up here and there. It would be nice to build a thread where everyone who has had difficulty passing their state emissions test can post their experiences. Let's assume that all of your emissions equipment, if hooked up, was in good working order. We don't want to hear "my EGR valve was bad". That's a given. We're more interested in hearing what visual mods under your hood drew a red flag for your smog official, or what mods you have done that prevented you from passing the actual sniffer test (like cams, etc). If you haven't had a bad experience, and your car is heavily modded, let us know too (unless you know a buddy who passes your car - then we don't care).

This thread should serve two purposes:

1. To help those of us that want to know how far we can take our cars and still be able to pass the sniffer test, even if we can't necessarily pass the visual test in our state.

2. What visual mods prevented your car from being tested. We all know that CA has some of the most strict smog laws, and many shops will not even test your car if they see parts under your hood that do not look factory-installed.

Let's hear it guys. For those in Canada, post about Canadian emissions laws here:
http://www.dsmtuners.com/forums/showthread.php?t=165531

 

[Whitetal]

This is what I do. Give keys to the tech. He drives car on the dynometer. Puts this exhaust meter into the tailpipe. Pops hood and checks all the vacums hoses. Looks for anything that isn't stock. Checks ignition timing with light gun. Get's in car and runs car on dyno. At this point, the computer tests the car at 2 differents speeds. Tech runs car at 15mph for like 2 minutes then has to run the car at 25mph for another 2 minutes. After the run, tech tests the gas cap. After that, tech will let me know if it passes or fails. My Talon failed the test at 15mph. It passes at 25mph.

 

[SkyLineGtR-R34]

St. Louis, MISSOURI

If it's 96 and later: they hook up the OBD reader, put a sniffer on the exhaust and something in your tank. they turn the car on have it it idle while the computer reads
no visual
no dyno

this was on both of my cars the 98 galant and 97 eclipse
now, i'm planing on turbocharging my 98 galant, so i donno if i'm still gonna pass the emissions with that setup or not..

 

[9awd4g63tsi2]

If you don't live in iowa and are lucky enough to have a friend or relative that does, AND, you live close to the iowa state line-see about using their address to register your car. We have absolutely no emissions tests in Iowa. '92 tsi awd

 

[Defiant]

My Integra passed last month. I'm going to unbolt it's cat and use it to pass my car.

Good luck getting that to fit.

 

[Dragon Talon]

This is what I do. Give keys to the tech. He drives car on the dynometer. Puts this exhaust meter into the tailpipe. Pops hood and checks all the vacums hoses. Looks for anything that isn't stock. Checks ignition timing with light gun. Get's in car and runs car on dyno. At this point, the computer tests the car at 2 differents speeds. Tech runs car at 15mph for like 2 minutes then has to run the car at 25mph for another 2 minutes. After the run, tech tests the gas cap. After that, tech will let me know if it passes or fails. My Talon failed the test at 15mph. It passes at 25mph.

I just had to get my Show Car Smog at a test only in Cali... Evan with all my mods. I passed visual. but i failed bad on dynometer. I had to put my whole stock air in-take back.(rubber tube, stock air box, even the stock air filter back in place) and replaced my cat. conv. with a bigger one..( even though i had a cat. that was not evan 2 years old) They said I was running to lean (NO-x), they made some adjustments with the stock air box on and got it to pass... Its funny cause i passed with my oversized modified exhaust, and later that same day got pulled over got a ticket for the mod. exhaust. So that tells ya you never know depending on the location and the shops you deal with... DSM 4 Life....

 

[tstkl]

i bought my car from someone who brought this car in from florida, so its a federal emissions car in california... last time it was smogged, well the least i can say is i passed.. i think i could have quadrupled all my values and still passed... but that was before the mods...

now i have a new intake manifold with no egr valve at all, all new piping, a fmic, and a new k&n air filter, and by the next time i have to get it smogged i should have a full exhaust system too, (manifold, o2 housing, downpipe, highflow cat, and catback)

does anyone think ill have problems if i dont have an egr, or is it plausable for me to say, "in 1990 they didnt have egr valves on federal emissions cars,... or at least thats what the previous owner told me..."
and do people normally get the same values for the actual test with a high flow cat? (by this i mean, will a high flow cat increase my values for any of the values aka nox and stuff...)

also i tabooed my car so theres no charcole chanister and stuff like that...

 

[Attack Eagle]

Just for ducks, let me try repeating this: THIS THREAD IS ABOUT EXPERIENCES WITH SMOG CHECKS,
NOT A CHECK-IN AND GLOAT THREAD FOR THOSE WHO DON'T HAVE TOF UCK WITH INSPECTIONS.

In MS (that's Mississippi) no emissions, not even a cat check. Hell I don't think they even look for a muffler. I once passed in my MGB by reaching over the windshield to move the wipers back and forth. (the cable had come loose)

Here In EL PAso county TX there are smog inspections. They check lights horn tint etc and then the car gets sniffered, TSI they call it, two speed and idle.
No dyno, no obdII.
no underhood "inspection" , you can run anything you want as long as it passes smog with that setup.

 

[trbotaln]

Just to let you guys know, I just passed the smog test with a 3000gt vr4 fuel pump, supra intercooler, upper and lower intercooler piping, 3" exhaust turbo back, magnaflow 3" 2 brick cat, and I just barely passed. I almost failed on HC and NOX but that is because of the cat i was running. Luckily I had a friend help me out on the visual part of the test. And I live in California!

 

[Dragon Talon]

i bought my car from someone who brought this car in from florida, so its a federal emissions car in california... last time it was smogged, well the least i can say is i passed.. i think i could have quadrupled all my values and still passed... but that was before the mods...

now i have a new intake manifold with no egr valve at all, all new piping, a fmic, and a new k&n air filter, and by the next time i have to get it smogged i should have a full exhaust system too, (manifold, o2 housing, downpipe, highflow cat, and catback)

does anyone think ill have problems if i dont have an egr, or is it plausable for me to say, "in 1990 they didnt have egr valves on federal emissions cars,... or at least thats what the previous owner told me..."
and do people normally get the same values for the actual test with a high flow cat? (by this i mean, will a high flow cat increase my values for any of the values aka nox and stuff...)
Here is a Quote for you in cali. I will warn you of not haveing a egr valve and no catch can. the first thing they look for is egr and if you look in the haynes book under vacuum lines you will see on the federal canada pre90's emmisions they had all the same hook ups just ran different. I have ript out and built a couple a engines and vaccum lines to smog count.

 

[Defiant]

Screw it. No one seems to get the point, so the thread's locked.