Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
My vehicle passed the emission test with flying colors but thanks to ridiculous CARB regulation, the guy would not give me the cert until I replace my cool air intake system with stock or provide a CARB cert. for the aftermarket one I had installed.
Instead of looking around for a used stock air intake system, I decided to get one that was CARB exempt. So I ended spending $200 on a K&N one that is also listed on the CARB EO list.
Now looking at the one I have and K&N's, there is no difference, they look almost identical which proves my point that requiring a filter and a plastic or metal pipe to go through some sort of an approval process, to see if they are acceptable, is nothing more than a bureaucratic BS to get more money out of the aftermarket part manufacturers and create unnecessary headache for consumers/tax payers under the false pretense of emission control for cleaner air. The manufacturers pay more, probably turn around and charge more to the consumers so they can have a stupid sticker under their hood that reads "CARB Exempt". Effing California.
Changing your air intake system/filter should not matter just as long as your vehicle passed the emission tests. That should be the bottom line.
As any car guy in CA will tell you, you can't use rational thought when trying to determine CARB's methodology. I fully understand and endorse the intent, but their methods make zero sense. K&N's intakes are a perfect example. Know the difference between the intake designed for your car that's 49-state compliant and the one that's CARB-approved? The sticker and $200. This is why most of us play the BS game of keeping stock parts to swap back on every time a smog test is needed. It's asenine, but that's what they make us do. My $.02: As long as the car passes the sniffer test requirements, WTF does it matter what I've done to the engine? Thankfully my latest toys don't require smog tests (91 Ford diesel and a motorcycle), so I can play with them all I want without fear of CARB. Neener neener!
And as to SoCal smog tests requiring 45 minutes on a roller? Not that I'm aware of. I just smogged both my 09 Scion and my wife's 04 Honda when we moved back to San Diego in late 2010. The entire test was MAYBE a 15 minute affair per car, most of which was the guy punching in data at the computer. The car only spun on the rollers for maybe a minute at various RPMs and that was it.
Yea, I just had my Hyundai smogged today. I left the hospital (work) at 9am and returned by 10:30. That included a trip to the store, smogging the car, and driving to the DMV to get my new sticker. 45 minutes at the smog test only center was not part of the deal. I didn't even have time to read the magazine I picked up in the shop. I think the total time with the car was less than 15 minutes.
The time spent at the DMV was another story. LOL They are so efficient there. At least the place had a good view. LOL (It had 3 or 4 good views.) But that is another story.
Just as a first guess based on incomplete information, I'm thinking a new catalytic converter would fix the NOX problem. Way less $ than a new van. If the van has an EGR system, maybe it's not working right.
Remind me what they test. Did you pass NOX at higher speed or idle?
If you post up the complete smog readings, quite possible someone on here can diagnose.
That said, why anyone stays in the Land of the Governator beats me.
Just as a first guess based on incomplete information, I'm thinking a new catalytic converter would fix the NOX problem. Way less $ than a new van. If the van has an EGR system, maybe it's not working right.
Remind me what they test. Did you pass NOX at higher speed or idle?
If you post up the complete smog readings, quite possible someone on here can diagnose.
That said, why anyone stays in the Land of the Governator beats me.
Yes... passed all the other tests including the high speed NO.
For all the lore about California as a mecca for cars... that was a long time ago when kids built rods or cobbled together some wheels...
I was a little put off because the van runs great... zero driveability issues.
So, I bit the bullet and called a friend with a muffler shop and told him I wanted a new CAT and would see him in 20 minutes... $250 later, I was on the road back to the Gold Shield Station... it was also a good thirty degrees cooler today with fog and sprinkles compared to the heat of yesterday...
The Tech puts the truck on the dyno and notices the new convertor... he goes through the motions and says I passed... he also said I should have looked upstream because the rest of my numbers were fine... told him I just wanted to be done with it.
So, I spent $250 vs the $400 he had quoted and had the work done in 20 minutes and he wanted the truck at least overnight... which there was no chance that was going to happen with all the equipment I have bolted into it...
I had been going to a different shop for years... no one I knew... just a hard working guy that would take appointments... he NEVER put my van on the Dyno because it is very heavy... the rear axle weight was still 4800 lbs after I had taken out what I could... he told me shops have the option if the vehicle is too large, heavy or would be unsafe to not put it on the Dyno.
Now I had to go test only and the mechanic said everything goes on the Dyno and he charges $69.95 for trucks vs $39.95 cars... says the trucks cause a lot of wear to the Dyno bearings so he has to charge more.
I'm guessing my friends in Oregon and Washington would not have had to bother with this non-sense or expense.
Mitch... my tag renewal is $180 lic + 69.95 smog + $8.25 cert + $250 Cat... I'm thinking it would be a lot less expensive in Washington?
Paid a little over 12K new in 1985...
I've got a 76 BMW and a 76 Spitfire in the barn... had smog issues, so I put em up on blocks...
Last edited by Ultrarunner; 06-21-2012 at 11:21 PM..
Depends on which side of the Cascades - on the wet side, they smog, over here, they don't. Cars 30 years or older can get a collector vehicle tag, $35 and that's that, you don't have to renew it annually.
Since you passed high-speed without the new cat, you may have been able to fix something upstream - maybe EGR if you have one - although if the cat was original and you got a new one for $250 you probably didn't get hurt.
Yeah, CA has turned into a Hell for people who want to run 80's iron.
Yeah, CA has turned into a Hell for people who want to run 80's iron.
Even going back as far as 1976 too
I had a lot of problem trying to get a California only emission part for my 76 Triumph... found one used on the net and decided it was not worth the cost to take a chance...
The late 70's produced a lot of cars with systems unique to California and were are going back 36 years with zero Dealer or manufacturer support today...
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
