bluvan

Hi I am looking for any recent experience with the CA smog referee for a 3.6 conversion. I have an 88 with a 95 3.6 and would love to come visit a similar car that has been through the process. Hoping to compare set ups and cram for my test in April. I am on the peninsula but happy to travel to get good info.

Thanks
Dan

Spyerx

so, there are 2 ways you can swing this.

you could do the swap and just get the car smogged. 99% of smog guys won't know it's not the 3.2. and the later engines run cleaner, and you get to have the limits of 88 applied to the car, assuming you do a stock swap with cats and all the stock equipment.

or, you go down the official way and get an EO# and do the ref. and get your new door sticker. The DMV has documented process for later engine swaps into cars, see page 46.
https://www.bar.ca.gov/pdf/Smog_Chec...ence_Guide.pdf

I have a buddy who did this a few years ago, let me see if he recalls the process.

bluvan

I am a glutton for punishment so well down the BAR Referee approach. Bone stock 95 obd I 993 with with all smog eq in place including cats. Looking for any experience with making final connections between 993 smog eq and earlier chassis. Carbon canisters, vent hoses, and any other items that may have ben flagged by other referees.

Only item left on to do list is wire up the malfunction light and inspection is in April. I will update here as the process unfolds

Spyerx

Please keep us posted on the process!

It seems getting all the ancillary plumbing right is going to be the hard part.

BTW, choose your location carefully.

My buddy had a 991 turbo. let's say. it wasn't stock. he got pulled over for a noise issue. the cop looked at his car and flagged it as 'modified' and he had to go to the ref. So he does what all hoons do, and has the shop make his car stock again.

Where was the location? Orange Coast College (I believe). Basically a city college. These guys had never seen a car like this. So they proceed to take the *** end apart looking for the parts, and basically f'd up the rear deck lid and jammed it up.

Anyway, just keep that in mind when someone with their mitts will be all over your car....

AG81

^
You CA guys seem to be a very tolerant bunch........ I am so glad I do not have to deal with any of the emissions requirements. I love the 25 year rule where I am, inspections are not even required.

Spyerx

It sucks. But, the roads and weather... i keep telling myself that. 75 and older don't have these rules... open season. We used to have a 25yr rolling rule, no mas.

oldskewel

Yeah, now that you mention it ...

They are pretty hyper stringent regarding regulations like this ... yet, for anything else, you can commit just about any crime you want, and the only people to get in trouble would be if anyone tried to stop you (even uniformed professionals whose sworn job it is to enforce the law), or used the wrong words to describe what you did.

So tell me more about this place you call Texas ...

AG81

^
For a mostly non-politically correct person I tried to word my comments as to give everyone in CA the benefit of the doubt. I already knew of what you conceded. I just can't figure out why anyone would put up with it.
As I have aged I figured one, who is truly lucky, has found a place to not only make a living but live a life that has stability. I'm not sure I could function with that much regulation, taxation and ineptness at every level of government. Nothing that beautiful is worth the trouble. I'll take the Texas Hill Country any day.......

OUAnesthesia

Every time I think about California as a place to live this crap comes up and makes me pause. I envy the weather year round but frankly its not worth it to me. All my cars wouldn't come close to being drivable in California so whats the point. That and the fact we have real gas here keeps me planted. The driving there is amazing for sure but for me personally the headache isn't worth it. Plenty of roads in the US.

bluvan

Been away from the thread for a bit and now with some more time on my hands came back to take a look. Almost every thread I have read on the smog program in ca turns into a similar discussion. Yes it is crazy, they have tried multiple times to move back to the 25 year rule unsuccessfully. Maybe eventually it will fly when most of the cars on road are electric and as soon as I move to another state, I will look forward to cleaning up the engine bay.

I will share my experience as it unfolds, just maybe a little later as things unfold in the world.

be safe

Edward

LOL ...for this politically incorrect guy, I must say you have restraint, sir!

I, too, have to exercise said restraint and parse my words carefully because I am among these tax-loving, inept legislators --not to mention voters who keep them there, then complain!-- and what you say continually rings in mine and my wife's heads as we face each election cycle of impending madness. It's weather, sure, but also family and --so far-- a nice neighborhood where we can insulate ourselves --i.e. ignore in blissful ignorance?-- from the aforementioned madness.

Clear example that ticked me off long ago: the 25-year-old smog exemption was killed, by then Gov Arnold! Stinking turncoat who ruined it for old-car enthusiasts throughout the state! So me and my 82SC have to suffer because of the likes of him. Beyond dumb, but then again, I'm still here paying their idiotic taxes, so really who is the dummy? . We'll see what happens as the years flow. There is SO MUCH to be thankful for so I'll end on a positive note: enjoy, all the rest of you in sane locations!! Be thankful for what you have, while you have it!

Oh, and to the OP, sorry for the derailment of the thread. Me and the SC have to pay the piper every smog cycle. Best of luck to you as I hope you get steered in the right direction such that you can enjoy that beauty. Pssst, hey RL brothers, PM him the answers, ok

Edward

rs73ca

I agree with a lot of what you say about CA, but for me I will take my Santa Monica Mouintains over Texas Hill Country.......Today I took my 1973 2.7 MFI Carrera RS tribute to the bank and the route included Mulholland Hwy. Stunt Rd., Los Flores and PCH into Malibu.....charge the battery and warmed up the oil thoroughly.

I will be 76 next week and I will enjoy my flawed CA. 1.) our 4 kids are within 30 mins. of us. 2.) Our 12 grandkids are nearby. 3.) I have learned how to handle the smog laws. The RS is exempt, The 2000 Saab 9-5 stick wagon passes smog easily at 200,000 miles even with 200HP 2..3l engine, and my 1990 pre-runner pick up passes OK.

4.) I am near the beach and in the mountains. 5.) near great restaurants and shopping. 6.) climate 7.) I am retired and worked hard for my success and will enjoy it here in this environment......play with my cars.....enjoy my photography.......my shop.......my other hobbies, and especially my family.....

These CA politiians are nuts and HATE CARS, and want them to be all electric.........I guess I am just sort of out of time to fight it!!

Been to Texas and to every state, CA will be for me.

bluvan

Put this up here and on pelican. I am happy to share my experience and give back as so many others have helped me.



Car is a 1988 coupe. CA smog legal 3.2 before the swap



1995 993 stock motor with SAI in tact and operational. Also from CA car with photo of donor title in hand



Exhaust is 993 stock through the cats with short tips welded on and then baffled tips which did a great job of knocking down the sound a bit.



Stock airbox with modified right side engine lid hinge to clear



Fuel tank venting

3.2 chassis charcoal canister in place. Substituted a small canister in frunk to replace vapor canister in drivers side front wheel well that was sacrificed for the oil cooler. Tank vent line to charcoal canister as stock. Purge side of canister to the 993 purge valve just above the brake boost connection. This was my last minute scramble to figure out. This valve is then connected to throttle body as stock 993. I had a couple of leaks and using a bicycle floor pump and a plumbing pressure test manifold was able to search them out and then pump the system up to 2 psi and hold it there from the carbon canister to fuel tank. Will be a handy pre-test before the next smog check.



CEL

First attempt was failed on my CEL set up. I had tried to pull the signal through the DME but was under informed on how this circuit worked so i wired the CEL in parallel with generator light. This passes the bulb check but they insisted on function test ie the code flashing feature proven.



Take two - Using the 1995 electrical schematics from the workshop manual traced the circuit from DME for the CEL. It is pin 21 on the DME to pin 8 on the “conversion” harness. My failure was not tracing enough to realize the DME throws a ground to turn on the light so you need to add a 12+ engine on wire to complete this circuit. Prior to my first referee inspection I had located the right circuit but adding a negative to my DME signal wire was never going to work and I gave up. Thanks to a LOT of help from these forums and some contributors who are very generous with their knowledge this was finally sorted out. I was also using the generator light which was drawing too much power. The DME circuitry senses this draw and protects that circuit and will not send a signal. So after a couple days of head scratching the CEL functionality was working, and I got my first code.



DME

I was actually called out on the fact that the DME Porsche model number in the car was off by one digit compared to the California EO Porsche was granted for the 1995 993. I provided supporting documentation showing there were 6 superseded Porsche part numbers for the 95. This did the trick.



88 3.2 Warm up circuit off top of oil tank

This plugged line off the top of the oil tank caused a good bit of discussion. This line draws heat from the oil tank through a valve that opens in cold weather to heat the throttle body. This system is not part of the 993 so after a bit of discussion he agreed the capped vent was acceptable.



All in all a pretty straight forward experience. The referee was knowledgeable and prepared. They use the CA Executive Orders to verify parts and industry repair manuals to verify how systems are supposed to work. As others have said, plan for this to take 2 trips. My guy spent nearly 3 hours with my car, performed 2 smog checks, issued the pass certificate to the state, and my cost was $8.25

Spyerx

Thank you for sharing the experience.

is the main goal, needs systems and Emissions performance of the forward swapped model year correct? So going forward is smogged as a 95 993?

which ref did you end using?

bluvan

Yes, going forward it will be smogged as a 995 3.6 getting the visual which will likely be an interesting discussion, the tail pipe sniffer / emissions reading, and the low pressure evap test which basically is a low pressure test of fuel tank to carbon canister pressurized at your fuel cap.

This was inspected at los positas community college in livermore CA. With the current state of affairs the locations were this is offered has been limited.