Smog Passing Issues?
Rennlist Member
Joined: Jul 2002
Posts: 16,556
Likes: 94
From: Bend, OR
[QUOTE=TT Oversteer;5892821]
So it sits in the garage with no plates waiting for the state of CA to get its ****e together. It is illegal for me to operate the vehicle even though is meets current smog standards. And did I mention they have my money?..............
[QUOTE]
Friggin **** bastards! They tried to suck a bunch of money out of my wallet when I registered my Ridgeline, which I'd bought in Texas less than 90 days before we moved. The drone at the counter kept citing the rules. I countered they were clearly in place to prevent Calif people buying cars out of state and skating on the premium tax Calif gets. The fact I clearly lived in TX when I bought the vehicle should get me a pass on this. Well, remarkably, after working my way up the level of drones at the DMV, I actually found a supervisor that applied common sense.
The final here is they keyed in a higher GVW on the truck and overcharged me-they did catch the error and sent me a $100 refund.
That is a benefit of Fabspeeds parts. I'll take you one further on no clue. The last time Ruby went in for a "civilian" inspection in Texas, the young goof that was commencing to inspect the car asked me: "is this one of the years that they put the engine in the front?"
Brought her with me from Texas when we moved back. When I get her plates, the move is complete.
So it sits in the garage with no plates waiting for the state of CA to get its ****e together. It is illegal for me to operate the vehicle even though is meets current smog standards. And did I mention they have my money?..............
[QUOTE]
Friggin **** bastards! They tried to suck a bunch of money out of my wallet when I registered my Ridgeline, which I'd bought in Texas less than 90 days before we moved. The drone at the counter kept citing the rules. I countered they were clearly in place to prevent Calif people buying cars out of state and skating on the premium tax Calif gets. The fact I clearly lived in TX when I bought the vehicle should get me a pass on this. Well, remarkably, after working my way up the level of drones at the DMV, I actually found a supervisor that applied common sense.
The final here is they keyed in a higher GVW on the truck and overcharged me-they did catch the error and sent me a $100 refund.
Althouogh my car is now exempt (here in NC) when she wasn't, she could pass w/o a cat either. My Fabspeed europremuffler (with O2 sensor in place) looks close enough to a cat that most non-911 guys would think it was one. Most inspection stations around here (LOTS to choose from) probably never see a vintage 911...I remember one having "no clue" as to where my carbon canister was until I pointed it out to him. I'm with Ed on this one...she's a "toy", and is insignificant compared to the gross polluters...I sleep OK 
.
Keith
'88 CE coupe
.Keith
'88 CE coupe
Brought her with me from Texas when we moved back. When I get her plates, the move is complete.
Racer
Joined: May 2008
Posts: 367
Likes: 23
From: Sacramento, CA
I've heard several of you state that your cars pass smog without a cat. When going through my situation I had two different shops plug in the gas analyzer and sniff the exhaust before and after my repairs. Both said "ok" your car is clean enough to pass smog. BUT when I went to the referee and he put it up on the rollers and put the car under load it failed miserably (twice). I think not all counties in CA require the dyno test with the car on rollers and running under load. I think that is the difference here. Trust me, your 3.2 will NOT pass smog in "enhanced" counties requiring the rolling test without a cat.
Drifting
Joined: Jul 2007
Posts: 2,115
Likes: 133
From: Newfoundland
[QUOTE=Ed Hughes;5893396]Just be happy he didn't confuse rear wheel and front wheel drive when he put it on the rollers. That would have been ugly.
Thread Starter
Instructor
Joined: Sep 2008
Posts: 172
Likes: 0
From: San Jose, CA
Whoa, dyno test for smog?! I guess I'm lucky here in San Jose (Santa Clara Co). We have an idle and cruise speed test (RPMs ~3000, I'm guessing here). And the usual check for presence of gas filler restricter, cat, whatever else.
Instructor
Joined: Aug 2006
Posts: 124
Likes: 0
From: San Jose, CA
I've put mine through smog twice now in Mt. View and San Jose... both times it was on a rolling rear wheel test rig(dyno). Always scares the crap out of me to watch these hacks perform the test when I think what would happen if those rollers jammed for some reason.
Thread Starter
Instructor
Joined: Sep 2008
Posts: 172
Likes: 0
From: San Jose, CA
You have to do a dyno too? I'm in San Jose and have never had to do that. Is this a requirement for older cars? Even with my 96 Subaru its just the idle and higher RPM static sniff tests. Must be after a certain year or the age of the car.
Last edited by holy911; Oct 14, 2008 at 01:52 AM.
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Rennlist Member
Rennlist Member
Joined: Nov 2008
Posts: 11,501
Likes: 5
From: Fresno, CA
1984 3.2 911 with > 300k miles.
Preparation:
Half tank of Chevron premium, BG44K fuel system cleaner, valve adjustment, new cap and rotor, new fuel filter (important), new-ish cat, old (50,000 mile O2 sensor), and re-connected the brown wire next to the dme labelled "Bridge to ground" in Bentley. The car was running at .97 to 1.03 lambda at steady speed on the highway. The spark plugs are about 6 months old, and the wires are too old to remember. I bought a new gas cap from Napa Auto for this test, which is non-venting. I didn't know this until I was about to have the car tested.
The car passed with a good margin to spare.
Here's the test report:
Preparation:
Half tank of Chevron premium, BG44K fuel system cleaner, valve adjustment, new cap and rotor, new fuel filter (important), new-ish cat, old (50,000 mile O2 sensor), and re-connected the brown wire next to the dme labelled "Bridge to ground" in Bentley. The car was running at .97 to 1.03 lambda at steady speed on the highway. The spark plugs are about 6 months old, and the wires are too old to remember. I bought a new gas cap from Napa Auto for this test, which is non-venting. I didn't know this until I was about to have the car tested.
The car passed with a good margin to spare.
Here's the test report:
Last edited by rusnak; Sep 15, 2010 at 09:55 PM.
Rennlist Member
Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 2,120
Likes: 569
From: Alabama
I'm military and may be headed to Europe next summer. Anyone know if I will have to pass a smog test when I bring the 911 back to the US regardless of the returning state? I don't have a cat but do have an O2 sensor.
Rennlist Member
Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 2,120
Likes: 569
From: Alabama
I was looking more to see if there is a "federal" smog inspection at the ports of entry before you can retrieve your car and introduce it back into the USA. In other words, if you brought the car back into a port whose state does not have a smog inspection, is there still a federal inspection?
Rennlist Member
Joined: Jul 2002
Posts: 16,556
Likes: 94
From: Bend, OR
The only Fed issue, I would think, is that it was built to US standards. If it is a US car, it had to have been built to them.... but there may indeed be an inspection or sign off to ensure it comes back in as per the stock specs, but I don't think emissions would be part of that.
Others here may know.
Others here may know.
