Pavegeno928

I'm considering going to Germany next summer for a few years with the military and am trying to figure out if I will have emissions issues either taking my car over or returning it to the US. Car was built in Aug 87.

I have an 88 911 Cab with option code CO2-49 State Emisison. The exhaust is just a pipe...no O2 sensor and no cat. Was that normal for this year and option code? Or, did someone in the 17 years before I acquired the car replace the stock exhaust with an aftermarket or RoW exhaust? I recently installed an O2 sensor to help with some idling and fuel consumption issues and it seems to have helped. Will the absence of a cat cause issues shipping or returning the car?

Thanks for your help...

Geno

salukijac

Man I went through that (not with P-Car), unfortunately it was 23 years ago. For me I had to take the cat off as at the time, unleaded was not as readily available in Germany as leaded gas. When I came back they welded the cat back on.

Whether you will have issues with not having a cat and bringing the car back to US, depends on which state/county you're registering the car in. When I came back from Turkey on 02, I picked up the car in Baltimore and drove it to Florida, Tennessee and finally Colorado before I had to get it tested for emissions.

That'll be great if you can take the car with you to the mother-land. I had a Bimmer when I got my orders to Germany and had to leave the car behind as the Air Force would only ship one car.

Pavegeno928

My car is registered in Florida where there are no emissions test or any car inspection at all. I plan on leaving it registered in Florida as that is my home of record and where we will most likely retire.

salukijac

You should be ok as long as they don't change the emissions requirements. I went back to Tampa once to find out they had emissions testing. I think your registration will most likely expire while you're gone and will have to register the car as an out of state car when you return.

If you already know you're going back to Ft Walton you may want to call DMV office in Ft Walton and get the scoop from them.

BTW, I was stationed at Duke Field and Eglin from 90 to 96. Great area, especially the beaches!

Ed Hughes

It is good you replaced the O2 sensor, it is needed to run properly as you have discovered. It may be best to just bite the bullet and put a new cat on it. This gets it to stock which can't hurt going to Germany, and will most likely be required by the feds (who I think have some say on imports, although maybe not Florida) when the car comes back.

As noted above, there is a good chance emissions testing will change across the US. It probably wont just be us in Calif that have to contend with smog ***** in the very near future. Many Governors are getting on board with rigorous emissions legislation, and we've seen it to be a priority with Obama.