chubbykai

So I have a swapped h22 CRX and was looking to get it bar'd. I live in Los Angeles and was wondering if anyone knows some lenient bar referees around the area. The problem is that upon doing some research, I cant get a JDM engine bar'd in my crx. i have a jdm h22a from a 1994 vtec prelude. Upon some more research it seems that the bar program is now just visual and free, no more smog checks from the bar? I just need a bar sticker so i can take it to my local smog check place to get the car registered. I know my h22 can pass smog. Any info is greatly appreciated.

Thanks

BiG ChOr!Zo

iTrader: (1)

i have yet to see this so called "can't bar jdm motors anymore" on paper so i call bs...my guess is that its up to each and individual referee to let it pass or not...!!!

crx_si-r

I haven't seen it either, but it may be true. I had a customer come in and ask what he could do to bar his car because he just failed (I talked to him before and told him where the bar station was). I asked him "what motor are you trying to bar?" and he said "I bought the motor from a guy who said it came out of a 2000 Si." so I asked him if I could see it, he popped his hood and it was a B16A. I told him he had a jdm motor, and that I had heard these were no longer able to pass BAR I spection. I asked him how long he was there for and he said only a few minutes.


So this makes me think what I heard about jdm motors was real. OP call or stop by the ref station and ask him/her if the jdm motors are able to pass.

moobthoj707

^^ it is real. last year my bro was trying to bar his b16b and two of the BAR station in south sacramento said that they will not passed jdm motors anymore even if all the sensors, to make it smog legal, are present. so we had to swap in a ls motor. lol but i do agree that it up to the person who is doing the inspection to pass or not to pass the car and motor.

4g4dcruisin

This is the best piece of info i've found, on the Ca DMV website

The bolded section is what i'm interested in.

4g4dcruisin

I've heard the same thing, starting just recently. But I havent seen anything on the DMV website that lays it out in black and white. There is only this list of "acceptable motors", which they conveniently did NOT provide a link to.

BiG ChOr!Zo

iTrader: (1)

that topic refers to legal japanese replacement motors and doesn't say anything about a jdm motor not being able to pass a bar inspection...perfect example would mean that a jdm zc sohc is a direct replacement for a d16a6 motor since they are practically identical and it doesn't fall into the engine change category.

what it does say is that engine changes are legal as long as they don't increase pollution and that the new motor must be either the same year or newer than the original vehicle...this indeed leads me to believe that you can still bar a jdm motor as long as you swap over the USDM emission equipment to the new jdm motor.

as for the engine importers catalogue goes i have yet to find one by verbally calling jdm motor importers and by using google so who knows if it even exists...all of this is indeed in writing and can be found in the link below.
http://www.arb.ca.gov/msprog/aftermkt/replace.htm

24TEN

iTrader: (2)

I got a referee ticket last year and asked the ref directly what the bottom line is regarding JDM engine swaps. He said the easiest way to explain it is that generally speaking a JDM swap is only legal if it is a direct replacement for the car. Example, an Integra GSR can use a JDM GSR engine as a replacement but a JDM GSR engine can't be used in a Civic because it never had it as an option. Sane thing for the H22 in question, it would be usable in a Prelude because it was an option but you couldn't use it in a Civic or Integra because it never came with one in any trim level.

That was the official bottom line from his mouth. Then again, he did say that if I already had a JDM engine in my car to bring it in so that he could take a look at it and that he might pass it. This brings it back to what "BiG ChOr!Zo" said, it's up to each individual ref.

aasarsak

iTrader: (2)

OP,

I'd like to clear this up for you since this topic seems to keep coming up. I had a MAJOR discussion about this about a year ago.

I did lots of research and spoke with the regional supervisor for CA BAR referees.

After several back and forth phone calls, engine block codes exchanged and cross-referenced, here is the skinny:

Can you use a JDM motor? Yes.

-That's just about all you can use though. Every single other part mounted to the motor must come from a comparably equipped U.S. model of equal or newer year. This includes the following:

Intake manifold
Exhaust manifold
Catalytic converter
MAP sensor
Factory air box
ECU
Distributor
Wire harness

Trust me, I asked about using an aftermarket intake manifold, or why it was necessary to use a U.S. spec manifold. He said it had something to do with emissions.

My argument was simple: If I pass the butt sniffer test, what difference does it make?

Your best, safest, easiest bet is to try to get your hands on a US spec engine swap.

Additionally, the engine you use to replace your old one must be of equal displacement, AND it must be sold from the manufacturer with the engine in question.

To answer your question:

Can you get an H22 BAR sticker? No. Even if the ref was lenient, there is no option for that engine in that car.

Can you swap a japanese H22 in your car? Double no.

Sorry to bust your bubble, but I figure I'd probably save you some time and heartache.

4g4dcruisin

So bottom line is the JDM equivalent to whatever was in YOUR SPECIFIC type of Honda.

QuickStyle

I didn't see anything in the guidelines about the engine change needing to be of equal displacement to the original. There is people out there that have civic/crx bar'd h22's. I haven't seen them personally but i've seen threads online about it, the only thing i personally seen was a bar'd crx with a b18c1, which is of greater displacement.

You should be able to bar an h22 in ANY passenger car older than the engines year as long as you retain emissions equipment from the h22. If its a JDM motor you'll want to use the USDM counter parts that can be spotted as being JDM.

aasarsak

iTrader: (2)

If the motor is Japanese, it must be the exact same engine that came in the car from the factory AND you must use USDM emmissions equipment. You can use any USDM motor that is of the same year or newer provided that the motor being used is from the same manufacturer and available in the same class of car. An example of what wouldn't work would be to put a B20 in a CRX. The CRV is classified as a "truck" under the BAR; therefore, it would not work.

BiG ChOr!Zo

iTrader: (1)

^^that is correct when it pertains to using a jdm replacement engine...there is still nothing in writing that says you can't bar a jdm engine that wasn't in that generation of vehicle...im still waiting for someone to prove me wrong in writing...!!!

lunalink

^ you wont be proven wrong. LOL

chubbykai

i called the bar office yesterday and spoke to the guy (Dan) in charge of the referees. He asked me what engine came stock (1.5L) and then he asked me what engine am i replacing it with (2.2L). He said it was okay. However, I forgot to mention to him that it was a JDM motor.

also sorry for not replying to my thread. i completely forgot i made it how embarrassing

aasarsak

iTrader: (2)

call him back and see if it will get a BAR sticker even though it is a JDM motor

89LSED

So say you are going to attempt to BAR a B18C1 Into an 89 Hatch.
OBD-1 Motor, Rywire Harness, OBD-0 OBD-1 Jumper Harness, running a P72.

There isn't any reason why it wouldn't work, Correct?

50 State Legal Skunk 2 Manifold and DC header shouldn't make a difference either should it?

goldpearleg6

i tried to bar a jdm h22 in a del sol i was turned away and told i needed to replace the block with a usdm (the ref station i went to was at chaffey college) but i went home and stamped a 1 after h22a and went back the next day a passed with out changing a thing

chubbykai

LOL how did u stamp a 1 on there?! and no the 50 state legal parts shouldnt matter. however, the ref can be as much of a dick as he wants to.

also all your emission controls like charcoal canister and black box and egr and cat all have to be from the same year your engine is from.

TheEf2Kid

any motor that comes out of a car can go into another car. but a b20 is out of a suv so you cant bar it. thats my friend was told at the ref station.

goldpearleg6

they sell stamp kits at harbor freight

aasarsak

iTrader: (2)

It depends on which P72 you run. Either way, it doesn't matter. As long as the GSR motor is from a USDM teg from the same year or newer, you can do the swap. The skunk 2 mani and DC header won't fly. All emmissions related equipment MUST come from the equivalent USDM motor.

aasarsak

iTrader: (2)

How did you get the sticker if the ref turned you away?

chubbykai

goldpearl.. that is genius lol good job

goldpearleg6

go back and re-read what i wrote