is it really hard to pass a lsvtec in bay area, California?

my general set up:

gsr head, p-n-p
custom IM and ported throttle body
b18b block, sleeved
b16 tranny
rc injectors 440cc

 

its gonna be super tough since alot of smog techs look at the block and the head, no match no pass

 

That'll be part of it Cali is mad **** with smog.

wire to obd1 and aim for it to be carbed and bared.

Ask some cali folks with them how to pass.

 

Yeah...no. Read number 10 on this link

http://www.norcalcrx.org/libra...shtml

Unfortunately california is very strict on smog laws and a head swap will not be allowed. I can only speak for the ref out in Las Positas in Livermore, and I must say strict as f%ck. He checked everything, ecu, motor papers, carb #'s for intake mani, intake, and headers. Checked the vacuum diagram, (which I knew I would fail for not upgrading to obd1 T-body/ map).
They are just doing their job I guess, still does not make sense to me, but this is the price we pay for living in a state with great weather that does not rust our cars!!

 

A ls/vtech setup will not pass it will fail for hydro-carbons everytime. And it will faiil visual inspection for the head swap and parts.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by k20o2o4civic &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">is it really hard to pass a lsvtec in bay area, California?</TD></TR></TABLE>
Impossible, actually, considering it is illegal.

The only way to get it to pass is to pay someone off.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Targa250R &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">The only way to get it to pass is to pay someone off.</TD></TR></TABLE>
or to smog your car first with a single cam the swap it back in and your good for 2 years.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by crash-lander &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">A ls/vtech setup will not pass it will fail for hydro-carbons everytime.</TD></TR></TABLE>

No. If the motor is in good shape, and all of the emissions equipment is in place, an LS/Vtec can pass the tailpipe test with no problem. The same goes for any engine.

It will fail the visual for sure, though.
Another way to do it is to get it BAR'd/REF'd as an LS motor (either B18A or B18B), and then swap the head. Thats the way a friend of mine has it done in his CRX. The valve cover is shaved, so the regular smog techs dont see "DOHC VTEC" and fail him based on that. For all they know, its just a B18A that has been BAR approved by the Referee.

From my experience, your regular smog technicians don't look very close at the engine (head swaps and such) once they see a BAR sticker in the doorjam. It carries quite a bit of power around here.