Hello Honda-tech, Im glad to rejoin this board as it has soooo much info. I have a 90 crx si with a jdm b16a1 motor swap, and a t3/t4 hybrid turbo. I moved to california over a year ago and left my car in CT at my rent's house. I am looking intoi shipping it out there, but im pretty sure the rules on motorswaps and turbos are different in CT. Here are posts i have made from my account that i forgot the password on: https://honda-tech.com/search.php?searchid=2337377 Any help would be great, i am searching honda tech hard right now. cheers

 

You need a turbo setup with a CARB EO number to be street legal here in CA. As far as I know, no turbo setups with a CARB number exits. You will need to find a smog tech willing to look the other way (probably won't happen if you are here in NorCal since a dozen techs did time a couple of years ago.) Another alternative is to take it back to stock NA every two years for the smog test.

Welcome to the Peoples' Republic of California.

 

greddy or edelbrock

 

Before messing with the turbo part, I think you should return the engine to it's most basic form of simply an engine swap. I know within the last year or two they have relaxed the testing pocedure a lot, but I haven't kept up with all the requirement changes so you will have to do some more looking on your own (honda-tech has some good resources, but going straight to DMV would be much better). You will then need to take it to have it inspected and they will issue a CARB sticker to validate that the engine swap is legit. They used to check engine code (JDM motors would be instant fail at some inspection stations while other inspectors knew it was equivalent to USDM and would pass it if you had everything else correct), all emissions equipment to resemble the B16 factory install, and even an ECU check to make sure you have the USDM B16 ECU (comes from the Del Sol).

Once your swap is pronounced 'legal' then go ahead with installing your turbo and as long as it has the turbo system has CARB EO approval and the emissions testing passes then you are good to go.

From personal experience, a properly tuned ECU does better on emissions than the little box and whatever the turbo kits give to compensate for fuel and ignition. They seem to be safety minded and run the setup too rich. Proper tunes do amazing on smog from what I have seen with my own two eyes.

 

Thank you guys for all the info. my next step will be to go to the dmv and see what they asay about the swap.... and i think im ook with taking the turbo out to pass emmissions every couple years if it means i can keep it. How about hoods being popped though? Do cops still do that? ive heard horror stories.... i guess recirculated dumptube is in store as well.... again thank you honda tech!

 

Establish your self on the board and maybe people will help you with where to get a smog for your car.

 

I wish I could remember the pw to my old screen name, crx-treme as I had a pretty good rep on here. But its time to rebuild... thanks to all happy tuning!

 

Nothing street legal for OBD0 or OBD1 swaps. Grrr.

 

So ive been looking up the legalities of motor swaps in CA.... Turns out there isnt much that is legal.... Has to be a motor that would have originally been in the car. So no vtec, no dohc... no turbos.... sweet. Looks like ill be doing an engine swap every two years.

 

You can swap any engine from the same age or newer car into your car. But you have to take all of the smog related stuff with it, including ECU. They base it on the block number.

My son and I are currently building an 88 CRX and are putting a B18C1 block in it. Because of that, we need to put all of the smog-related parts from a 94-97 Integra GSR into it. We decided to run OBD1, so that means we need to put the parts from a 94-95 Integra GSR in it. We have a Skunk2 GSR intake manifold with a CARB EO sticker for a 94 GSR, so we can run that too, as long as we have the sticker. FYI, the smog ref uses Alldata to see what should be there for smog stuff for that year.

My son and I have done the bi-annual engine swap with a B16A with CTR pistons (compression was too high to pass NOx). PITA. After we get this car BAR'd as a 94 GSR, he's going to build a turbo setup for it. The plan is to make it as easy as possible to convert it back to NA every two years for the smog test.

 

OK this sounds good... so you can have any engine as long as its same year or newer with all the smog stuff? You can also build the block for boost as long as it passes smog? Or are you boosting on stock internals? Thanks for the info!

 

Having a Good Reputation is over rated... Just move to Indiana where you can run your car open heads for all they care (Yes, I did say open HEAD/s).

 

I just moved to California and I wouldn't move back for anything! I am from Ct, and I know what it is like to have no restrictions lol

 

what are the laws in CT for swaps?

 

I don't have a clue... as long as it passed emissions i never had a problem.

 

yeah heard it needed just a sniff test...by the time I am ready to buy a car in a few years to mod it, the car would almost be 25 years old..

 

Depending on where you live just get out in the street and meet people. Some one will tell you where to go for smog.

 

Agreed, make some friends in the local scene that have swaps see who is willing to smog it. When I moved from cali it was like 3 hundo so maybe 4-5 by now.

 

A "friend" hooked up one of my friends for 150

 

Yeah, post this where everyone can see this crap. You guys are about as smart as a box of rocks.