Hello everyone.
Thank you for reading this thread, and thanks in advance for answering it if you do.
I have been doing a ton of research on this topic myself, and most of the information comes from this forum so I thought i'd both sign up and make a thread.

I found the PERFECT B1B1 swapped 2000 civic. It had new gaskets put in when the swap was done (even head gasket), new (very good and strong) clutch, ground control coilovers, etc.
It is probably one of the funnest cars I've ever driven, and mechanically, the powertrain is probably much better off than any other 2000 civic of the same year and price.

So I'm instantly sold!

However, before I buy it, I just need to make sure that I can get it BAR'd at the ref.
So I was hoping that I could ask everyone what the current 2020 bar rules are.
I've been doing a ton of research into this and it seems like I need:

-USDM Wiring harness
-USDM B18B1 year 2000 or newer with proper ECU
-ALL USDM Emisssions Equipment for the motor.
This part is the hardest it seems, as it has all of the above seemingly, and it has the stock cat that came on the motor.
However, I have heard that the ref ALSO wants the EVAP system completely hooked up.
I'm not sure if this is still true for 2020, as the last couple of cars that I had to smog were EVAP exempt for 2000+, and any monitor exempt for 1999 and below.

Anyways, the civic has an OBD1 ECU at the moment, which I know that I will immediately need to change out.
It has the stock cat, stock wiring harness, and a catback.
I'm not sure if it has all of the EVAP equipment hooked up, and that kind of scares me because that stuff is not cheap, and not easy to replace without a lift or placing the entire rear of the car on jack stands, as I heard that the vapor canister and vent solenoid are in front of the gas tank.

So my questions are:
- Did I get everything I needed? Am I missing some big piece of the emissions picture that would be very costly?
- Do I really need the Evap system?
- Is the OBD2 ECU just a plug and play endeavor, or will I run into problems? Meaning, if I buy an OBD2 ECU, would I simply need to swap ECU's and that would be all there is too it?
- During the virus lockdown, will I be exempt from the BAR and able to drive my car around at least for now?
All the BAR ref's are closed it seems, and the tags are good until November
I plan on doing everything legit, the tags on the car currently are good until 2020, and the swap doesn't look crazy.

I really only have two fears that are keeping me from purchase. I'm worried about getting it BAR'd without a ton of investment, and I'm worried about getting it impounded/registered non driveable if I ever get pulled over.
Though since the tags are current, it doesn't seem like an issue.
It's just the time between when I get it and start the BAR process that scares me.
I would have already bought the car by now if I didn't think that those things were going to be an issue.

ALSO, if the Ref rejects you, is your car immediately non driveable, or will they give you an "exempt" waiver so that you can fix it up and drive it int he meantime?

Thanks guys!

 

Emissions laws are state specific. You can find them with a Google search.

https://www.bar.ca.gov/

 

i already did a ton of research and those are the questions leftover.

 

I agree that EVAP systems differences between the Civic and Integra may make your goal painful to achieve.

Found by Google search:

https://www.bar.ca.gov/pdf/Smog_Chec...ence_Guide.pdf

https://www.bar.ca.gov/pdf/Engine_Ch...G_04.19.18.pdf

https://www.bar.ca.gov/Industry/Engi...uidelines.aspx

https://www.bar.ca.gov/About_BAR/Contact_Us.aspx

 

Thanks. Most of that is information I found with a search as well, but those pdf's were very helpful.
Although not directly stated, it seems like "all original emissions equipment" requires that the evap system is indeed hooked up, even though it is exempt from testing at this moment.
The evap monitor and evap system is the only one that can be clear, and smog check stations in ca no longer do evap leakdown tests.

So whether or not I have to have it hooked up to be registered is a question that I have.
Though in and of itself the evap system is useful since it scavenges fuel vapors and saves mpg.

 

Best of luck with the swap.

 

You don't need to pull the Integra tank over to the Civic. You do need the evap stuff hooked up though. You can plumb into the Civic tank and, as long as you are running an OBD2B P75 ecu, it should all be happy. You can't use the Integra harness on the car unless you plan to rewire the whole thing. It's not a big deal if you're pretty experienced, but it's not easy if you're pretty green and not necessary in either case.

The big difference with 2000+ inspection is that there is not a tailpipe test. The inspection is visual and plugin only. You won't pass the plugin unless you can set your readiness monitors. Visual is really going to be up to the ref, but once you get the sticker it's up to the smog shop you go to after that.

Here's a compatible converter that carries the correct CARB EO for a '00 Integra LS. They will look at the EO number on the cat. There are a couple, but this one happens to be a 2.25" and that's the biggest "legal" converter you'll find.

https://www.magnaflow.com/products/4...?aces=12308792

The ecu will need to have the immobilizer defeated or have all of the immo hardware installed into the column and the key programmed. I'd go for the former, you'd have to get a ref that a) knows the car is supposed to have an immo system and notices yours doesn't and/or b) opens the ecu for some reason and c) recognizes the part that has been changed. None of these scenarios are likely at all, especially if you just don't bring it up.

Immo defeat can be acquired here:

http://www.doctronic.at/Mobilizer-FX01_E.html

 

Thanks dude. Looks like the B18 on the civic actually already has a factory cat on it, but it has a catback.
Wiring harness looks good and factory.
So it looks like I'm pretty good on that front.
They said the evap system is hooked up, and if you said that I can just plumb it to the civic tank, then that shouldn't be the biggest deal in the world when it comes BAR time.
Might have to find a rental lift somewhere, which i'll have a lot of time to figure out.
Do you know if it actually has to function well?

It currently has no Immo. Probably because of the OBD1 ECU?
I didn't know that 2000+ integras had Immobilizers stock. So I'll have to figure that one out as well, but it seems like you can get it done with a jumper harness on a GSR ecu, and people have been Bar'ed succesfully with all the correct stuff because obd2 ecu is all that is needed.
Thanks for that.

So far, it seems like I can get it BAR'ed.
I just have to double check to make sure that the motor is from the same year.

Any transmission issues with emissions that I should know about?

Thanks!

 

You don't need to do anything at the tank with the evap system. just hook the purge valve on top of the intake manifold to the canister at the firewall using the correct type of hose and you are done. All of the evap wiring except for the purge valve is on the chassis of the harness. So as long as the previous owner didn't gut and hack you shouldn't have to do anything but plug in the ecu and go.

Civics did not come with immo function. All Integras did, I don't remember if it was beginning in 96 or maybe 99, either way an OBD2B ecu will have it. You will have to deal with it for yours and that chip is how you do it. You will not be able to run a P72 ecu on your engine without throwing codes. They also still have immobilizers. You will absolutely need a P75-A0x ecu to make everything, including you ref, happy.

Emissions does not care what transmission is in the car.

 

Thanks again.
Will the ECU throw a code if I put that chip in there?
I know that with OIS emissions tests (2000's +), you can't have any active CEL's, and I'm most likely going with an immobilize delete due to the high cost of all of the immobilizer equipment.

 

No it won’t. That’s the point of the chip.

 

Thanks dude!
Just before I buy it, I keep searching around for a way to verify the year of the engine, while everyone says to look for the head stamp in the 4 circles where the head meets the exhaust manifold.
However, how to interpret those numbers is getting really confusing, as some people say that an 8 corresponds to an 01 integra, but others are saying that the first circle ccontains the actual year.
eg. if it reasd 9/7 9/3 1/1 0/4
then it's a 97.

Is that correct?

 

Not really sure so I'll let someone else chime in on that.

Have you made the call and talked to the ref you intend to use? One thing the ref is almost certainly not going to be is an expert on b series swaps into 20+ year old cars, so if the engine doesn't have a vin tag on it and the year isn't easily identifiable, they may not care as long as the emissions equipment matches the pictures they look up. Some have horror stories about not passing because the ref didn't like a hose clamp, some people have stories of getting through with a non-approved header or cat on the thing. It's a case by case basis. We can sit here and hypothesize what they are and are not going to care about but the ref has the last word. None of this matters until you speak to him/her.

 

So after calling like literally every place while trying to trace the engine code, I found a thread that mentioned that 96+ integras have a vin plate on the block above the oil pan and behind the exhaust manifold.
It was covered in grease, but I found it by looking for the rivets.
So the FIRST circle stamped on the head between it and the exhaust manifold eg. it will look like: (9/9) (8/6) (7/8) (9/9) etc.
the part that looks like (9/9) is indeed the year. Some blocks are made for the next production year, so it seems like the VIN is the most dependable way to be sure.
Especially since a head swap isn't hard, and because there is mixed information about what it means.
Some threads were saying that the second circle was the year, and that you should look for a letter, etc.
The heat shield around the exhaust manifold makes it very difficult to read the numbers as well.

So if it's a 96+ integra motor (b18-series), it will have a vin plate.
If it doesn't, and the rivet plates are there, then something is probably up with it and it's not a good idea to move forward.

Anyways, here is a resource for decoding the VIN:
Decoding Acura Integra VIN Numbers | The Integra Outlet

Both the head stamp and vin plate indeed told me that the b18 was from an integra that was older than the car.
Sucks . It was a super fun car, (coilovers, sticky tires, catback, cai, super nice clutch, b18, etc.)
None of it was the cheapest eBay crap either, all really good stuff.
Looked like a totally normal everyday civic too, which doubles the fun.
No crazy wing or anything weird, and the exhaust note was very sexy.
Definitely not going to find a car like that at that price.
They're all leaking from every gasket, clutch barely engaging, and probably haven't been tuned up since like 150k miles ago.
But the AC is ice cold!

Oh well, win some lose some I guess.
Definitely want a swapped civic now though.
Even more so than just an integra itself.

After doing some research, I think that a really sick build can be done for like $6k with a $500 "As is must be towed" donor car that puts 200 reliably cranking horses straight at the wheels.
Iconic, classic, era defining cars.
Maybe i'll never see/get a chance to get a car like that again, but i'll try to be back on here someday.

I'm actually kind of glad I got away from it too, because after looking at like 10-20 other civics, and just looking at what I think was a $10,000 car selling for like $4000 now on craigslist,
I think that my offer was a little high (unless the motor really had 90-100 something k on it which could have been verified by the vehicle history report that I would have done RIGHT before I was like 99% sure I was going to purchase).
All of these aftermarket parts that are usually pretty high dollar are pretty cheap on cl/ebay nowadays.
Still couldn't get all those parts together for < $900 probably - even used.
You can't find a B18 for < $1k on eBay, but you can probably get one from a donor car for $500 if you know someone.
It's also had all of it's gaskets replaced, and yes, the thing is absolutely leak free and solid.
From what I've been reading, you can also put a vtec head on it, which makes it an awesome platform that's already in a civic.
The rest of it was basically donor car level shell.

Ehhh... I think that if I offered about $1-300 lower than my lowest offer,and it was BARable, it would have been fair.
If that was my car, I would think that it was worth what I was offering for it, but realistically it's probably worth about $2-300 less than my lowest offer.
However, if the VIN showed that the motor did indeed have 90-100ishk on it, then it was absolutely worth $1-200 more than my lowest asking price.
Some enthusiast might just fall in love with it (like I did) and give him either what I offered or a little higher, but he might have to sit on it for a while.


Thanks for the help guys!