i am going to buy a crx w/ a b16a it is a stock motor asuming the motor is clean of emissions will it pass due to the fact that it is an engine swap? Doesn't the seller have to smog it before they sell it?

 

Well, if it has all the emissions equipment working properly it should pass, but I am no Californian.

 

Lucky you i am

 

JDM engines wont pass.

i called the DMV and highway patrol.

i was told by them that if a new engine is installed, if it is not the same type of engine that came with the car it must remain bone stock. "no exceptions."

every part of the emissions control system must be in place and functioning properly.

the donor engine must be out of a car from the same year as yours or newer.

i know these rules suck but this is what i was told by the authorites. i would contact them just to get all of the guidelines straight anyways...

 

If the engine is the same year or newer then the car, and the engine came in a car in the US, then its able to be passed at the California Smog Referee.

JDM engines will pass, as long as they are hooked up like their USDM counterparts. (i.e. b16a must be wired up like a del sol VTEC model, obd1 and all) There are a few guys that i know of in this forum w/ JDM b18c's smog legal.

 

just as long as it utilizes a USDM ECU, correct? or maybe that bitch at DMV is retarded...

 

I wouldnt make any conclusions from talking to people at the DMV. I'd call and talk to an actual smog referee.

I asked someone at the DMV if I could get a list of smog Referee locations and they didnt even know what I was talking about.

The engine has to appear as it would appear if it were at home in its native USDM environment Meaning, USDM intake manifold (if different from JDM) or a CARB approved replacement (for example, I'm running a skunk2 manifold on my b18c1). It needs to have all sensors wired up correctly and all emissions equipment that would be found in the USDM equivalent of the donor car, as well as be running a USDM ecu.


Technically this is how its supposed to be. Some Referee stations are more lenient than others. Some don't even check the ECU, while others require you to get a printout from a Honda dealer to prove that this ECU goes to that specific engine.

They're more like "guidelines" that vary between ref stations. Generally, the cleaner/more stock your engine bay looks, the better off you are. I've also heard that ref's treat you better if you go there on your own initiative to make it legal, instead of getting sent there by the 5-0 w/ a ticket.

 

i should stop procrastinating and get mine checked out. i was totally mislead by the state officials damn it! i'm kind of glad they were wrong. so basically obide by these rules then? :

use only OEM or C.A.R.B. legal parts
keep engine bay clean (not all oily with colorful parts, etc)
use correct USDM ECU

and obviously make sure that the engine is not throwing codes.

i think i got it. yeehaw, there is some light at the end of the tunnel.

 

I've also heard that whatever CARB legal parts you have on there, they need to be CARB legal for that motor or newer. For example, I have a CARB legal Injen intake for a CRX on my b18c1 right now, but apparently that's not gonna fly with the ref's since the CARB number isnt for the b18c1.

Its really not too hard to do. It sounds a lot harder than it really is. I'm really glad to see more people wanting to be legit with their swaps. I'd hate having to find a shady shop to pass it every 2 years and then be all paranoid everytime I see a cop, thinking he's gonna bust me for my swap.

Definitely get it BAR'd. Good luck.

btw: get it BAR'd before you put that turbo on there

 

Aren't there consiquences for you if you don't pass? I've heard horror stories of people losing their cars, license', and minds because they couldn't pass the visual ref or the actual indepth state ref. I myself never even try, even when I had a stock eclipse, that POS couldn't pass smog so I just broke down and paid $150 to get it 'Socal Smogged' aka non-legal. Due to this, I'm rather reluctant to try this. Maybe if you can provide some more resources to where you got this info more people would be willing to try. - Darrell