Jdm swaps illegal in ca?
This is kind of a slightly irrational and not very good point but why is it that mom's can go pick up kids and go to the super market in a lifted hummer with all terrain tires, but I can't cruise around in a 2300 pound car with an engine thats smaller and more efficient then most other cars have anyways.
gee i don't know, maybe because they complied w/the proper emissions and swapped out the necessary tedious components (i.e. swapping out the JDM IM for a US one and same with ECU, etc… )
which essentially is the point of OP's thread here, does any of that work or is this some new law that they just won't BAR a JDM motor period even if you made it emissions legal by making the necessary changes. I've read the same thing all over the net, but can never find definitive information —> that wbebsite I posted earlier doesn't really go into details so it seems like the best bet is to call them and bug em till u get an answer
which essentially is the point of OP's thread here, does any of that work or is this some new law that they just won't BAR a JDM motor period even if you made it emissions legal by making the necessary changes. I've read the same thing all over the net, but can never find definitive information —> that wbebsite I posted earlier doesn't really go into details so it seems like the best bet is to call them and bug em till u get an answer
.. and if that is the case, we have to find out why, and try to do something to change it. I've read speculations that the reason California is doing this, and other states will soon follow, is to essentially force people to buy new cars, instead of reparing the car they have.
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From: Los Angeles.
For the 48 other states, not to worry. With the current "green" trend and the switch over to non polluting, electric vehicles - it is only a matter of time before ALL STATES will have to comply to CARB standards.
California, thus far, has the strictest standards. We've set the bar for other states to jump over. It will happen, I promise.
California, thus far, has the strictest standards. We've set the bar for other states to jump over. It will happen, I promise.
Most of the speed cameras and speed photo enforcement cameras are turned off at multiple intersections due to budget cuts and stuff like that trust me. I have the inside information on that...
The only way to have a JDM swap in you car is that it has to be an identicial match or newer. If you had a 99 EM1 with a b16a2 then you have to swap it in with a 99 or 00 EM1 JDM B16 and you have to make sure it has the proper emission stuff.
-Source Ref in San Diego,CA & DCH Honda in Lemon Grove,CA
It kind of still sucks, but oh well.. I hope president obama doesn't create some sort of mileage thing with cars like japan..
The only way to have a JDM swap in you car is that it has to be an identicial match or newer. If you had a 99 EM1 with a b16a2 then you have to swap it in with a 99 or 00 EM1 JDM B16 and you have to make sure it has the proper emission stuff.
-Source Ref in San Diego,CA & DCH Honda in Lemon Grove,CA
It kind of still sucks, but oh well.. I hope president obama doesn't create some sort of mileage thing with cars like japan..
For the 48 other states, not to worry. With the current "green" trend and the switch over to non polluting, electric vehicles - it is only a matter of time before ALL STATES will have to comply to CARB standards.
California, thus far, has the strictest standards. We've set the bar for other states to jump over. It will happen, I promise.
California, thus far, has the strictest standards. We've set the bar for other states to jump over. It will happen, I promise.

Never.There's no Hollywood here in Tx to pump that bullshit, plus the feds know better than to mess with Texas.
Never.There's no Hollywood here in Tx to pump that bullshit, plus the feds know better than to mess with Texas.
I like clean air and a clean environment. And so do the people in CA, hence CARB. However, the way they are going about dealing with cars and modifications is a huge pain the *** for us. If I had the power (and maybe as someone suggested in this thread writing letters/petitions), I would try to set things up so that any non-carb certified modification/swap would just lead to a sniffer test with the ref. If your emissions are under or the same as the legal limit, than f*ck it. Emissions are dealt with differently in Japan and since this is Uhmerica, it has to be done our way (egr etc.) or it's illegal. The odd thing is that most of the time, Japanese engines burn WAY cleaner than our tired old poorly maintenanced engines. In Japan (I think in the UK the MOT is similar), not only does your car have to pass an emissions test, it has to pass an overall "health" test.
Last edited by wakaranai; May 19, 2009 at 10:16 PM.
Your friend is wrong. Sort of. There is no new law pertaining to JDM engine swaps, they were ALWAYS illegal So nothing has changed there. How ever refs usually passed them if they met emissions standards. How ever as of last month the BAR has requested that State Refs no longer issue BAR labels to vehicles with JDM engines. I am a smog tech and MY friend told me this. His name is Gus Romo and he's the State Ref at Rio Hondo College here in Los Angeles.
Your friend is wrong. Sort of. There is no new law pertaining to JDM engine swaps, they were ALWAYS illegal So nothing has changed there. How ever refs usually passed them if they met emissions standards. How ever as of last month the BAR has requested that State Refs no longer issue BAR labels to vehicles with JDM engines. I am a smog tech and MY friend told me this. His name is Gus Romo and he's the State Ref at Rio Hondo College here in Los Angeles.
Interesting. Well MY friend
at Valencia Smog (Andrew) told me he had not heard of any new laws. He usually stays up to date, since people are constantly trying to pass illegal **** at his shop. That is good to know though.So are we totally screwed and this is the end of that little loop hole at the REF and only US engines are allowed? ****, I wonder how this is going to affect all of the JDM importers...
Also, thanks for chiming in with proper info since everything that was being said was speculation. That's why I decided to call and ask someone who might know.
Last edited by wakaranai; May 19, 2009 at 10:26 PM.
im new to the honda seen i bought my 95 civic with a d15b jdm motor already n it and it passd smog wen i got it i dnt kno if it was bard how do i know what do i look for cause im not gona fork out big bucks to put a usdm motor back in that biatch i love socal and hate it at the same time
This has crossed my mind, which leads to my next 2 questions. When ref'ing/bar'ing, does anyone know for a fact if VIN tags are required on obd2+ engines? Where to purchase stamps that somewhat match the OEM lettering/numbering size and style?
All of you need to move to IL lol - their are alot of cops here but most of them I ran in to turned out to be nice people - maybe cos I was nice to them lol.
If you drive like an idiot of course you will get popped, if your 91 crx sounds louder then a harley that just flew by of course your gonna get popped, there is a way to get away with anything anywhere. Just most people aren't smart enough to know how. they have to make sure people see them and hear them they don't take into consideration that the only people that care are the cops, those people deserve to get popped.







