California LQ9 Swap smog legality..

[JeRM82]

I was wondering if anyone has done a smog legal LQ9 swap in california. I was looking for a GEN3 powered silverado that has done this all the way through the legal process. Something that would pass at a state run facility, and I THINK...not sure....but because the silverado SS came with an LQ9 you could just get a "replacement engine" inspection instead of an "engine change" inspection with the sticker. If anyone has a link to something like this I would GREATLY apreceate it. I understand that putting the motor into the truck wouldn't be the problem....the LEGAL stuff is what I was wondering about......

[Yello91Silverado]

What year truck and motor are you swaping to the lq9?

[JeRM82]

OOPS....I forgot....a 2001 (or newer) RCSB silverado....with a v-8 in it so that the swap is pretty straight foreward....

[Yello91Silverado]

I don't think they will know the difference if you get the computer tuned correctly and have it connected to the factory exhaust.

[farmtruc]

They won't have a clue. It'll run just fine and pass easily.

[JeRM82]

Cool thanks guys....thats what I figured you guys would say....NOW...IF I COULD ONLY FIND A DYNO RUN OF AN LQ9 WITH AFR 205'S AND A DECENT SIZED CAM.....smog legal heads in california....someone has to have done it....I havent won the lotto yet so it's up to someone else....is there anyone that has a heads/ cam LQ9 on the fastest truck list? I cant get into the list for some reason...

[Jewmont3]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(JeRM82 &#064; Oct 3 2006, 03&#58;09 AM) [snapback]67662[/snapback]</div>

Cool thanks guys....thats what I figured you guys would say....NOW...IF I COULD ONLY FIND A DYNO RUN OF AN LQ9 WITH AFR 205&#39;S AND A DECENT SIZED CAM.....smog legal heads in california....someone has to have done it....I havent won the lotto yet so it&#39;s up to someone else....is there anyone that has a heads/ cam LQ9 on the fastest truck list? I cant get into the list for some reason...
[/b]

Here is an email that I had gotten back from the emissions guy at the Department of Environmental Protection...the people that set the emissions standards. I figured it was about time I went right to the source instead of asking people and getting rumors. This is what he had to say...

"EPA regulations regarding engine swaps have some limitations - you are
cannot cross certifications (e.g., put an engine from a non-California
certified vehicle into a California certified vehicle), and you are not
allowed to cross vehicle classes (e.g., put a pickup engine in a car).
If you are changing fuel types (diesel/gas or gas/diesel) there are
other provisions, but since you are staying with gasoline, I won&#39;t go
there.

One thing you did not tell me is what the gross vehicle weight rating is
for your pickup. If it is over 8,500 lbs, then you have a heavy-duty
vehicle (EPA certification) or a medium duty vehicle (if it is
California certified). To find out the GVWR, look on the plate on the
door sill of the driver&#39;s door (usual location). There will be a bunch
of information, such as the gross axle ratings, etc. Make sure you get
the gross vehicle weight rating. To find out whether it is a California
or a federally certified vehicle, look at the emissions decal under the
hood (usually on a cross member in the front of the engine compartment,
somewhere around the radiator). If the vehicle is over 8,500 lbs, by
rights, the replacement engine must be from a vehicle with a GVWR over
8,500 lbs.

In reality, here is how the emissions test works in Massachusetts. When
the vehicle is presented for inspection, the inspector enters model
year, manufacturer, engine size, number of cylinders, transmission type,
and body type. Based on these characteristics, the workstation locates
specific information from a row in a data array (like an spreadsheet).
One of the pieces of information is the dynamometer setting to be for
the emissions test (meaning how much resistance the truck has to work
against when emissions are measured).

If your engine swap is to another engine size that was an option for
your truck and the inspector correctly enters the engine size for your
replacement engine, then the dyne will be loaded for that optional
engine size.

If your engine swap is to another engine size that was NOT an option for
your truck (or if the inspector incorrectly enters the engine size),
then the analyzer will be unable to determine what the correct dyne
setting should be for your vehicle and a default setting will be used
based on the vehicle type (truck) and either GVWR or engine size/number
of cylinders (I cannot recall offhand).

The emissions standard that will be applied to your vehicle is the same.
1995 trucks with a GVWR of 6,000 lbs or less have emissions standards of
2.40 grams/mile for hydrocarbons (HC), 60 grams/mile for carbon monoxide
(CO) and 3.0 grams/mile for oxides of nitrogen (NOx), regardless of
engine size. I suspect your truck is over 6,000 lbs GVWR, in which case
the NOx emissions standard increases to 4.5 grams/mile - HC and CO are
the same (again, regardless of engine size).

If you take the vehicle in for inspection and it passes the emissions
test, I expect you would receive a passing sticker and probably have no
other problems.

The two areas where you may have problems are (1) if the vehicle fails,
and (2) if you move to another state or sell the vehicle to someone in
another state.

If the vehicle fails, cannot pass a retest, and the engine swap is
noted, you might have to pass a visual inspection to determine that all
of the emissions control components required of your truck/engine
combination are present and functional on the vehicle. Failure to have
all emissions control components on the vehicle would be considered
tampering, and you would not be issued a passing sticker (waiver) until
it was verified that the tampering condition had been corrected.

Similarly, if you move to another state or sell the vehicle to someone
in another state, and that state had a visual emission component check
as part of an emissions test program, then your vehicle might not pass
inspection if you did not adhere to EPA&#39;s or that state&#39;s requirements
regarding engine swaps. If the motorist to whom you sold the vehicle
identified you as the seller, then you could be subject to EPA
enforcement for emissions system tampering, or to a civil suit by the
purchaser.

As a final note, particularly since you did not indicate what the GVWR
is of your truck, On-Board Diagnostic (OBD) system requirements were
phased in by vehicle manufacturers starting with model year 1994, with
100% phase-in required by model year 1996 for gasoline-powered vehicles.
For federally-certified vehicles, this requirement is for vehicles with
a GVWR of 8,500 lbs or less, while for California-certified vehicles, I
believe this is a requirement for vehicles with a GVWR of 14,000 lbs or
less.

What you really need to be careful of is whether the vehicle has an OBD
system (called OBDII in California). Where you may run into trouble is
that if the vehicle currently has an OBDII system, but the vehicle from
which you are pulling the engine does not. That may open a can of
engine control/engine management headaches that you never dreamed of.
And this would be an issue if you ever ran into any tampering problems.


Thanks for doing your research ahead of time."


Now this is specifically for Massachusetts but we have the same laws as california so the info should be the same.

[NITROUS]

I passed with flying colors and I don&#39;t have anything emmisions hooked up including the purge canister. I actually have a cleaner running engine than the Vortec I pulled out.

[RedHeartbeat]

Mine, too. The inspection guys were worried but when they saw the numbers from the sniffer they were dumbfounded.

[hummertech]

up in washington all 96 snd up trucks just get a scan test, if all the check engine lights are off and all the im readyness flags have run and passed then you pass,,, great deal for your 24 bucks&#33; just make sure the tune is right on the first time than they dont even open the hood.