I trashed my stock Y-pipe with cat two years

 

it depends on what kind of luck you have when you register your car with good luck you will only have to take it to get a smog check(many places) but if you have to take it to a state smog check station everything has to be done right.

 

I agree CA has lots of opportunity - I know as I've lived here my entire life...but with it comes strict emission laws, dense population/traffic, high taxes, expensive housing/cost of living, etc.

Keep a couple things in mind: CA has no grace period. Once you move your car here, you need to register it and plan accordingly for what you need to do for emission testing. FYI: DMV/CHP have an active campaign for folks to turn in others who fail to register their out of state cars in a timely manner.

The CHP and other local agencies are keen to the car mod business. You will likely be ticketed if your car is too loud, for tinted windows, for no front plate, and the list goes on....and all of them are probable cause to search your car for compliant emission equipment. It has happened and cars have been impounded and/or sent to the state referree. Many have skirted the overtly expensive consequences of heavily modifying their cars, and many have not.

Welcome to Kalifornia, and enjoy your stay....now pay up!

 

You have nothing to worry about either (your car isn't heavily modded).

How far from Scott Peterson did you live? Modesto has gotten quite a bit of publicity lately, huh?

Sorry...back on topic. FYI: to get the cats working to optimum capacity, they need to be hot. I drove around a lot just before my smog test with my old h/c setup and passed with no problem, and I never let the car cool while I was there.

 

Just sell your LT's and get some shorties that are carb approved and put the cat back on. Not sure about cali, but here in IN if you have an ODBII computer you dont even have to do the sniffer they just hook you up and look for codes. You could have gutted cats on and still pass by having rear O2 sims installed.

-Tony

 

many things here are not correct. you can change your cat. i did it. there are requirements to do this though. your stock cat must be damaged or missing, your car must have over 50K, and there was a third that i cant remember right now. i ran edlebrock shorties, a carsound high flow cat, and a magnaflow cat back. it passed fine because i had the cat in place and the shorties had the carb eo plate sitting right on top. i brought my car in from out of state (ohio) and had to pass two different inspections.

the first was the smog check at a certified facility. you cant just take it to your buddy joe bobs and use the 4 banger civic sitting there. it was a complete check, egr, cat, ignition, sniffer, everything. the inspector even made a comment about the cat but i still had all the paperwork with it from when i installed it. you dont have to go to a special exhaust shop you can do the work but you need to have the paperwork that comes with the cat. there was a spot for me to check that the stocker was damaged and thats why i had to replace it. i never heard about a 50 mile pass that was referenced. when i brought mine into the state i got a 30 day temp from the dmv to get it smogged. they didnt say jack about how many miles i drove in that 30 days. i dont know if you will be able to pass the sniffer with the 306. most of the reading i have done here says go with the 305 becuase the 306 wont pass.

the second check was at the dmv. once i had all the smog stuff they did the basic lights, horn, brakes, kind of checks. once i had passed both inspections (smog and dmv) i was able to register my car. i bought the car from a private seller in ohio so i had to pay the sales tax when i registered it in CA.

hope that helps.

david

 

i think the gutted cat comment is for IN. you wont pass the sniffer with gutted cats. also the smog facility hooks into your pcm and transmits results live to some database somewhere. they track your vin through the whole process. its so regulated its sick. you also asked about bypassing emissions and registering somewhere else??? i havent found it yet but the way might be out there. there are some goofy legal requirements about registering your car when you change to a new state. insurance is like 30 days and i think the registration is the same. you can still take the chance and drive it all you want until a cop pulls you over and starts asking questions.

david

 

Just Do The Shop Thing.... My Friend Paid About $160.00 For Everything And Didnt Even Take His Car Into The Shop...too Bad The Guy That Hooked Him Up Moved To Utah...

 

Well here's my take on all this:

With the cc306 I'd say you don't have much of a chance to pass...

Now for the LT's here's what I plan on doing. Buy a set of shortie headers with a carb sticker on them. Take the carb sticker off the header and take your #1 primary off and have the tag welded on the lt primary. Viola, you have carb legal headers. Now get 2 cats on there and remember to put bungs in for your rear o2's (can't run 02 simms). Finally, go to a smog shop on a Saturday morning when they're really busy and sending cars in and out as fast as they can. Odds of a smog tech knowing the headers are illegal, the cats are moved, and caring = unlikely. G'luck and welcome to Kali...

 

Awhile back, a board member sent me the California Smog 15/25 mph treadmill results of a cc305 LT1 that passed (incase your interested of switching cams). Let me know and I will post the numbers so you can get an idea.

 

Why couldn't you run o2 simms? The PCM would read that as the cat's functioning properly even if they were gutted. As far as I know when they hook the computer up to it they just check to see if the readiness indicators are set and no DTC are set? Do they put OBDII cars on the sniffer in cali??

-Tony

 

I have a 95 z-28 with OBD1, anso I am pretty sure the emissions testing don't hook up to the computer to OBD1. I will start looking for some non-coated shorties that are legal in California, and for a couple new cats.

 

What City In California Are You Moving To?

 

I have one interview in L.A. area and one inrterview in San Francisco; Will move somewhere in between L.A.-San Francisco area in early Febtruary, the price of cheap room in any apartment will determine the exact location. After I get the job anywhere in CA I will go and live in that area

 

i dont think there is such a thing as a cheap room in california. just kidding i am sure your going to find just what your looking for.

david