New CA Smog OBDII Info Thread

I've passed two checks now with my headers installed. I know the tech saw them when I failed the visual for the downpipe. Maybe since they still count 2 cats they let the headers slide?

i'll probably never bring my car in for smog anymore...

extra $50 is worth the hassle

 

Please explain.

If the exhaust leak is big enough and they cannot get a stable enough flow reading at the tail pipe they can fail it for an exhaust leak.

 

That makes sense. I've passed 2x with a 1-washer on one side only hogzaust... gutted oem dp, stock sti up, etc...

Gf just got her car smogged yesterday. OBDII only. The result sheet just shows OBD - passed, Malfunction Indicator Light - passed.

Gf just got her car smogged yesterday. OBDII only. The result sheet just shows OBD - passed, Malfunction Indicator Light - passed.

 

Did they do visual also?

Yes, they do a full visual check.

 

My coworker's gf works for BAR and we asked her what the OBDII test entails. She said it was mainly the check engine light and making sure all the emissions stuff is still working.

Alrighty guys... just got my 08 tested for the first time today, and got some very surprising results. I passed!

 

Full Stage 2 tune with MBC. That being said, I put EVERYTHING back in place (MBC was hidden, but the stock BCS was plugged in and mounted, the hose ends were hidden). Swapped the stock cats back on too.

 

The great thing about this... I have a Protune, and they disabled the BCS CEL, and the Cat efficiency CEL (P0420), and any others relating to the BCS or Converter efficiency. Let the car warm up with the stock cats a little bit. Drove over gently, and passed with flying colors.

 

So what can we deduct from this? The new SMOG testing is a giant scam, and without a sniffer test, had I passed the visual, I could have been running gutted cats or catless and still passed! Assuming the tech ignored the smell...

 

Anyway, just wanted to report my success story and maybe ease the worry for someone else who's about to get smogged. As long as all your readiness codes are set, and you pass the visual (which is very tech dependent) you should be golden.

Alrighty guys... just got my 08 tested for the first time today, and got some very surprising results. I passed!

 

Full Stage 2 tune with MBC. That being said, I put EVERYTHING back in place (MBC was hidden, but the stock BCS was plugged in and mounted, the hose ends were hidden). Swapped the stock cats back on too.

 

The great thing about this... I have a Protune, and they disabled the BCS CEL, and the Cat efficiency CEL (P0420), and any others relating to the BCS or Converter efficiency. Let the car warm up with the stock cats a little bit. Drove over gently, and passed with flying colors.

 

So what can we deduct from this? The new SMOG testing is a giant scam, and without a sniffer test, had I passed the visual, I could have been running gutted cats or catless and still passed! Assuming the tech ignored the smell...

 

Anyway, just wanted to report my success story and maybe ease the worry for someone else who's about to get smogged. As long as all your readiness codes are set, and you pass the visual (which is very tech dependent) you should be golden.

 

I passed the visual but failed the sniffer, but the station I went to still does the sniffer test.

 

I thought there had been some wording about looking up some values in a DB for 2008 and newer cars so they could tell if the ECU had been modified. Maybe that's not implemented.

 

It would be nice, ie less of a PITA, if the newer tests weren't that thorough, but why move to a method that is worse at detecting 'harmful' emissions? There's gotta be something off here, either the tech did not do a proper inspection (maybe new inspection guidelines haven't been released) or the machine didn't do a proper analysis of the OBDII data.

 

Don't get me wrong, I'm happy you passed (and hopefully I will too if I get an OBDII test), but we might not have it as easy in 2 years if the new tests are fully up to spec by then.

This is all you need to know about the different smog test sites in CA.

 

 

http://www.smogtips.com/passing_inspection.cfm

Ok but since most shops don't have a four wheel dyno they just do the basic. I had the "basic" test performed a few months back and passed. The new method in the future is what Scotty mentioned... Just looking for codes and such. I seriously doubt they will be able to see much if the car is tuned or not so long as no codes are present. But visually it needs to look stock.

CA states that if you live in a highly rated smog area, the tests are going to be more strict. Less smog area will have less restrictions on testing.

Of course... All subjective to the man deciding who gets screwed... Since we live in the valley or "dustbowl" of California the air quality is always going to suck according to da man.

It is either smog testing or no smog testing between various counties, not more or less strict.

 

Of course... All subjective to the man deciding who gets screwed... Since we live in the valley or "dustbowl" of California the air quality is always going to suck according to da man.

 

No, it is actually based on the amount of pollution. The valley gets a huge amount of airborne stuff from farm equipment, ag chemicals and lots of transportation. All combine with being in valley to trap pollutants.

 

If you live in the Sacramento Valley, you also get all the bay's funk blowing in.

 

 

That said, no matter how strict, no one has to do a 4 wheel dyno. It would cost too much.

No, it is actually based on the amount of pollution. The valley gets a huge amount of airborne stuff from farm equipment, ag chemicals and lots of transportation. All combine with being in valley to trap pollutants.

 

If you live in the Sacramento Valley, you also get all the bay's funk blowing in.

 

 

That said, no matter how strict, no one has to do a 4 wheel dyno. It would cost too much.

I get it dude. I live out here too. My issues with smog testing are pretty simple. It's no longer going to be an emissions test. It's more so going to be an inspection to ensure the factory emissions BS is intact and the ECU is not seeing faults ensuring and working according to spec.

 

If it was a system designed to identify particulates only and the don't tell me how I get there I'd have no issues with the "system". But no I can't touch any hard parts and if they keep snooping into the ECU eventually there may be a baseline ECU map validation.

 

The coming ECU only test eliminates the sniffer all together. So they don't care about the emissions. They care about getting the money out of my pocket.

 

It's in every persons best interest to keep their car in good working order. If you can't commit to doing that get the hell off the road. Less morons to get in my way on the road.

I'm going in the morning. STAR station - test only. Cobb stg1 OTS and stock DP. Will post results. Edited August 2, 2014 by shadowsports

Stage 1 will pass with no problems. I'm stage 1 and each time I do the test the results are very low (good). That's because we still have the stock DP on.

I got lucky... I had the wrong stage one map on and could have pumped a EGT cel at any time... Didn't and passed. Only after I noticed. I have a Rev 8 that eliminated the EGT even though I had the device physically in the up.

I get it dude. I live out here too. My issues with smog testing are pretty simple. It's no longer going to be an emissions test. It's more so going to be an inspection to ensure the factory emissions BS is intact and the ECU is not seeing faults ensuring and working according to spec.

This is all it has ever been. The dyno system is a relic from the pre-OBDII era.

They're not really trying to catch sophisticated cheaters, but people who have failing emissions systems.

They're not really trying to catch sophisticated cheaters, but people who have failing emissions systems.

 

If it was really about emission, what comes out of the tailpipe should be the determining factor. It shouldn't matter what you do between the intake and the exhaust as long as what comes out is below a certain level.

You should know, in CA, depending on the county, they either will do a visual, OBDII, and sniffer. Here in Fresno, they do all 3, so I have to make sure everything is in check before I go for a smog.

If it was really about emission, what comes out of the tailpipe should be the determining factor. It shouldn't matter what you do between the intake and the exhaust as long as what comes out is below a certain level.

Besactly. But it's not about emissions any more. The future about system stability and visual as stated above. Tail pipe parameters captured these days are only because the state has not pushed the OBDII only solution out yet as the main solution.

 

Recently there has been a couple of evaluation road side tests performed in town. Funny part is they roll out a dyno in the process. I have avoided them thus far. If I move forward with my plans the visual may be an issue.

^^^^

You are legally allowed to pass roadside dynos. And I would, even with a completely stock car, waste of my time. Though the goal of those is less to catch polluting vehicles than catch ineffective or corrupt smog tests.

If it was really about emission, what comes out of the tailpipe should be the determining factor. It shouldn't matter what you do between the intake and the exhaust as long as what comes out is below a certain level.

 

This would require a test that would take hours, a skilled operator, and, in our case, a 4 wheel dyno. This is the testing that is done to get an aftermarket part BARed and it costs thousands of dollars.

 

The test, especially on our cars, really just does what our sensors are supposed to do. CalEPA knows a certain range of acceptable emissions thats that will come out of the tailpipe of car X with properly functioning OEM equipment at certain RPMs either with or without load. It is even more of a joke with our cars because our cars are never subjected to load. This is why you hear about AWD cars just sneaking under the limit with test pipes, not just high flows.

The current test, without load, tells nothing. Sure, under no load, your after market turbo isn't producing any boost. It can and probably does increase you emissions (assuming same emissions equipment) at WOT under load, but at 3000k rpm with no load, or idle? Probably not.

My friend was fighting a 86 ford truck to pass... He purposefully went there to see of he could pass for free after I told him where it was setting up.

A friend just had his 08 Corvette smogged. OBDII only with minimal visual, no sniffer at all. Said the guy didn't even bend down to look under the car. Popped the hood and minimal inspection there.

 

This was Contra Costra county which should be a high smog county, so there's definitely no sniffer requirement for newer cars.