Anyone here have a CA smog legal S13 450SX?

[StormyMatt]

My brother just gave me his 1992 240SX, which has a blown transmission. And I am interested in doing a VH45 swap. But the one thing that is holding me back is emissions legality here in California. For instance, I have heard rumors that the stock VH45 exhaust manifolds CANNOT be used in an S13. If this is true, this could be a problem (especially since there are no CARB approved swap headers). Also, I don't know if using a manual transmission on a motor that never came with one in an OEM application could be an issue, especially since the ECU is probably looking for the automatic. Anyway, has anyone actually been able to pass a 450SX at a California State Smog Referee station? I would like to know before I do anything as far as the swap.

[Q45tech]

Federal emissions prohibit a larger than stock engine displacement on any 1990 or newer vehicle. Due to amount of emissions per mile.

This doesn't even consider the CO2 emissions per mile which are forthcoming soon.

[scir16v]

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Federal emissions prohibit a larger than stock engine displacement on any 1990 or newer vehicle. Due to amount of emissions per mile.

This doesn't even consider the CO2 emissions per mile which are forthcoming soon.

Not totally true. If doing an engine swap from a epa, and california legal vehicle to begin with, you can have a legal motor swap, as long as you keep ALL emissions equipment in place and in good working order.

[Q45tech]

Many of you are missing the point read the Federal Law. Just because you bribe an inspector or somehow get a pass doesn't mean you are legal.What happens with a different inspector or a more rigorous interpretation of the Federal rules - a year later?

[Carl H]

you CAN make the VH swap 'emissions compliant' meaning that it has all 4 cats, all o2 sensors, egr, and a canister but there is no way in hell it will pass a visual.

[StormyMatt]

Federal emissions prohibit a larger than stock engine displacement on any 1990 or newer vehicle. Due to amount of emissions per mile.

I don't know where you are getting this one from. I searched high and low for ANYTHING like this, and could find nothing. Everything I DID find regarding EPA rules on engine swapping was actually VERY similar to California state law on the matter. Specifically, the swapped engine must be of the same year as the car or newer, it must run all original emissions gear, a 'heavy duty' engine (ie one from a truck) cannot be run in a 'light duty' vehicle, and it must pass an emissions test for the vehicle it originally came in. I found nothing, I repeat NOTHING which prohibits the swapping of a larger displacement engine in a vehicle newer than 1990.

This doesn't even consider the CO2 emissions per mile which are forthcoming soon.

The interesting thing here is that most any engine you might swap into a 240SX will either not affect CO2 per mile or actually improve it compared with a KA24. As ANY 240SX owner knows, the truck-based KA24 is no mileage champ. An LSx will DEFINITELY better a KA24 when it comes to gas mileage. And the same is probably true about the VH45 (although I have not seen numbers for this swap). Even an LT1 will do no worse than a KA24.

[Rex]

Here's an interesting (and confusing) link regarding "engine switching".

http://www.epa.gov/compliance/...h.pdf

[StormyMatt]

Here's an interesting (and confusing) link regarding "engine switching".

http://www.epa.gov/compliance/...h.pdf

And it says nothing about the swapping of a larger displacement engine into a 1990+ vehicle being illegal. Basically, the guidelines presented here are the same as California state law.

[Rex]

Read the last paragraph on page 2 ... it basically says the resulting swap has to match exactly to a certified configuration of the same or newer model year as the chassis.

I hope you find the right information to support what you want to do.

I was just trying to offer some documents that support Q45tech's post above.

[Carl H]

the law does state that you can swap a newer engine into the older chassis if it is of the same engine series but an older engine into a newer chassis is a no no.

the short of it is, if it came in that chassis for that year as an option FROM FACTORY its a legit swap...as the 240 had no engine options nothing is techincally legal.

[scir16v]

It states class of chassis. so really anything goes as long as it's from the same class of car. But it has to be from the same model year or newer.