CA smog question

[Casper]

Not sure if this is the right place to post this, but here it goes.

I am in the process of looking into an engine swap for my 2000 Nissan Xterra. It will be quite awhile until I do this, so I have plenty of time to do my research. The one main problem I am having is figuring out the smog laws for California. I know you can put a different engine into a vehcle and still be able to smog it, many people have (some on this site) I am just not sure where to find info on what I can put in it (ie does it have to be a Nissan engine, or can I put anything in it as long as it comes from a same year or newer vehicle). Can anyone help. I have searched "Ca Smog laws" but just can't seam to find what I am looking for.

The plan (as of now) would either be a diesal out of "something" or a V8 out of a newer Titan.

Everything else aside (whether it will fit, cost, wieght, why, etc, etc) I just want to know if I can keep it smog legal. The whole project revolves around this one point.

Any help would be great. Thanks

Josh
:wings:

 

[Martyn]

Has the be a California approved engine out of a vehicle the same year or newer, along with all applicable smog equipment.

If the engine was only certified with an automatic then you can't put an manual behind it.

There are exceptions, like the TLC International diesel swap, but they are few and far between.

 

[kjp1969]

I think they make these things deliberately difficult. Generally you have to keep the donor engine the same year or newer, to prevent backdating your 1990's hot rod to a '60's carbed V8, to cite an obvious example. Of course, if the engine had certain smog equipment on it from the factory, it must be swapped over to the new chassis. Ditto OBDII equipment.

The best advice is to locate a CA BAR office, talk to a referee, and pose your questions to him in person. Keep trying until you get a friendly one, and he'll tell you what you have to do before you do it. You'll probably visit him a dozen times during your project, so be nice. Eventually, you will take your converted vehicle to him for approval and a new smog sticker, so it only makes sense to begin there.

I know a guy who legally swapped a blown 454 into a CJ chassis, so almost anything is possible. He had to learn the rules better than the referee in order to get the thing registered.

I've also heard of "custom" smog checks, but those are illegal and shouldn't be considered.

 

[ntsqd]

With regard to OBD II, which your vintage vehicle is (1996 M.Y. and newer), everything from the first sensor in the induction tract to the last sensor in the exhaust has to be either O.E. from the stated donor vehicle, or be covered by a CARB E.O. number for that donor vehicle.

As an example, say that the 90* rubber boot that fits over the throttle body of an LS1 being fitted into a Jeep YJ doesn't have a tight enough radius to clear the radiator. Because the first sensor, an air inlet temperature sensor, is in a molded-in hole in that elbow, any other elbow used has to have a CARB E.O. number.

Another thing is GVW. Even with a diesel you can not put the engine from a heavy duty pick-up truck (3/4t & up) into a light duty vehicle (1/2t & down + passenger cars). They do check for this with gassers. I've yet to hear of it being checked in a diesel conversion, but they can and most likely will in the future.

 

[ChuckB]

Another thing is GVW. Even with a diesel you can not put the engine from a heavy duty pick-up truck (3/4t & up) into a light duty vehicle (1/2t & down + passenger cars). They do check for this with gassers. I've yet to hear of it being checked in a diesel conversion, but they can and most likely will in the future.

This was a point I was going to mention. A few years ago I called CARB and asked this very question. They said no 4BTs into FJ60s etc because of the GVW class. Of course people have somehow been getting 4BT FJ60s and FJ80s registered. But I can't afford to roll the dice on that one...

 

[Casper]

All good info. So I guess my next step is to find a local CA BAR office. I will try searching for that first. Thank you. Any other advise is welcome. I do think they make this WAY to hard to do.

Josh
:victory:

OK, what does BAR stand for? When I searched it all I came up with is Lawer stuff, no smog info?????

 

[BKCowGod]

Bureau of Auto Research...

And just FYI, you're pretty much not gonna get an oil burner engine into an Xterra.

The vehicle has to be able to pass the smog check for either the engine or the chassis, whichever is more difficult.

 

[kjp1969]

All good info. So I guess my next step is to find a local CA BAR office. I will try searching for that first. Thank you. Any other advise is welcome. I do think they make this WAY to hard to do.

Josh
:victory:

OK, what does BAR stand for? When I searched it all I came up with is Lawer stuff, no smog info?????

If you get totally stuck, call Jeeps-r-us in Laguna Beach. The owner there had the blown big-block CJ I mentioned above. If he still owns the place, he could be a wealth of info.
http://www.jeepsrus.com/

 

[ChuckB]

You might be able to take a VW 1.9TD and make it work "legally", as far as adapters and such you are probably on your own.