When i was 12 i went to the car dealer with my dad and we picked out and bought this 92 rs camaro. We took countless road trips and had amazing times. Dad died two years ago and the car has been in the garage in philly since. I cant sell it and want to bring it out to california where i live and keep it forever. Will this car bought in pa pass emissions? If not what will it take to make it pass. Its the base model v6. It was well maintained.thanks for your help

 

I wouldn't worry about it too much if its a v6 as long as it has The Catalytic converters & Original Engine Exhaust Manifolds and nobodys messed with them, and if its been sitting for years the carbon buildup in the engine is nothing a good tune up & Fuel system cleaner can't fix & surely pass CA emissions. As long as you haven't removed any of the original smog equipment & don't have an exhaust Leak it will be fine.

 

Check your emissions tag under the hood and see if it says that it passes California Emissions. They will inspect for that. I was able to get some out of state cars licensed in California but it was more than a few years ago so you may want to look on the State sites for more info or maybe someone has current first hand experience. Here's a start, it really covers new cars but it may help you find the info you need.
http://www.dmv.ca.gov/pubs/brochures...cts/ffvr29.htm

 

Thanks guys! It was never altered so im guessing its all there. It was well maintained but well driven too so its going to prob need something to get it to pass.

 

I already checked the dmv sites and it was as helpful as some of the people there. I am just worried that its a 49 state vehicle and not having the cal compliant tag is a prob even if i pass smog. Anything else i need to worry about? I know i might as well buy a boat given what this may cost me but its worth it.

 

It's not so much the smog as it is what I feel it will cost you to register the car as a California car and get All new California Plates,

 

A good old fashioned hold up from the state gov im sure.

 

"All new California plates" cost pretty much the same as plates anywhere else (except of course for place like Mississippi, where the fees are calculated based on the vehicle's value); something in the $75/yr range IIRC. NBD.

A non-CA car moved to CA must meet Federal (49-state) emissions standards using CA's test methods. I put about a half-dozen of my 49-state cars through that process when I moved out there.

If the car is COMPLETE - every hose, sensor, solenoid, wire, connector, tube, pump, the air cleaner, EVERY THING related to engine controls - and its actual emissions are within spec as measured on the chassis dyno using the specified driving program, it will pass.

It's really not as big a deal as people want to make it out to be.

 

I actually bought a car from a dealer in CA that came from Texas. When I went to register it, they said that they couldn't because even though everything was there, and I passed the smog test, there was no emissions sticker on the car. I went to the junkyard, peeled one off the same year, make and model, glued it down, took the car back to the DMV, and they passed it.
That said, I do think that if everything is there, and it passes smog, you should be able to register it.Take care of all the easy things first like filters, plugs,gas cap (a big deal, make sure that you have a new one), and make sure that you heat the car up good before having it tested.
Good luck!

 

Yup: the sticker is actually part of the emissions "equipment". It's as much "equipment" as hoses, sensors, etc. May seem strange, but then again, if you think about it...

Seems like I had to do the same thing to one of my cars, because the sticker was on a plastic piece (the top radiator clamp), which had been replaced but the sticker hadn't been moved.

 

They used to charge an "impact fee" for importing an out of state car, but the courts struck that down as a violation of free trade.


Depending where you live, you might be in a so called "Enhanced" testing region, or a "basic" region, or way out in the country, no testing at all. If you're anywhere close to an urban area it will be "enhanced". This means you get to take the dyno test. They call that test "ASM" (Acceleration Simulation or something like that). Test standards for the dyno (ASM) test are listed on this site:
http://www.smogcheck.ca.gov/pubwebqu...VROLET&MY=1992
The limits depend on your exact model and drivetrain options. The limits are a bit different for everything, even adjacent models that we would say are identical. It appears the limits get rigged automatically by a computer somewhere after crunching past results on that model.

For some reason they list 2 different test standards, ASM2525 and ASM5015. I don't know what the deal with that is, I guess the most strict one probably applies.


If you have the car registered in a "basic" testing region, then you take a 2 speed idle test, no dyno. They test the car while revved at 2500rpm, then at idle. This test doesn't check N2O, but they do check that the EGR valve appears to be intact and they try to open it to see if it makes the engine stumble. The test limits for this "TSI" test are listed in this PDF:
http://www.smogcheck.ca.gov/80_BARRe...e-Jan_2007.pdf
It says last updated in 1995 which seems like it must be outdated. But the thresholds it shows for 1986 match the test I took recently.
The limits for two-speed-idle are less strict than the dyno test. They are also based only on model year, without regard to what kind of car it is. This means some cars will have a harder time than others in the same model year, like say a carbureted 1985 vs an MPFI 1985 vehicle. But it's an easier test than the dyno anyway.

You must have an emissions tag under the hood, and all your vacuum lines must be connected as shown on the diagram. The inspector will type in your VIN and his computer will tell him what sensors and emissions equipment your car is supposed to have. It all has to be there.
Aftermarket cats, manifolds, etc have to carry a CARB approval, but if the inspector can't tell it's aftermarket (or just doesn't care) then you can get away with it.
I've never seen them crawl under a car and inspect the labeling on the cat, but if they did then it has to either be stock or CARB approved. I doubt a stock cat will pass the tailpipe test after 20 years, unless the car is in such perfect tune the cat has nothing to do.

Check engine light must work (comes on when turning the key), but not be on after starting the car. Fortunately, on OBD1 they don't hook up to the computer so they won't get any more detailed than checking the light. ECM alterations won't cause a fail as long as everything looks normal under the hood and it passes the tailpipe.
They check base timing at the distributor on cars so equipped. It has to be within +/- 3 degrees.

Know your enemy. Download these PDFs:
http://www.bar.ca.gov/80_BARResource...eck_Guide.html
Particularly the Smog Check Inspection Procedures Manual. Those are the procedures that the emissions test shop will follow when they check your car.
The rules encourage the inspector to check your car somewhat cold - once the idle gets down below 1000rpm, and *maybe* after he hears the fan cycle once, he'll start the test. They won't get the cat hot, and aren't even allowed to do things that would quickly preheat it.

 

Well stated Armos....

 

When I moved out there, I was in an "enhanced" area (N SD county).

I got the dyno test and a pretty thorough visual; but as said, they didn't check the cat real carefully, beyond just sticking a mrirror up under there to make sure it was there. They DID check for the EO # on my headers, which were Edelbrock TES so there was a little tag with that on it. I don't recall what else they checked, but I'm quite sure they didn't even ask about the cam, which was DEFINITELY not stock. Didn't seem to affect its numbers though.

No "impact fee".

They used a catalog, like Borg-Warner or Standard Ignition or something, to see what "accessories" my car was supposed to have, and verified that each and every one was there, hooked up, and "to the eye" at least, working. That was every sensor, valve, solenoid, and so forth; and they verified the vacuum limes against the routing on the sticker. Even the air cleaner "Thermac" (aftermarket air cleaner would have been instant fail).

They definitely checked the Check Engine light and the timing; but since these computers are so Stone Age, no diagnostic hookup like they do now to OBD2 cars. They had a machine to pressurize the gas cap and make sure that held like it's supposed to.

 

Hey I got my first camaro a few weeks ago it has a Arizona title , how much was yours to register in California , and what part of Cali are u in I'm in so cal near riverside .