Anyone actually gone to the ref station?

 

Well there is still the visual. Im not sure if the # for the gasses are different , but u would still have to get a NA model rerffed to have it be street legal with a Turbo motor in it. They have different emissions parts. The Ref's do a VERY thourough visual. Thats why they ussually ask you to leave the car with them for the entire day.

Well your not gonna get ur car impounded for loud exhust & modded intake. But if you have a front mount, bigger turbo(s), Nos hook ups, bottles that are hooked up, headers. If all these combined with anything else, & a buncha chrome crap all over. With no carb #s. I believe they will imound the car.

 

I did have upgraded turbo, big *** FMIC, DP (equivalent of headers on a turbo), and other crap and no impound. The impound thing is BS unless maybe you are driving like an idiot.

So I ask again anyone actually have 1st hand experience with the ref station? What exactly does it entail?

 

Anyone fought it in court before going to ref?

 

sent you a PM

 

thank you

ed

 

350 TPI off a 91 Vette. The previous owner got it smogged and everything. The sticker on the door jam says that it has a 5.7 L V8. It has all the smog equipment on it.

 

Any recommendations for a ref in the San Gabriel Valley, Pomona Valley, Orange County area? I will absolutly have every smog part that came stock, so I'm ready to go through that process.

 

This thread is great...

1. My parents used to own a donut shop in San Leanrdo and while making donuts in the middle of the night, everyone would stop by. CHP, park ranger, local police etc. They hung out there quite awhile atleast an hour. Maybe their shift was over?? That was about 10 years ago. Atleast the store was safe.

2. I used to live about 2 blocks away from Wyotech. I had my S4 converted to S5 engine and had to get the referee to inspect the car since it didn't have an EGR. Those guys were great. They had such a hard time finding stuff. Why don't smog technicans ever listen? I point out the EGR valve but they still poke around getting burned. It took about 1 hour and I had a CARB sticker in the door jam. I've also gone to Wyotech to smog a friend's modified car who been ticketed for illegal mods. I've never seen so many losers in my life....

3. Piercdawg, Can you easily determine if someone has added denaturered (sp?) alcohol to the gas tank?

 

good question

 

No, its not part of the inspection. I dont test the gas, or even smell the gas. The reason it takes so long and they dont listen is because most people have no clue what they are talking about. Or they are lieing. We need to make SURE that everything is the way its supose to be. Most smog techs dont know that a S4 has an EGR & a S5 doesnt. We have a massive book that tells us what is supose to be in what. Then when u change it we are supose to make sure its correct. If u look at your emissions label under the hood on the S4 it says its supose to have an EGR. He looks & doesnt see one, then u tell him u did a motor change to a newer year and that motor doesnt have one. Well he has to look up both years in his book, and make sure that its actually the motor you say it is. its not as simple as it sounds. Is a ref or smog tech supose to belive everything a customer says? How does he know thst u didnt just take the EGR valve off & block it off? or only put a S5 manifold on there. He doesnt know all the differences between S4 & S5

 

Anticipating going through this process considering my TII/Vert swap, can anyone refer me to a ref that has already been through this process so I can avoid the brain damage of their going through Wankle education?

Again, talking ideal locations in or near the Pomona Valley/north OC area.

 

There probably isnt very many ref stations in your area. Just go to a smog shop and ask the manager there where the closest one is. Or call 1-800-952-5210 thats the # to the BAR. They should be able to tell you as well.

 

so how does it work if ur first gen never had an egr, doesnt have a hookup for it, and in its history , mazda didnt put one on? try that (and yes its been registered 12 times already, the last smog was illegal tho)

 

I dont quite understand what your telling me. Is it the stock motor? if it is, and its not supose to have one then dont worry about it. But if you going to swap a T2 motor in it it depends if its a S5 motor or S4. If its S4 then it has to have the egr, and if its S5 then it doesnt. Can u be a little more clear and tell what you askin?

 

Do you know what the penalty for running w/o a catalytic converter is?

 

I've been pulled over and had a chp officer lok under my car for a cat. I dont have one but I have a resonator in the place of where one woulds be. And it looks like a cat. I've been told it can be pretty hrash. I have herd it can be up to like $30K and up to 1 year in prison, but I doubt that would ever happen. Maybe if its like your 5th time being caught. They might impound the car, and make you get it fixed. They might just give you a fix it ticket and then make you get it reffed. Its not smart to get caught driving without a cat. Just do what I did and have something there that looks like a cat. It will be money well spent

 

the guy i go thru now does them for me for a lil $$$, but the car never had one, and now all the stations i go to say i need an egr, i tell them they are full of ****, and they say it requires one, so u, being a smog tech, can u explain why that is all of a sudden that i need an egr?
not that it matters really, i just took out my rats nest so there is no way that thing is legal
side note, yes its the stock 12 a

 

What year & model is your car? From what I looked up oin the book a 1980 1st gen Ca. model had an EGR. Look at your underhood emissions label. It will say there if it is supose to have one or not. If its not, I dont know what to tell you. They must have looked it up wrong or somethin wasn't right.

 

ok look, i been in the car game probably since u were in diapers. my car was originally sold in texas, bben in california since 89, and yet has to have an egr, yet everyone i go to says i need on,and i know emissions, i take parts off all the time, and yes i know what i take off. so why is it that i all of a fucken sudden need an egr, no one can explain it to me, not even the ref!!!!, i can school the on it, but yet all i get is" you need an egr". so i say : fuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuccccccccccccckkkkkkkkkkkkk yoooooooooooooouuuuuuuuu" and go to my smog guy. me----> <--- the carb assosciation

 

side note, my car is an 6/83 fb gs with no egr, cruise control, and a nikki carb
so i know its not an 84 model year, cuz back in those days, the next model year came out in sept/oct

 

i think a aftermarket intercooler with stock turbos is ok as long as everything emmision wise is still there

 

Aftermarket intercoolers are illegal. Any IC that doesn't have a OE # is illegal.

 

piercdawg, which shop do you work at in Vallejo? I live there also, and would like to come by and check out your car, if that's cool. Bring my son's 90 vert, n/a with me. And what days do you work?

PEACE THE DOG

 

i have a question, i got some denatured alchohol so my car wont run so rich so i can pass, how do i do this exactly i heard it can burn holes in the rotors or do other damage. how many galons do i use etc etc. plz any info is apprecaited

Tony