• Welcome to the Contour Enthusiasts Group, the best resource for the Ford Contour and Mercury Mystique.

    You can register to join the community.

Smog Test and a Modified CSVT

nasty1

CEG'er
Joined
Jul 14, 2003
Messages
326
Location
Los Angeles, Ca
Hey guys, I'm out in LA right now and entertaining the idea of making the move. I'm curious though about how difficult it will be to get the car registered in CA and to pass the smog test. Looking to get some guidance from those who have been in similar situation.

The car is a port matched 3L in a 1999 body. The engine bay looks very stock. I am using an optimized throttle body, the stock accordion tube, a pudmonkie heat shield with a shorter K&N filter. All of the intake bits have been powder coated a low gloss black similar to the original paint on the UIM.

From an exhaust perspective I have MSDS headers and y pipe as well as a magnaflow exhaust. This is my biggest concern as I know there will be a visual inspection of the system. I'm using mil eliminators to clear the check engine light.

So what am I looking at here? Could this be as simple as putting on a stock air box and installing a catalytic converter after the y-pipe? Anyone with similar mods able to pass the smog test? All tips and suggestions welcome!
 
Yo. That's a bad state for a gearhead to move to. The inspection techs out there are actually trained to spot abnormalities, especially CEL Eliminators. It's a common "off road" part installed on cars. All u'd need to do is to find a tech that can "hook u up".
 
Ok. I passed smog. Here is what I did:

1. Put on mufflers to go from "racecar" noise level to "sports car"
2. Installed stock intake
3. Had a couple PCV hoses replaced that could impact visual
4. Put stock 2.5L IMRC cover on (hah!)
5. Confirmed I would pass the sniffer beforehand

So it basically came down to passing visual. I did ALOT of research on where to the take the car for the smog. Shady shops don't exist anymore, but finding one without a lift, limited staff and not connected to a mechanic was key.

Honestly I think I got lucky here. The guy saw the lack of cats on the headers and the non california cat downstream. He either didn't quite know what he was looking for or helped me out. Either way I passed, and once I get this sucker registered at the DMV I will be throwing a big chunk of money into making it look the part. More to come...
 
Lol @ #4;). Congrats. All that work only to pass smog. I love cali, but not that much. Enjoy.

Thanks Julian. Very happy right now. Time for body, paint and interior work then hopefully back to working on the nitrous setup. Always more to do.
 
Shady shops don't exist anymore, ..

au contraire moonfraire. ive got one not too far from my home in the 818 that ive used a few times. i know of a couple of more around as well. just have to know the right people to ask. but it is getting harder and more expensive.

welcome to LA.
 
Back
Top