State of California- legal engine options
#1
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State of California- legal engine options
I just like alot of you fellow Lexus people want to make my car really fast with a turbo engine upgrade. Problem is I'm on a budget. Right now i'd rather drop a 1JZ then a 2JZ, but what really are my options for making it smog legal in california?
My car is a 93 5 speed SC300. can I simply drop in a 1JZ minus tranny? They are both OB1. OR do I need to drop in a 2JZGTE engine minus tranny???
I'm still a noob, and any help would be awesome.
My car is a 93 5 speed SC300. can I simply drop in a 1JZ minus tranny? They are both OB1. OR do I need to drop in a 2JZGTE engine minus tranny???
I'm still a noob, and any help would be awesome.
#2
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Ive dealt with the State Referee a couple times. Those guys are pretty strict. They'll accuse your OEM part of being aftermarket. Anyway, anything that comes from Japan will not be smog legal in the states. Especially in California. One of the reasons why, they have no EGR system so they are more "harmful to the environment." The tranny would have nothing to do with it since it has nothing to do with emissions. If you wanted to get into legalized tuning you can swap in a stock USDM 2JZGTE and have the State Referee give you a BAR certificate for an engine change. Everything has to be running smooth with no check engine light and must pass smog.
#4
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What Jspec said is right, whatever you've heard. You can put in a USDM 2jzgte with all emissions or (fully convert the JDM complete with all emissions) hassle but do-able.
The 1j will never be CARB legal so that route is closed if you want to keep it on the up and up.
That right there may be the biggest obstacle because the words "USDM 2jzgte swap" and "budget" don't mix well.
The 1j will never be CARB legal so that route is closed if you want to keep it on the up and up.
That right there may be the biggest obstacle because the words "USDM 2jzgte swap" and "budget" don't mix well.
Last edited by SCoupe; 07-17-08 at 12:09 AM.
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Yes you can get a USDM GTE BAR'd. The trouble is finding a complete USDM GTE plus they are almost double the price of its JDM counterpart. My JDM GTE passed smog with flying colors...at least the sniffer part, the visual didn't go too well with a single turbo .
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You don't necessarily need an EGR to pass sniffer. It is there to reduce emissions but that doesn't mean the engine can't run clean without it. Everything on the JDM motor was converted to USDM so i was running a maf, usdm 550's, usdm ecu, and stock cat. I was worried she wouldn't pass the sniffer but figured my single turbo shouldn't make a difference since the car doesn't even get into boost while smogging. The smog guy was nice enough to let me do a test run first to make sure it passes before doing the official test . As i mentioned earlier, the sniffer went great but for the visual, that didn't go to well LOL.
#11
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100% illegal if you do not have proper documentation that shows that the turbo kit is smog legal. This documentation, or CARB number, or whatever you want to call it usually comes in the more top of the line turbo setups that you have to buy as kits from big name companies which can back their product up which also means more cash for you to fork over to keep it legal in sunny California.