Having not recently owned a '96+ vehicle, I had assumed that, like most states, CA subjects OBD-II cars only to the plug-in test and does not run 'em on the rollers. During a recent conversation, I was told not so; that they all get the tailpipe test.

Those of you who own OBD-II cars in CA, which is it? Plugin only, or do you still have to run the idle / 15 / 25 test with the sniffer?

 

Both as well as a fuel filler cap pressure test.

 

You get EVERYTHING.

The visual
The plug in
The sniffer
And the gas cap


They don't call CA the "smog ****" state for no reason

 

For the OP's question, it depends on the county. For example, in Santa Cruz county, the sniffer test is required for OBDII, but not on the rollers. The gas cap test is NOT required on OBDII vehicles, but IS required on OBDI. As well, in Santa Cruz, the rollers are not required on any car, but with my OBDII truck, I always seem to test much cleaner on the rollers.
But in the next county over, Santa Clara, rollers/sniffer are required whether OBDI or II. Then in counties like Humboldt, nothing is required smog-wise, unless it has changed recently. So there isn't a yes or no, really. Then real answer is: it depends.

 

I guess I should have specified:

I'm in Northern CA. Specifically Sacramento.

 

****.

****.

Blood-drenched frozen tampon popsicles.


Just for once I thought that CA was going to make my life a little easier. I had the whole design sketched out. It was beautiful. The ultimate parallel install. Women would swoon and grown men would cry in its presence.

This complicates matters slightly.


********-shitting rectal warts...

 

Devise a creative means to register your vehicle in a non-enhanced zip code. You'll only need a smog check at transfer of ownership, not biennial. BTW, I was wrong in my previous post; this stuff regulated by zip code, not county.

 

Sounds like you've been in hustlers fridge and saw his bum

 

how hard is it to pass a sniffer test with a tune-able EMS?

probably not 1/10 as hard as finding a blind guy who does emissions tests.

 

It's quite easy to pass the sniffer by tuning. But the sniffer isn't the challenge. Failure was certain for my MS standalone car as I had no way to control CEL and EGR. And since my last inspection was at a "Test Only" station, there was no option other than to re-install the OE ECU. (the CEL was the first thing he checked).

side note to give an idea of how **** they can be:
There was an unfortunate fella who was tested before me who had failed on a previous date due to a faulty cat in his Solara. He fitted a brand new cat, which had the same part number as an OE cat for a camry, and he returned for a re-test. THey failed him, after he spent upwards of $1000.00, on the grounds that his new cat was approved for the Camry, not the Solara, even though it's the same part number. If you're in an enhanced area of CA, and you're required to go to a test only station, pray.

 

I think you missed the part of his install being parallel and joe being smart enough to get around check engine lights.

hell, I passed a plug-in OBDII test with an Adaptronic installed just last month. no check engine lights. all readiness monitors run. it just requires a little creative effort.

visual test on the other hand...

 

I've passed 3 times here with no EGR valve installed, and all three times the check engine light came on during the drive home. Thank goodness we can have three 'not ready' signals here. A visual inspection isn't required here, though one time the younger guy testing my car busted my ***** a little after he saw the intercooler. (we're not allowed to alter the stock intake system at all in the Milwaukee area, including 50-state legal intakes)