Ro_Ja Boy

I purchased a car from a forum member a month ago and wasn't made aware it wouldn't pass smog legally due to not having any cats. The car has longtube headers and a catless x-pipe. In NV, we don't have visual inspections, just have to not have any CEL's and the car's systems have to be ready. There are no CEL's, but the tuner shut the readiness of the cat systems off so no CELs show on the dash, but technically would.

I have had cars with cats removed before, but they had antifoulers put into the o2 bungs to trick the system into thinking there was a cat. Can anything similar be done to trick SMOG into thinking there are cats? Otherwise, my only option might be to put the stock headers back on and have the car retuned/have them turn on the cats readiness.

Thanks in advance for any ideas. I'd love to avoid the expense of swapping out the headers and think the car is perfect with the headers.

Ryan

badbenzz

Have you run an OBD test to see if any codes show up. If not, as long as the CEL is off the dash you should be good. By the way I am in NV as well and the smog test's out here as lightening fast compared to CA where I moved from. Based on the year of the car, 2008 no visual required, he plugs into the OBD port and he's done. From start to finish less than 10 minutes. Good luck.

Ro_Ja Boy

badbenzz

Generally you have to drive the car for a hundred or so miles before it goes away. On a side note is there anyplace to drive out here with some twisties?

Ro_Ja Boy

Any thoughts as to whether I could put a high flow cat into the X-pipe and that would then allow me to pass (after also turning back on the cats on the ECU)?

amglovin

Register it in Montana, problem solved.

SuckaGDog

It doesn't matter what you do to the exhaust now. The tuner has already disabled the cat readiness monitors via the tune. You have to get the tune modified and have those settings reenabled. Then either do your defouler mod (not recommended because LTFTs being thrown off), or add some cats back in.

Ro_Ja Boy

Thanks. That's what I've determined as well. Was hoping to find someone in NV that could pass it, but am having no luck. Just about ready to put the stock headers/cats back on, retune the car (and have them turn the settings back on) and call it a day.

sullyz

SuckaGDog is correct, the tuner disabled them in the tune, but not in a way that shows the readiness monitors have "passed". I'm not intimately familiar with the tuning on these cars, but in an ideal situation the tuner would tune the post cat O2's out, but so that it showed the readiness monitors completed and passed. I've run into this in the BMW and GM world where some tuners know how to do it properly and others do not. I just don't know if the CLK63 software can be coded this way. If not, you'll have to have them re-enabled and run anti foulers or install some good high flow cats.

Ro_Ja Boy

I don't believe antifoulers or high flow cats will work as a solution on these cars from what I'm told. I have one more hope that I'm meeting today...otherwise it'll be be swapping back the headers/cats and retune.

John Choi

The tuner needs to set the OBDII to not available instead not ready statues. Only other option other than putting oem parts back on is register the car in non emission counties in Nv.

Ro_Ja Boy

How would I register in another county without having an address there? Also, what about insurance and matching the address of that to wherever I register? Any implications if there are ever any insurance claims?

John Choi

nailed it, the issues with registering the cars in Pahrump, Nv. This town has average of 5 cars registered per household. I would try get it retuned if its possible before putting back the oem exhaust manifold but putting it back to stock exhaust set up will never give a emission issues again...

Ro_Ja Boy

Just sucks that we have harder emissions than other states. And ever worse that if I were in CA, I'd have a solution there. Last hope today or else putting stock headers on and calling it a day.

Ro_Ja Boy