I have a 99 Civic with a B18b Greddy turbo and live in CA. It's time to smog it again. I was running a chipped OBD I ecu, The car has to be OBD II when smogged so I switched it out yesterday with an OBD II ecu and hooked up the crappy blue box fmu. I get a freakin CEL when I drive it for a bit so I pull the code and it's a 45 which means "Too Rich or too lean." I'm sure the freakin blue box is making it run rich. My question is, when I smog, should I just take out the blue box? It should be safe, right? I'd appreciate some help. Freakin CA sucks with this smog crap.
Passing Smog with Greddy Turbo
- Thread starter turbo99
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No shop wants to smog it even with the carb sticker. They see the turbo and the b18B swap and say that they don't want to get in trouble. I think I'm just going to take the turbo out and try to smog it with just the B18b and the LS OBDII ecu. They shouldn't give me any hassle, right? What do you guys think? They shouldn't trip off the LS engine, right?
The LS isn't bar'd yet. Do I absolutely have to do that? I don't really want to go through the hassle. Can't I just smog it without the turbo and hope that the smog techs won't say anything? I do have an intercooler and bov so do you think the smog ref will say no to those? My car is supposed to be OBD II, but I have a chipped OBD I ecu. Will the smog ref say no that as well?
The CARB exemption that comes with the turbo kit is only good for one specific kind of engine/chassis setup. That's why you see kits certified for 92-95 Civics, but not 96-00 Civics- even if they'll work just as well on either configuration. Since you're swapped, you're deviating from that exempt setup- so you won't pass unless you grease someone's palms with some extra cash.
The B18 swap with the original OBD2 emissions hardware WILL pass smog if you go through all the proper channels, but not if everything's setup with the OBD1 hardware. You're removing (disconnecting) some of the car's smog equipment by converting to OBD1, so that doesn't pass.
If you want the car to pass, hook up all the emissions goodies (including ECU) that came with the car and make sure it runs without any dummy lights, then take it to the smog ref. Make sure all your turbo stuff is out of the car and not just sitting there not hooked up. They'll know something is up if you leave it in place. When you're done, put all the OBD1 crap back in and reinstall the turbo kit.
It's a pain in the ass, but at least you only have to do it once every 2 years in Cali.
The B18 swap with the original OBD2 emissions hardware WILL pass smog if you go through all the proper channels, but not if everything's setup with the OBD1 hardware. You're removing (disconnecting) some of the car's smog equipment by converting to OBD1, so that doesn't pass.
If you want the car to pass, hook up all the emissions goodies (including ECU) that came with the car and make sure it runs without any dummy lights, then take it to the smog ref. Make sure all your turbo stuff is out of the car and not just sitting there not hooked up. They'll know something is up if you leave it in place. When you're done, put all the OBD1 crap back in and reinstall the turbo kit.
It's a pain in the ass, but at least you only have to do it once every 2 years in Cali.
MikeBergy
Blah blah blah....
YOu should be fine if you have all of your smog equipment that came with the car, and you have an obd2 ecu. And yeah, if the turbo stuff is off, you will be okay. It's seriously not a big hassle bro. You could probably take off and reinstall a turbokit in like 4-6 hours tops. You could take off the kit, take the car to the ref, and then put the kit back on in the same day if you wanted to.