need to pass California Emmisions.

[green97gt]

hey guys, im trying to get some info on California emissions

i am trying to prep the 2000 outback to be able to pass California emissions.

all the info i can find on it is pretty vague. anyone live there? if so what can you tell me?

do they just use a 5gas machine? or? what are the acceptable limits?

all the emissions equipment is present, but i odnt know if it works correctly yet.


thanks for any info.

EDIT: ive read that all 2000's were California equipped. true?

[Sarra]

California vehicles had the second O2 sensor behind the second cat, Federal emissions had the second o2 in between the cats.

I believe that California will do a visual inspection, an OBDII test, a sniffer test, and a loaded sniffer test. Not sure if they do 4 or 5 gas.

Visual basically means they want to see a stock car. :unamused:

OBDII means they look to see if all of the readiness monitors are flagged tested, and then they check for any fault codes (MIL's, DTC's, basically, is your Check Engine light on). You pass if the monitors have all run, and if there are no DTC's in the ECU.

The sniffer test checks for HC, CO, CO2, and O2 at idle. Not sure on Cali, but the lower the HC, higher the CO2, and lower the CO, the better. O2 is simply measured to make sure there are no holes in your exhaust system.

Loaded sniffer test puts your car on an all wheel dyno, and they will load the engine at 2,500 RPM. They will check for HC, CO, CO2, O2, and now NOx. Again, low HC, low CO, high CO2, low O2, and low NOx are what they're looking for.

If you fail the visual, well, that's obvious.

If you fail the OBDII test, I'll help you if it happens depending on what happened. If you have any CEL's, pull the codes and fix them basically. If any monitors are 'not run', then you simply need to figure out why, and do a Drive Cycle, then go back.

Now the Sniffer, both loaded and unloaded.

HC is hydrocarbons. This shows how well your car burns fuel. 220 PPM (parts per million) is the legal limit in Oregon. If you have lots of HC, you are not burning all of your fuel, a misfire or incomplete combustion process.
CO is mixture. If your O2 sensor is messed up, it will show up here. This is a percentage. 1% is the legal limit in Oregon. The higher the percentage, the richer your mixture is. The lower, the leaner. If it is 0%, and HC is still low, that is a very good thing (very efficient motor).
CO2 is cat efficiency. The higher, the better. This is also a percentage. 10% is about a minimum, 12-14% is pretty darn good for a good working cat. If it is low, and CO and HC are normal, then you need to replace your cats.
O2 is Oxygen content. percentage again. 10% is the legal limit in Oregon. It typically is around 3%, anything higher and I'd suspect an exhaust leak. 10% is a gross exhaust leak. 23% means the sniffer isn't in the exhaust at all. :p
NOx is Oxides of Nitrogen. These are BAD. You WANT to see 0. I believe these are a percentage. The N is Nitrogen, the O is Oxygen, and the x is a variable. You can have NO1, NO2, and NO3. The others are rare from what I understand. NOx forms in hot combustion processes, when the combustion chamber gets over 2,500 degrees F. If this is high, well, Subaru doesn't use an EGR system, so it makes it easy. Check the timing, run a top engine clean, and make sure your cooling system is good. The catalytic converters used on OBDII cars are not good at removing NOx, the Cat Piss cats they are putting on Diesel trucks are.

Anything you have questions of, I just spent an entire term learning about this stuff. :p Also google the limits in cali, since I don't know them, only the Oregon limits.

[legacy98gt]

its a pain here in ca. i just put the car COMPLETELY back to stock, they wont even pass it with a hi flow cat or a new muffler it has to be oem i hate ca smog laws

[Sarra]

Muffler really shouldn't matter unless it's loud. I can see High Flow cat doing it though.

This is why I'm moving to grants pass. No inspection at all. ;)

[98outbackpdx]

i heard somewhere that someone ran their a/c and failed and turned it of and passed, dont know if it was true.

[green97gt]

ok, so this car keeps throwing a P0420 code, ive replaced both O2 sensors, and checked for leaks, so now im hunting for a CAT, ive founs some, like on ebay, or rockauto.com etc.

but my question is; they all say 49 state legal, not for use in california.

why?
will these not fit the bill for passing emissions in california?

anyone got any advice on wherre to find a suitable cat?

[green97gt]

ok, so i found this

http://www.arb.ca.gov/msprog/NonCAVeh/NonCAVeh.pdf

and called the number on it, and was told that any non new(more than 7,500 miles) vehicle being registered in CA for the first time must ONLY pass the federal emissions standards.

which basically means that all emissions equipment must me in place and functional, must not have a CEL for any issue, and all "readyness tests must be performed and completed without issue"

so that makes life easier.

also, thanks sarra for all the info.

[ouch1011]

Vehicles only have to pass the emissions tests that they were certified for when they were sold NEW. i.e. if your car only meets federal emissions when new, then that's all it needs to meet in order for you to register it USED in California. But, if it was a California car, it has to meet California emissions.

Also, if you have any CEL on, regardless of what code it is, it will not pass emissions in any state. And simply clearing the codes and then taking it to get tested won't cut it.

[jduldula]

They made it a law in CA this past july 2009 that you cant have aftermarket control units or exhaust for that matter, it has to be sold from the dealer for it to be considered legal.

[legacy98gt]

i hate ca laws

[subyfreak619]

well my 96 legacy from cali had the p0420 code too. i freaked out also knowing that i would fail because of the check engine "money" light. my simple fix was a spark plug defouler. its a very very simple fix check it out on honda tech :smt019 ... i know honda..but it got me to pass with the skin on arse.AND i didnt have to replace the cat. :lol: http://www.honda-tech.com/showthread.php?t=1841240
ok, so this car keeps throwing a P0420 code, ive replaced both O2 sensors, and checked for leaks, so now im hunting for a CAT, ive founs some, like on ebay, or rockauto.com etc.

but my question is; they all say 49 state legal, not for use in california.

why?
will these not fit the bill for passing emissions in california?

anyone got any advice on wherre to find a suitable cat?

[Sarra]

I have one of those as well. I purchased it for the Legacy GT, but never got around to putting it on. It threw codes for the FRONT O2 sensor anyway, so it never would have been useful. :(

I just refer to it as an O2 spacer. And they've been used for years.

Also, Universe paging California, Universe paging California, haven't you fallen into the frickin Pacific yet? What's the HOLD UP?