Okay, so I haven't lived here very long but I just took my wife's burb to a testing place yesterday. All they did was plug into OBD port and test gas cap. No sniffer test at all? So if a person took their cats off but didn't have a CEL they would still pass an emissions test here in a newer car? In California we were doing sniffer tests on a dyno!!
I recently got my emissions done. When talking with the guy he said that possibly next year they will be looking under the car at the cat, and at the engine. This is due to all the people modifying their car and the added pollution that non-catted cars produce. Could be true, or not.
Currently 1996 and up are gas cap/o.b.d.tests only. no visual cat. check at present.As long as all yor monitors are complete and no codes and good gas cap then you will pass.make sure you have not cleared codes/disconnected battery just before going to get tested or you will fail.
Why would just clearing codes before the test cause a fail? If I am running a catless DP with a AP my car shouldn't throw a code right?
If you reset your ECU it goes into learning mode, and usually has to be driven about 200 miles before it is ready to be tested
Good idea to keep your stock exhaust to swap back on for the visual test when they start that. I can't see any shop ever shelling out the cash for a 4WD dyno to do a sniffer test so you're safe on that.
Original poster, you'll be fine... cept for the gas smell from being catless. So unless the testers a dick, no probs!
There IS supposed to be a visual on the cat that is listed as "present" on the emissions sheet as part of your I/M test. But it is RARELY actually performed, especially on lower cars. I have worked at shops w/state inspection equipment for 5 years and no one really cares to look under a car that is not racked and most inspectors are sales people or general service techs that don't know about EM or simulators. So you shouldn't have a problem... but could
If you unhook your battery and than go for a test there are monitors that take up to 2 weeks to run (evap,catalyst,o2 sensor etc).you will fail because your car is not ready to be tested. As far as the sniffer test comment- there is a test for checking exhaust emissions that can be done without a dyno.but it is not normally done. When I went to emissions school just recently the instructor told us that a visual check for cats was not needed-that the computer would know the diff.I let him bask in his ignorance... (what does AP stand for?)...duh.thanks..yerrow