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Engine Swaps and Passing Emissions

sawtooth4x4

sawtooth4x4

Totally Awesome
Location
Land of East Laytonshire
What are the rules as far as engine swaps go?

My Range Rover's engine is getting older and has 135 K on the motor. If it makes it to 175K it will definitely need something.

I'm looking at doing a LS swap. Probably a 5.7L V8. With a 700R4 behind it an an adapter to my stock T-Case.

Other then keeping all the smog equipment intact and having catalytic converters, what else is needed to pass?
 
cruiseroutfit

cruiseroutfit

Cruizah!
Moderator
Vendor
Location
Sandy, Ut
What year? In Utah the County health department has guidelines that are in addition to state and fed guidelines. SL County is pretty lax, Utah County not so much... not sure on Davis.
 
sLcREX

sLcREX

Formerly Maldito X
Location
Utah
Main things to check are that it's a newer year than the car, that if maintains all the emissions equipment intact and that it has all the OBD compliant details for that particular vehicle or motor.

I ran into problems when I put a OBD II motor in a non OBD vehicle converted to OBD I. The inspection guy didn't like it very much and did not pass me. So you would want to keep it OBD II in that instance.
 
sLcREX

sLcREX

Formerly Maldito X
Location
Utah
For example your Rover will be OBD 2a or b and then when you upgrade motors you should also be OBD 2 so that part won't be an issue. Now I'm guessing the motor you swap in will be a different displacement and the emissions person will probably ask you that. So they will go off of the guidelines for the car the motor came off of, like charcoal canisters, primary and secondary o2 sensors, emission levels for that particular car. At least those have been my experiences, and they could differ from the actual rulebook.
 
TurboMinivan

TurboMinivan

Still plays with cars
Location
Lehi, UT
(raises hand)

Oh! Oh! I can help!!!

:)

Be smart: contact the local division of Air Quality in advance. Tell them what you have and what you're planning. They ought to be happy to give you advice and let you know what it will take for the end result to be smog legal.

I did exactly this way back before I began my (eternal) project Miata. In my case, Air Quality told me the recipient vehicle's smog sticker generally took precedence. In other words, if the OEM engine had EGR than the new engine would also need EGR on it. They said I could not go "backwards" with the new engine, ie I couldn't drop from multi-point EFI to a carb (which I didn't want to do anyway).

Long story short: it's better to talk to them before you start than to complete a project only to discover you have to re-do part (or all) of it because you broke The Rules.
 
jeep-N-montero

jeep-N-montero

Formerly black_ZJ
Location
Bountiful
TurboMinivan said:
(raises hand)

Oh! Oh! I can help!!!

:)

Be smart: contact the local division of Air Quality in advance. Tell them what you have and what you're planning. They ought to be happy to give you advice and let you know what it will take for the end result to be smog legal.

I did exactly this way back before I began my (eternal) project Miata. In my case, Air Quality told me the recipient vehicle's smog sticker generally took precedence. In other words, if the OEM engine had EGR than the new engine would also need EGR on it. They said I could not go "backwards" with the new engine, ie I couldn't drop from multi-point EFI to a carb (which I didn't want to do anyway).

Long story short: it's better to talk to them before you start than to complete a project only to discover you have to re-do part (or all) of it because you broke The Rules.
Click to expand...

Which engine did you put in the Miata?
 
D

Deleted member 12904

Guest
It was back in 99 I had my IM license for SL county but I remember taking the class the guy teaching told us if you call and ask if I can do "this" swap we will likely say no but if you call and say we did this swap now what? They will work with you to make it legal.
 
TurboMinivan

TurboMinivan

Still plays with cars
Location
Lehi, UT
black_ZJ said:
On one of the sub-frames or the trans tunnel?
Click to expand...

Front (aftermarket tubular) subframe--we need to test fit the engine so we can decide where/how to attach the engine mounts, then remove the engine and weld on said engine mounts. Then I'll have the subframe powdercoated, bolt it in, and insert the engine. This will then allow us to deduce where the trans crossmember needs to be attached. After that, it's all downhill.

The rear diff is already mounted and installed.
 
S

skeptic

Registered User
I have a '77 Celica with an engine out of a Turbo MR2 from Japan. The engine swap was done in Miami where they have no smog testing and I was worried the lack of an EGR would keep me from passing here in Davis county. All the rules and regulations seem stupid to me, the ONLY thing that should matter is tail-pipe emissions. Seriously, who cares what kind of engine swap you do, or if you change the emissions stuff all around as long as the sniffer test at the tail-pipe passes. In any event, I live in Davis county and the local shop that did the inspection either didn't notice the missing EGR or didn't care - the modern JDM engine runs worlds cleaner than the stock carb and points engine ever could.
 
jeep-N-montero

jeep-N-montero

Formerly black_ZJ
Location
Bountiful
TurboMinivan said:
Front (aftermarket tubular) subframe--we need to test fit the engine so we can decide where/how to attach the engine mounts, then remove the engine and weld on said engine mounts. Then I'll have the subframe powdercoated, bolt it in, and insert the engine. This will then allow us to deduce where the trans crossmember needs to be attached. After that, it's all downhill.

The rear diff is already mounted and installed.
Click to expand...

Doesn't Boss Frog sell an already made front sub-frame, or is that just for the LsX motors?
 
TurboMinivan

TurboMinivan

Still plays with cars
Location
Lehi, UT
skeptic said:
I was worried the lack of an EGR would keep me from passing here in Davis county.

the local shop that did the inspection either didn't notice the missing EGR or didn't care - the modern JDM engine runs worlds cleaner than the stock carb and points engine ever could.
Click to expand...

By legal definition, your car is supposed to have EGR on it. However, the department of air quality is willing to waive some smog equipment requirements provided you (a) disclose their removal and (b) demonstrate that the resulting engine runs at least as clean--if not cleaner--after the upgrade. For example, one of my mechanics bought an old Subaru Brat and got it running and registered with its OEM carbed engine. Later, he removed the EFI setup from a newer junkyard Subaru and grafted it onto his Brat. By doing so, he made one or two items no longer necessary (might have been an air pump, maybe EGR, I don't recall). He went to Air Quality to show them his handiwork. They inspected it themselves, then smog tested it themselves to verify compliance, and when it passed they gave him an underhood decal proclaiming the car smog legal w/o the formerly-required hardware.

Getting waivers can be done simply and legally if you follow the correct process.
 
R

RockLegendsUT

New Member
If its 95 and older they run the emissions from the tail pipe. It's easier to do swaps on obd1 vehicles because as long as it passes visual inspection and the tail pipe reader you're fine. If its 96 or newer it's not going to pass. They plug into the obd2 dock and will fail simply on the ecu not giving the vehicles vin number on some years and it won't read if it's not the cars actual ecu. The easiest solution to this is register your vehicle in Tooele or grants ville or somewhere that doesn't require emissions.
 
gijohn40

gijohn40

too poor to wheel... :(
Location
Layton, Utah
I might be up in the dark here but I read somewhere in Davis county that the replacement engine has to be of the same manufacturer of the vehicle so lets say my old cj7... I have to install amc/jeep engines of a newer vehicle in order to make it legal. I don't see how under this rule a sbc engine could be transplanted into a jeep.... but somehow people do it... so do the research before hand!
 
S

STAG

Well-Known Member
gijohn40 said:
I might be up in the dark here but I read somewhere in Davis county that the replacement engine has to be of the same manufacturer of the vehicle so lets say my old cj7... I have to install amc/jeep engines of a newer vehicle in order to make it legal. I don't see how under this rule a sbc engine could be transplanted into a jeep.... but somehow people do it... so do the research before hand!
Click to expand...

Being Jeep, it could be any Mopar vehicle; Dodge, Chrysler, Jeep etc.
 
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