hey guys. I have a quick question. I am swapping an srt motor into my 1st gen neon, and was wondering what to do about passing/getting around smog.

thanks,
-Sean

 

Depends on where you live. there are Federal requirements, of course... but it's up to the states/localities to do testing, and different areas test/look for different things. California and Massachusetts tend to have the strictest requirements. Anything 1996 or newer gets plugged into an OBD-2 scanner. If you have the CEL light lit (good chance with your swap), you fail. Others only do sniffer tests (usually pretty easy to pass). Check with your local emissions testing place and see what kind of tests they run...

Best of luck!

 

A $50 bill can work wonders as well......most of the testing folks aren't that well paid. I passed more than one test in my'70 Mustang with a 351 Windsor/4bbl thanks to President Jackson (back then, $20 was worth $50 nowdays!)

Dusty

 

and if all else fails, cut the odb plug off so they have to do the sniffer test!

 

heh, I wonder how they'd react to that.

"Hmmm, the scanner has been ripped violently from its stock location; nope nothing wrong here. Move along citizen"

 

Yeah basiclly either bribe um or cut the plug, sounds like a plan, lol.

 

I think you will have just the opposite issue. Given that the SRT-4 came out in 2003 and the first gen Neons were from 95-99 the emissions standards set for the SRT-4 would probably much stricter than those set for the original first gen Neons. By the way.. could somebody tell me here how clean the stock neons burned compared to how much they can get away with ? In other words do they squeeze by passing smog stock or do they pass with flying colors and thus have alot of room for engine mods before they become unsmogable?

 

I passed with flying colors, 238k+ miles, aftermarket cat, running rich (Mopar DOHC PCM on SOHC engine with no fuel control). I was even better last year with the fuel computer in there, even better than the car did when I first got it stock with 66k miles. Modifications don't equate to worse emissions, particularly with the steady state tests that are run using the sniffers. The fuel system is closed loop for those tests, so all they are really doing is measuring how well your O2 sensors and cat are holding up... You'd have to work pretty hard to even fail the idle test (open loop).

 

Well, here in Cali they smog your car on a dyno to put a load on the engine, I beleive they run it at the equivelent of 10 mph then 40 mph. I am asking this because I ordered a cam for my Neon since the head gasket just blew. Its the comp cams 256R, the mildest one they make.. no valvetrain modifications required. Hopefully I dont have any problems with it.I might also try to get a 53 mm throttle body off an auto neon and CAI. Id imagine the CIA would help things burn cleaner due to the denser colder air correct?

 

Most mods believe it or not actually help efficency AKA smog levels. The cam might not, but with a CAI and exhuast it would probally equal stock. Now visual inspection, your in cali, I have no clue, oh, and by the way sorry. I am in CT and they are strict, I could not immagine Cali!!!!!!!!!!!