6fifty

iTrader: (2)

I bought a complete LQ4 with trans, harness, and PCM on CL for a ridiculously low price because it was too good to pass up
So, from the info I have acquired from the interwebs it seems that I CAN put a LQ4 into my 91 caprice. 3 or 4 different swap forums have threads that directly quote a state referee "if the donor is a 3/4 ton or lesser truck it can legally smog in the state of California assuming you correctly apply all emissions equipment."

This is where I'm hitting a roadblock in my prospective swap, most people giving advise have told me to talk to more than one referee because some of it is up to their discretion once the car is there. The one referee I have talked to said hands down, NO truck motor can go into a car and was rather uncooperative when I was asking for any further information.

Question 1.
does anyone know how to get a hold of alternate and/or local (bay area) referees?
Question 2.
has anyone done an LQ4 smog legal swap in California? or can any readers point me in the right direction to get some accurate info?
Question 3.
IF in fact, I cannot legally swap and smog and LQ4 into my car, is there a feasible way to pass this motor off as a car motor? (i.e. change/exchange the PCM to read as a car. If and once that is done, get it to adhere to a cars smog requirements.)
Question 4. (Im pretty sure this one is a big stretch but I want to ask)
are there any car motors similar enough to the LQ4 to pass it off as if the PCM idea is not a possibility?

Any advice and help is GREATLY appreciated and if my post count is alarming to anyone I am pretty well rooting Impalassforum.com alias is claSSic just to prove I'm serious about this and not some tire kicking novice.

bczee

iTrader: (12)

If I have read it correctly before, you can not legally pass putting a Truck motor in a Car or a Car motor in a Truck. Car to Car or Truck to Truck only.

As you have stated "correctly apply all emissions equipment" Is the key. You have to have all of the smog equipement from the donner car/truck that the engine came from (EGR, O2, AIR, EVAP, Charcoal Canister, fuel tank pressure sensor and level, etc...) The O2 is a key one.. it has to be the same distant as the OEM donner (from the Exhaust port to the O2).

1) There is a Web site for Calif DMV, they will list the location, http://www.dmv.ca.gov/vr/smog.htm
I hear the Livermore Jr College has helped many convert and pass may cars for re-certification.

2) Many have had there Truck or Car re-certified with the newer engine, it is done offen, but you just have to read and under stand the rule and be able to pass the CARB re-cert test.

3) If your PCM can be reprogramed/Flashed with a Program with a Car VIN, that will help, but that doesn't make it legal, just something that might pass ill-legally. Just because you can do something, doesn't make it legal.

4) Your legal choice are the LSx group of engines (1,2,3,6,7,9,99,A), none of the LQx, LMx, L33, L92, etc..

Good Luck..

kmracer

iTrader: (1)

so wait, you CANNONT put a truck motor into a car, or vice versa?

ramair21

iTrader: (2)

You can put a car motor into a truck. Just can't put a trucks motor into a car. Not sure about changing PCM. The Ref didn't check the engine block number or anything like that. He just hooked up his scan tool and made sure I had everthing I needed for smog. And yes he checked to make sure I had everything lol

2nd3rd4thgen

wow, i feel for you man. but it blows my mind that you cant swap a engine in a car that would prob get better emisions than the engine that was orginaly in the car. good luck i hope you can get it all worked out

Lil'John

I haven't done a swap real recently. But "back in the day"(10 years ago), I simply called the ref, told him what I had, what I'm swapping in, and asked him if it was legal. Then filled in the rest of my questions from there.

The problem you will run into is you will get different answers from different people on any given day.

I would HIGHLY recommend tracking down one of the local ref shops(I went to one off Old Oakland Road... not sure if they are still there) and stop by. This gains you two things:
1) You have a name and face to associate with the answers you get.
2) You will start to establish a rapor with the guy who will be crawling all over your car.

Something to keep in mind... the refs are not stupid. They have way too many people coming in trying to pull funny junk. So if swapping a "truck" engine into your car isn't legal, they will notice an iron block and they do scan the PCM.

Keep in mind, you have to use ALL the smog related stuff for the donor engine. All the cats, venting stuff, etc. The ref checks the PCM and gets a list of what he needs to check for. I'm not sure how close the truck and car smog related stuff is but if it doesn't match, he'll get pissed and start going over it with a fine tooth comb.

Lil'John

FWIW, I believe the car and truck rule applies more toward heavy duty truck such as 1 ton+ and not the light duty 1/2 ton and mini truck stuff. Not sure where 3/4 ton falls in.

6fifty

iTrader: (2)

well, im aware of all the smog equipment requirements. The thing that is still unclear to me is IF in fact I can put a LQ4 out of a 1/2 ton GMC Denali into my car. Some people say they have talked directly to a smog referee and they say it is. Like I stated before, I have only talked to one ref and he was in Sacramento and he said no way is it at all possible to do this.

I guess my first plan of action would be to find a local referee that I can talk to face to face. The problem is that when i called the B.A.R. office they said they cant give me any direct referee info the only thing they can do is refer me to their on call ref (always in Sacramento)

Does anyone know how to get into direct contact with a local (bay area) referee to clarify this? since he will be the one testing and giving me the NO or GO for this