mrx8200

iTrader: (1)

I'm planning on doing headers and exhaust some time in the near future and I'm contemplating weather or not to put cats on the car. I was wondering if anyone on here has experience with Washington State emissions testing on a vehicle w/o cats. Is it easy to get by? From the website it looks like they'll pretty much just do an OBD II test, but they are also equipped for a sniffer.

WhiskeySierra6

iTrader: (2)

Most counties don't do a real emissions test, just an OBDII test. Make sure you get the rear O2s tuned out or you'll have the Check Engine light and fail the test (or you can get the sims). On the other hand, I ran a catless setup for a while and had a ton of rasp in the exhaust note. Threw on some high flow cats from Magnaflow...no rasp and no loss of RWHP. Just something to think about.

mrx8200

iTrader: (1)

I would really like to run cats, but I do want to lower my car and stick with duals. So I think I'll have to compromise on one. Thanks for the info on the emissions testing. I've had both kinds of test here in King County, but I think I only got the sniffer in my '91 camry, because it was OBD I

CranMaro99

iTrader: (10)

I never know anymore. They sniffed Sean and Dean's cars and they are a 2001 and 2002 model year.

stangtrader

iTrader: (2)

king county is just a scan,just get a tune

mrx8200

iTrader: (1)

Well at tune would fix the OBD II check, but I wonder if they'd switch up what test is used seeing as I'd be rolling up loud and stinking of unburnt fuel Maybe not though. The guys at the Aurora testing facility seemed like the type that'd be down with muscle cars.

stangtrader

iTrader: (2)

i honestly wouldnt worry state reg is just a scan they can preform a visual but i have never heard or seen that happien.most of the people who work there wont have a clue.

CranMaro99

iTrader: (10)

Yup, who cares if they do just go to multiple spots til they let you pass. If they ask for a visual just drive away, what can they do? haha

firehawk618

iTrader: (14)

Here's an indicator of just how phony our emissions testing here is.

Just 2 days ago I took a 1987 Dodge Aries, had been sitting for years to emissions.

Car misfiring, running off and on with 3 cylinders then 4 cyl etc.

Car would NOT stay running after they dyno / sniffed it, guy had to restart the engine 3 times.

Passed test. LOL WTF? I could smell the rich exhaust from my seat in the waiting booth!

Phony balogney

stangtrader

iTrader: (2)

hey its a good thing for us,certin exceptions should be made for performance cars.but we all know that would never happin.then again id be willing to pay $50-$100 more a year for tabs just to not deal with having to get a retune every time i change some thing that could throw a light

CranMaro99

iTrader: (10)

I live in Seattle but register my cars at my parents house in Kitsap County. Best of both: cheaper tabs and no emissions. lol

stangtrader

iTrader: (2)

hey Cranmaro what part of wash are you in?

mrx8200

iTrader: (1)

So my brother got tested at the Redmond facility with his '01 malibu and he said they did a sniffer combined with the OBD II plug in. So I guess I'll avoid that one.

By the way, 1987 Dodge Aries for the win! That's the exact kind of car emission testing is supposed to keep off the road. But you have 2 years til it's exempt from testing then it can misfire all day without having to do it at a state facility.

I figure if I got duals with dumps the emissions tech wouldn't be able to find a tailpipe to plug in the sniffer so he'd just have to rely on the OBD plug. Not like they pay government workers to go out of their way to do their job.

CranMaro99

iTrader: (10)

That's actually a bad thing: If they look for a tailpipe and notice there isn't any there, they'll more likely wonder WTF is up.

mrx8200

iTrader: (1)

Well I'll just stop by shucks on the way up there and buy a ricer exhaust tip and some wire and hang it off my bumper so they can have something to sniff. Actually I guess I could leave my stock muffler and tips back there. Since there would be nothing going through them I bet the test would come back squeaky clean.

I hope WA isn't cracking down on this though. I know the Redmond facility tends to be pretty tough due to all the soccer moms in suvs and the Microsoft guys with their exotics. I just hope they aren't using the sniffer everywhere. I might drive up to the Aurora facility and just watch in the bays to see how they're doing the testing.

stangtrader

iTrader: (2)

go to the one in bellevue in eastgate right next to i90 and shucks thats where i always go and have been thru there with no cats or emision equipment numerous times and have never been tail pipe probed.only thing besides obd they will test your gas cap.and if they changed the law in the last month to include a tail pipe test then your exhaust has to exit the rear of the car they will not test if you have dumps.i had went through all that with my old stang.and youd still fail if you had them probe a unhooked exhaust lol.
good luck

CranMaro99

iTrader: (10)

Lol that's not how it works, that would still be a fail.

sidewayz28

iTrader: (24)

this place on aurora just checks the OBDII... no visual or sniffer

musicman

iTrader: (4)

I've done emissions tests, heck I think my certification is still good, lol. anywho, anyone who has used the machine at least once will know what atmosphere is, putting a fake tip on won't do any good, common sense.

mrx8200

iTrader: (1)

Oh I know the tip won't do any good. I was just joking. After talking to my brother again I think they just checked his gas cap. The gas cap thing seems to be a racket seeing as it somehow needs to be replaced all the time.

I still have until August 2010 til I gotta get tested again so I guess I've got time to think about things. I'm probably just going to go cat-less, get all the SES lights tuned out, and if there is a problem go from there.