Portland OR smog check question.

Joe Bob · Joe Bob's Garage

The metro Portland area has smog checks for vehicles from 75 and up. An 83 has to comply with the 220 ppm HC and 1% CO per the DEQ website.

My question is on engine replacement. How do they determine compliance? Assume intact cat and intake system on a good running 964 engine.

thanks in advance.

jyl · jyl's Garage

They stick a sniffer up the tailpipe as the car idles. No visual check. No check at higher rpm. Don't care if there is a Merlin 12 cyl under the hood. That is my experience after 3 trips to DEQ, including a vehicle with a completely transplanted engine - the guy noticed that wasn't a VW wasserboxer in there and we had a nice chat about the merits of different conversions.

lane912 · 07-12-2013, 03:36 PM

yes this has been my experience too-

Oregon is NOT like the land to the south-

rusnak · 07-12-2013, 05:38 PM

Oh re-he-he-heeeallly? Hmm...roadtrip.

john70t · 07-12-2013, 08:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Joe Bob

The metro Portland area has smog checks for vehicles from 75 and up. An 83 has to comply with the 220 ppm HC and 1% CO per the DEQ website.

1% Co is a car running a little rich with a decent cat. A bad cat will affect this first.
220 HC is high and you'd have to have oil/fuel fouling, or pull a plug wire on a cold engine, to get close. Should be no problem there.

If the tailpipe doesn't make your eyes water, you should be good.
Test a warm engine after a good highway jog.

Joe Bob · Joe Bob's Garage

Who's a good indy wrench near PDX?

jyl · jyl's Garage

I got a couple recs from the PNW forum, Steve Weiner rec'd Marque Motors on SW MacAdam, I used them, they were good, and the shop is old-school. I don't use a mechanic much but that's my place from now on.

herr_oberst · 07-16-2013, 07:23 PM

I get a mirror check at DEQ on the 911 in addition to the sniffer, but I have a fabspeed test pipe and it's managed to pass as a catalytic converter so far. (Its kind of chubby in the middle). I've still got the cat in a box if I need to.

Don't know a good mechanic in Portland. Never found one. Steve Weiner over at Rennsport is always too busy for my stuff, but he probably knows someone.

Joe Bob · Joe Bob's Garage

Neither do I, just was curious who was competent...