Failed Inspection
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Joined: Jan 2004
Posts: 90
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From: Mystic Islands NJ
Failed Inspection
My car failed inspection today!! Turns out New Jersey has a law that states that catalytic converters are needed, and I don't have any and don't want to put them on. Is there a way to put them on and take them back off, so I can get my power and sound back!!! Any suggestions!!!!!! :reddevil
[Modified by YZ450FRACER165, 10:14 PM 2/11/2004]
[Modified by YZ450FRACER165, 10:14 PM 2/11/2004]
Drifting
Joined: Jan 2002
Posts: 1,645
Likes: 11
From: Schaumburg IL
Re: Failed Inspection (YZ450FRACER165)
Have a muffler shop weld in flanges that bolt on to the exhaust manifold pipes and the exhaust pipes that allow the cat(s) to be bolted on. Then when done with inspection bolt in a spacer pipe. If a muffler shop won't touch it, get the flanges from JC Whitney etc and find a friend with a MIG welder.
Pro
Joined: Mar 2002
Posts: 511
Likes: 0
From: St. Louis MO
Re: Failed Inspection (YZ450FRACER165)
You can always make test pipes. use a set of collector flanges or get some ball flanges like the newer cars use and have yourself a set of offroad pipes and a set of cats that just bolt on.
http://www.geocities.com/egrelle/83cutlass/EXHAUST/
http://www.geocities.com/egrelle/83cutlass/EXHAUST/
Pro
Joined: Aug 1999
Posts: 749
Likes: 0
From: Perth,Western Australia,Australia
Re: Failed Inspection (442olds)
You can always make test pipes. use a set of collector flanges or get some ball flanges like the newer cars use and have yourself a set of offroad pipes and a set of cats that just bolt on.
Thanks Neil.
Melting Slicks
Joined: Apr 2000
Posts: 3,286
Likes: 8
From: San Jose California
Re: Failed Inspection (YZ450FRACER165)
My catalytic converter blew out on my 85 Vette. I finished the job of removing all remaing contents and bolted the now completely hollow cat back up. Made a kind of echo sound when driving, actually I kind of liked it. The car definately sounded throatier (made less back pressure) and still passed emissions, both the visual and the tail pipe reading. It was close, but it still passed without having functioning cats.
Chuck
Chuck
Racer
Joined: Jan 2002
Posts: 308
Likes: 0
From: central square NY
Re: Failed Inspection (YZ450FRACER165)
what year do you have, i have a cat back just siting in my garage for sale off my 81. we have that same dumb law here in NY too, in fact its getting a lot dumber starting in june. im a NY state inspector so i have ways of making my baby pass, but like evey one else said just put on a cat and take it back off. if your relly honest just tell your inspector what your gonna do and just tell them to charge you for the labor to swap them over and maybe thely just pass you with out ever doing the swap. i know i would as long as you brought in the part. then again if you really have to do the emmisions test (not just have cat ('s) then your screwed i think. but good luck--- :leaving:
Melting Slicks
Joined: Jun 2002
Posts: 2,844
Likes: 99
From: Orrtanna Pa.
Re: Failed Inspection (YZ450FRACER165)
I just put a full 3" system on my 80 with 3" high performance catalytic converter.Cost me over $600 to do from the headers back,but it sounds sweet and Pa. also is now inforcing the "visual inspection"There's so little backpressure with the 3" system I'm not even going to bother removing the converter. :cheers:
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Le Mans Master
Joined: Apr 1999
Posts: 6,134
Likes: 46
From: Raleigh North Carolina
Re: Failed Inspection (gravismaximus)
I used to do inspections in NY as well.... but I gave it up in 1978.
FYI... in many places, any muffler shop that messes with catalytic converters to thwart emissions testing is subject to a hefty fine. So... in many places.... they won't even suggest ways to eliminate or bypass the cats- - even on a temporary basis.
The "test" pipe was declared "illegal" a long time ago. Anyone caught selling, manufacturing, or installing test pipes was subject to a nasty fine etc. But that may have changed since my last quest for one.
I once took a cat converter to a muffler shop and asked them to re-weld a broken flange so I could re-install it on the car. They said.."sure... no problem." When I went back to pick it up, they just handed me the part back unfinished. Unknown to me... the pellets had all blown out of the cat and this made it "illegal". They said they could not touch it because of that. So I had to buy a new cat anyways.
Bottom line.... don't get upset if you try a commercial shop (to facilitate a test pipe) and they send you packing.
If you find one that will mess with catalytic converter hocus-pocus ... count your blessings. They may be sticking their neck out for you.
FYI... in many places, any muffler shop that messes with catalytic converters to thwart emissions testing is subject to a hefty fine. So... in many places.... they won't even suggest ways to eliminate or bypass the cats- - even on a temporary basis.
The "test" pipe was declared "illegal" a long time ago. Anyone caught selling, manufacturing, or installing test pipes was subject to a nasty fine etc. But that may have changed since my last quest for one.
I once took a cat converter to a muffler shop and asked them to re-weld a broken flange so I could re-install it on the car. They said.."sure... no problem." When I went back to pick it up, they just handed me the part back unfinished. Unknown to me... the pellets had all blown out of the cat and this made it "illegal". They said they could not touch it because of that. So I had to buy a new cat anyways.
Bottom line.... don't get upset if you try a commercial shop (to facilitate a test pipe) and they send you packing.
If you find one that will mess with catalytic converter hocus-pocus ... count your blessings. They may be sticking their neck out for you.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Sep 2000
Posts: 6,036
Likes: 2
From: Westfield Indiana
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Re: Failed Inspection (Tom454)
I agree with Tom. I was at an exhaust shop getting work done on my vette and some local kids came in asking the guy to make a test pipe for there truck. He told them he wouldn't do one for their truck, but if they bring him the dimensions for a pipe for their tractor, he'd build it. ;) He's a good ole boy and knew the guys, so you'd probably be hard pressed to find someone that will fix you up these days, even in a state that doesn't do inspections.
Pro
Joined: Aug 2002
Posts: 560
Likes: 0
From: The Valley of The Sun AZ
Re: Failed Inspection (The Money Pit)
Pa. also is now inforcing the "visual inspection"There's so little backpressure with the 3" system I'm not even going to bother removing the converter. :cheers:
:D
Melting Slicks
Joined: May 2001
Posts: 2,131
Likes: 4
From: May help you? You can sure as hell try!
Re: Failed Inspection (Tom454)
:iagree:
In Ohio it's up to a $10,000 fine for each occurance and possible loss of business license. Thankfully, Michigan told the Feds to stick it and doesn't do emissions checks anymore. It's still not recommended to eliminate the cats just from the standpoint that inspections could be invoked any time again and it may me difficult to re-sell the car without functional cats. There are low restriction cat alternatives out there that will comply with the law and still not impose large backpressure losses.
In Ohio it's up to a $10,000 fine for each occurance and possible loss of business license. Thankfully, Michigan told the Feds to stick it and doesn't do emissions checks anymore. It's still not recommended to eliminate the cats just from the standpoint that inspections could be invoked any time again and it may me difficult to re-sell the car without functional cats. There are low restriction cat alternatives out there that will comply with the law and still not impose large backpressure losses.
Pro
Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 511
Likes: 4
From: Phoenix AZ
Re: Failed Inspection (YZ450FRACER165)
I was going the same route on my 82. The cat was dead and I wasn't passing emissions (previous owner, bubba, drained the pelets). So I put on a high flow cat with the intent of swaping it out with a "test" pipe later. The high flow worked great and sounded a lot throatier. I didn't think I needed any more so I just left it that way. But then the 82 is still mostly stock.
Safety Car
Joined: Mar 2000
Posts: 3,544
Likes: 448
From: Central Pennsylvania
Re: Failed Inspection (YZ450FRACER165)
Get a digital camera and some good quality glossy colored printer paper. Take a digital pic of a current inspection sticker, use photoshop or similar to adjust to correct size & hit the print button. Trim with scissors, use spray adhesive & plaster it on the inside of your windshield. Now you're ready to go. :thumbs:
Racer
Joined: Oct 2000
Posts: 405
Likes: 31
From: Houston, Texas
Re: Failed Inspection (munday)
Follow ettev's advice and get into a wreck with a school bus or something like that and see what happens.
Not good advice, sounds like a law suit waiting to happen.
Sorry, but that kind of action upsets me.
Stick with the law when possible.
Not good advice, sounds like a law suit waiting to happen.
Sorry, but that kind of action upsets me.
Stick with the law when possible.
Drifting
Joined: Nov 2003
Posts: 1,634
Likes: 4
From: Northern NJ
St. Jude Donor '04 & '05
Re: Failed Inspection (Milest)
Follow ettev's advice and get into a wreck with a school bus or something like that and see what happens.
Not good advice, sounds like a law suit waiting to happen.
Sorry, but that kind of action upsets me.
Stick with the law when possible.
Not good advice, sounds like a law suit waiting to happen.
Sorry, but that kind of action upsets me.
Stick with the law when possible.
A friend of mine did something like this years ago. He steamed a "good" sticker off of a wrecked car and stuck it to his junker which wouldn't pass inspection. Found out the hard way when he got stopped for speeding that the "man" didn't think his little stunt was very funny. Ended up paying a large fine, court costs and walking for a couple months while the DMV "babysat" his license for awhile. :rolleyes: And if the "nasty" town attorney had had his way, he would have ended up in jail for fraud. He was lucky the judge cut him a little slack.
Better advise would be do what you must to get your 2 year NJ sticker. By then you will be outside the 25 yo window and you can then get QQ plates, classic insurance and skip inspections all together in NJ. :yesnod:
Good Luck!
:seeya
[Modified by ACECO, 3:34 AM 2/13/2004]
