1999 w/ EVO S/C - smog test in CA??

Hmm ... I was just reading through these forums (just got a 99 986 with EVO S/C two months ago) but it seems like I'm going to have problems going through a smog test? Hmm ... isn't a car supposed to be able to pass through a smog test before it can be sold? My registration goes until next June but not sure if I'm going to have to do something before then ...

Yes, your car should have had to pass the test when you bought it. If it passes the visual inspection, you will probably pass the smog. This is what keeps me from bolting a SC on my car.....if only it was CARB certified!

Yep the seller is suppose to get a smog prior to selling, however the seller can do that prior to installing the S/C. I know there is a time limit on the smog certificate and I believe that is 90 days, so that is enough time to do anything. Maybe the previous owner R&R the S/C for smog tests, I would talk to the seller about how they managed it. But the bottom-line is that without the CARB on the S/C it will not pass smog.

With a S/C installed you will not pass the visual..

I'm sure you've done a search on this subject and you would have seen that there is a lot of discussion about how EVOM could have gone thru the CARB certification process and made it beneficial for the California folks to install their SC'er and get thru smog inspections....but for whatever reason, they just wont' get off their *** and do the necessary work to get their product line CARB certified. Given the reputation and quality of their product line, and the number of Porsche owners in California, this is indeed a curious issue....becasue from an economic point of view, they could sell a lot of superchargers here....so what's the hold up? Only Todd can answer that. End result....the SC's pass the emissions part of the test with flying colors, but the minute the emissions guys take a look at the engine bay and see the supercharger, you flunk on the spot. There are a number of fellows who have superchargers who get thru emissions tests by either taking out the supercharger and reverting it to stock or....................necessity is the mother of invention.

A lot of smog shops have never seen a Porsche engine before and would pass a SC'd vehicle's visual test if the engine bay is clean and spotless. I would suggest you detail the whole car, including engine, and try to find a mechanic that doesn't know his *** from a hole in the ground. " yeah, this one of those Superchaged models"

Quotes source post: 4705437

This might actually work, that is if the run test does actually pass smog. Find yourself a SC badge from say a 911 SC and place that on your car (SC = Super Charged) What's the worse that could happen, being sent to a referee station, GL if you get there though

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Hehe the SC badge might very well work. Also it's important that you "pre-test" the car. ie: have a test that's not official. If it passes, then go for the official one. That way you never have a failed test on the car's record

Annodizing that polished blower black can make it look oem...and might help out as well

Hey guys....nice try....but you're up against something called a database....ever heard of those? When they enter your VIN number it brings up certain criteria....which may or may not include the supercharger. When I took my 87 in for the smog test, the previous owner told me it had passed with flying colors and had the paperwork to show it....so when it came time to smog mine, I went in fat, dumb, and happy. What he forgot to tell me was the car didn't the right exhaust system and that he'd borrowed the right stuff to get it thru smog. The smog guys plugged my VIN number into the computer and the guy came back to me right off the bat saying that my car was improperly set up. He did a visual and confirmed it wasn't right. As it turns out I did have an MSD ignition unit in it also, and the first thing he did was look for the CARB sticker for the MSD and entered that in the computer...and it came back OK. If they see something out of line, they start looking for the CARB sticker. I do know that some of the smog shops won't know a Porsche from a Pontiac and hire guys that don't know how to sign their names....but there are a lot of them out there who do know what they're doing, and what's supposed to be there, or not be there. I got one of the shops that knew what belonged....so when my flunked, the info went into the database and I was F*****D. I had to go buy an OEM muffler and cat to get the thing through smog....then put it back to where it was. I keep the OEM muffler and cat for any subsequent checks or for loan to any needy Rennlister faced with the same dilemna. I think that some of you guys are making some erroneous assumptions that all the smog shops are staffed with dunderheads....not so. There are some pretty sharp guys in some of the shops, so you'd better do some checking with other P car owners to find a "Porsche friendly" shop....especially if you're supercharged. There is no CARB exemption sticker for a supercharged Porsche....and the database will kick it back. The only possibility of passing is if they run the emissions part first and it comes back clean, which the Porsches usually do....come back clean....and the guy misses the supercharger on the visual...which is sort of difficult to do since there's not much room back there to hide a supercharger. I have known one fellow who got through because the guy didnt' know the nice silver thingy in there was a supercharger. Bottom line....it's a crap shoot with the odds stacked against you....and its no easy task to put the supercharger back to stock every time you have to go thru smog.

Thanks for the advice -- I gotta go back and ask the seller what he was doing to get the car through smog. The EVO S/C in the car is #0020 (it's a 1999) so I am assuming it's been there for a while.