DougyFresh

Why is it against the forum rules to discuss the removal of factory emissions equipment, yet engine swaps are encouraged?

Slim357

Better question is why are so many people aloud to talk about remove that stuff and nothing is ever done about it.

GreenClassic

The removal of factory emissions equipment is illegal, so the staff doesn't want to see people talking about it. Engine swaps are legal.

Lowrange2

This...


If it's reported something is done about it.

motorcharge

Depends on the country. Its not illegal everywhere.

Slim357

And its not illegal for off road use only

SoCalxJ4.0

It's not against the law. It's against a regulation. You can get a fine.who is gonna fine you any way? That's it. No jail time, no record. No misdemeanor or felony. Not even an infraction, because it is not a law to have a cat. But, it breaks regs, so it's frowned upon to discuss.

DougyFresh

Only if it's from the same model year or newer and retains ALL of the original emissions equipment that came with the vehicle that the engine was removed from...

s346k

IB4TL

Michael952

I bet most of the people who nag about this don't even have a cat.
Naughty naughty

BatmanXJ

I read that in 4-wheel this morning. \Looks like someone else reads the nuts and bolts lol.

mr white

You can swap in an engine and retain the cat...

DougyFresh

but very few people do, and the cat is not the only emissions item on a vehicle...

It just bugs me that if someone asks a question about removing their emissions equipment, the thread gets locked and/or deleted. Yet if someone posts about putting a 572 big block (just an exaggerated example) in their 2001 XJ, the very same people that would have locked and/pr deleted the post about blocking off the EGR valve will be salivating and cheering the builder on.

mr white

The point is not talking about it. They don't say "hey i'm gonna swap this engine and run straight pipes". The topic is about swapping the engine, not about removing the cat (or other emissions devices).

GreenClassic

It is a law, a federal law enacted under the United States Environmental Protection Agency. If your vehicle left the factory with emissions equipment, it is illegal to tamper with or remove it. In some states it's easier to get away with it because of the lack of inspections/smog checks, no getting around it in California. They can give you a fine and/or revoke your vehicle's registration until you fix it. Just because there's no jail-time or misdemeanor/felony doesn't mean there's no law against it.

I did a search on motor swaps, and so far as I found there are three main rules, which are mostly emissions related. First is you cannot swap an older motor into a newer vehicle (putting a 1990 into a 2000). You can swap say a '97 into a '99 as long as they share the same platform. The reasoning for this is to not have outdated emissions equipment in a newer vehicle. Second I found is that you cannot swap something bigger than what it came with from the factory, such as putting an 8-cylinder in something that only came with 4 or 6. Although, it doesn't really state anything about displacement. The third is that it must pass safety and smog requirements. Not sure if they're laws, but the forum posts that popped up from my online search seem to point that way.