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California Central Valley Smog Test Only Station

lovensx

lovensx

Registered Member
Joined
21 July 2005
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52
California Central Valley NSX Owners,

I am new to the State and new to the valley. I am looking for a good Test Only Smog Station that are familiar with NSX and friendly with NSX Owners to do smog for renew registration tag. :confused:

Please help recommend it to me. The Bay Area is too far for me. Any shop within the distance from Sacramento to Bakersfield is suitable for me.

Thank you.
 
I was looking at your other smog post.

Have you checked anything on the car since you failed smog?

You never posted the actual results so people could make some suggestions?

What year and mods on the car? I see you have comptech headers and exhaust. Do you still have cats or did someone put in test pipes?

Did it fail on the test or visual?

Has it passed in the past or did you move from a non-smog check area or state?

If you can't do the work on the car, you are going to need to go to a repair/test smog shop to get it fixed and then take it to a test only station.

Mine fails almost every time on the first test. They take too long looking over the car and getting everything set. By that time the cats cool down and are not effective. I try to find a time when the station is not busy and drive around until they are ready and then run the car right in for the test. Usually works for me.

Sulley
 
Thank you for the suggesstion. The first time I took it into the smog station, the Technician was rammbling about the visual of my engine compartment. All that I had in it was just an aftermarket K&N Air filter with two NOS Solenoids. I'm sure the NOS kit has nothing to do with it. I encourage him to smog it anyway. It fail on the emission. But I had the car parked at the smog station for over an hour before he actually got to mine.

I only had the whole Comptech Exhaust system plus the Header only. I use to live in the Midwest so smog was never the problem up there. Now I have to take it to a Test Center only.

There's no major modification on the car at all. Any suggestions? I am driving only on the extension tag and it's due now. Please help!......
 
I figure smog checks are cheap. Do you get a retest for free?

I can pretty much guarantee that your car won't pass after sitting for an hour. The cats cool down within a few minutes. Idling or revving the engine while you wait won't do much either. There is not enough load on the engine.

I have a K&N cone filter on mine and they don't say anything. Most of the time they have trouble figuring out where the engine is. I don't know if they would give trouble over NOS .

If you have a retest coming, try to arrange driving around until they can get you right into the dyno. I don't know if that is your only problem or if there is something really wrong with the car.

Mine also has headers and exhaust (not comptech).

If you still have the test printout, let us know what it failed on. HC or NO or both.

As you have found, the test only stations aren't allowed to work on the car. I don't know of any "friendly" test places. Some on here might.

Sulley
 
I will take it in tomorrow. I will drive it like I stole it....:biggrin: and will just put right on the dyno. If it don't pass, I will post it for help again. Thanks.

BTW, Sulley, do you live in Merced? I always drive by there all the time while going to Sacramento. Maybe we should hang out sometime. Mind sharing me your informations? My email is [email protected]. Again, thanks for your help.
 
Last edited:
I took the car in yesterday to a friend smog station and did a run test on while the cat is very hot. It still failed. The Techinician told me that I just need to change all the spark plugs and throw back the stock Cat and then it should pass without any problem.

I don't have my stock Cat anymore. Any suggestions where I could get one? Please suggest......:frown:
 
So, do you have any cats on your car, high flow cats or just test pipes?
Stock cats are about $1200 each.

Try looking at some of the online places for aftermarket cats, they should work and are a lot cheaper.

Sulley
 
I just took my NSX in for smog today and went through 4 stations test only and NONE of them won't do the smog because it fail on visual. They told me to put back on the stock Air Filter Box which I had the K&N on.

I don't have the stock Air Filter Box anymore and so I called the Acura Shop in Fresno and it's going to cost me over $1,000.

What I'm trying to say is "do I need the stock one to pass the visual and to do the smog?"

Please suggest........:confused:
 
Do Merced had any station that you are familiar with? I might just drive down from Fresno to have it done........:redface:
 
I usually go to the one at 16th and R St. It's called Merced Smog Center.
381-0200 phone.

Get off 99 northbound at R St. turn right to 16th St. Another right and it's just past the taco shop on the corner.
 
I would try printing out the install manual at the K&N website or the EO number info and application data. Call and ask some of these smog techs if they will accept that as proof of the CARB exemption.
The install instructions reference placing the EO sticker in a visible place in the engine compartment. I'm guessing out of state folks just throw it away, but it does become a problem for us when we buy their car.

Lastly, I would contact K&N and see if it's possible to get a new sticker, so you don't have this problem in the future.

Sulley
 
David,

No airbox. It's a K&N cone filter with an adapter ring to fit onto the end of the ribbed hose to the throttle body.

If you check the link above, it shows the setup.

Sulley
 
I finally pass smog. I put back on the stock air filter box and two cats and it's great.

Ready to do some runs...........:biggrin:

Let me know when you're ready to go out...........
 

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