Hi everyone, I'm considering a 328 from IL but I have doubt as to wether I'll have issues registering it in CA. Were all 328's 50 states cars? Thanks!
'85 308 QVs were 50 state cars, so I'd guess all 328 were too. Somewhere on the car there should be a decal or label stating that it meets CA emission requirements. Its in the lower left corner of the windshield on my 308. If you bring it into CA be sure to take it only to a tester that will do a pretest where the car is tested but not hooked up to the State computer. Once plugged into CARB, there is no forgiveness. Injected 3x8s are not particularly difficult cars to pass in CA (if running well) but failing and being officially tagged a "gross polluter" can be a nightmare.
There is a Ferrari oem sticker in the eng compartment of my 328 stating it meets CA emissions requirements. This is a factory sticker, not some added-on thing. If I get a chance, I'll take a pic of it later and post it.
Thanks everyone! I'll ask the seller to take a picture of the CA compliance plate to make sure. Thanks!
It will need to be tuned properly, and at this age it may well need a new Catalytic Converter installed (it may well already be running cat delete "test pipes" which will NEVER pass)
I just had my 328 smogged last weekend. It passed with flying colors and the measurements were far below the average passing vehicle. Original cat converter and the care has 38K miles.
My Mondi 3.2 came from IN with a gutted cat and out of tune... even with a new cat it failed emissions. I got new plug wires and extenders and a tune-up and I passed with flying colors... I'm not worried about future tests. Just get the engine running right and you should do fine!
My 88 328GTS (30K miles) passed with flying colors last month. Run some Techron through it and be sure it is warmed up. If it's in proper tune it will pass.
Better yet, my mondi 3.2 passed smog relatively easily.....and that's with the cats removed (straight pipe)! That's one clean running engine!
My carb'd 308 blows zero's. This same car had a hose disconnected from the diverter valve that I knocked off during an oil service and was labeled "Gross Polluter". I took it home, found the problem, and less than 20 min later it blew zero's again and passed the test. I keep hearing nightmares about the "gross polluter" label, and I was a bit nervous when that happened, but this was about a decade ago and no drama. I think all it means is double the max allowable. I also believe it's just meant to scare the public, and the agency doesn't have the bandwidth to do anything more with it. If it's over the limit, you simply can't renew your registration.
Almost forgot the main question: If the 328 has a plaque stating CA Emissions blah-blah-blah, either in the door jamb or engine comp't, you're pretty much home. The next step is how does it run? Does it stink of exhaust? This is the biggest simple starting point. If you walk behind it when it's running and you feel like you got a wiff of lawnmower fumes - you probably don't have a chance, and should pre-test / tune it at a minimum. The 328 is a lambda car. If that system is operational, you have a huge headstart on performance, gas mileage and emissions. It will set the CO pretty much perfectly. Now if the ignition is good, your HC should be in order, and if the cats are working even moderately, everything shoud be fine. I (thankfully) haven't heard too many complaints about NOx on Ferrari's. It would take an odd set of conditions to make that a problem. Also, good modern OBD II cats have reduction beds in addition to oxidation beds which help rid NOx.
You had a very easily corrected problem. If loose hose happened now, you would have to show a repair receipt from a licensed tech in order to be retested. The laws changed a couple years ago. Now you have to get it fixed at a licensed station and/or spend up to $450, plus return it to stock if there are any engines mods. Gross polluters have to go to special test stations. If it still doesn't pass, you get a one time waiver from a state referee...but next time (2 yrs), it must pass or you have to park it and sell it outside CA.
HI Folks, There's a reason why we have "Smog Tests" in California, the topography around here, and the weather patterns, make it necessary. In 1969, when I was in 8th grade, the smog here in LA was so bad, it burned your eyes. The smog was from cars, and now that we have over 30 years of "smog controls" and "smog tests" behind us, the air here is fine...you don't see a lot of smog around here in LA, it's actually very nice and very clean compared to what it used to be. I don't mind getting my cars smogged every couple of years, because the alternative is very nasty. Seems to me the guys who gripe about smog tests in LA don't know what it used to be like, it was awful !
FWIW, ignition wires and plug extenders can be an issue you should check out. My 85 QV had always passed until the last go 'round this year. You might not notice a misfire but if the engine is pumping out raw unfired gas out the tailpipes you will fail for sure. I sent my dist. caps, wires and extenders to Dave Helms for rework using his magic can't get it anywhere else wire. Passed easily with 3 new plug extenders.
Did you notice any difference in the way the car ran after you had the ignition wires and extenders serviced?
Gents: Especially important if you have a 70s [smog] 308... [for your exref I have a 79 Porsche 930. Heavily breathed upon but very clean running. A friend imported this from Switzerland in 1985. I have owned it since 1996, so I have been through emissions testing a few times.] My brother is an independent Porsche Tech. He always had me do a pre test. We were both under the impression that these were always done off line. Not that the past matters here. In recent years I have been suffering trying to get it done locally instead of driving it down to him so could he breathe on it first. Here is what I have since discovered. First - As far as I can find out there is NO such thing as an OFF line pre-test. I have asked a lot of experts. I have also searched the BAR website and been able to access a lot of the info intended for the techs. My understanding is that ALL emissions measurements are ON line.. period. The deal is that if you are in a TEST status, they do NOT hold you responsible for failing the standards. However, they DO record and retain that information. This means you don't have to worry about "Gross Polluter" status on a pre-test. Also, you can go to their site and access EVERY smog record based on your VIN. This was how I first realized that my pre-testing was being documented [and I suspect this is also why my car is forced to use "Test Only" stations]. When I saw the smog history on my car and the blown/aborted test results since 1985, I was shocked. If you have ever had issues or done pre-tests in California you will discover that there is, indeed, a record of them. Here is a link to the main BAR website. http://www.bar.ca.gov/ Look on the left margin for "Find a vehicle test history". If anyone knows of a shop that knows how to actually bypass this, I would greatly appreciate knowing about it. My brother was stunned when I informed him that the casual pre-tests we had been doing in his area were all recorded. I finally have a smog shop that understands my issues and tries to work with me. My car actually runs very clean BUT during the extended roller dyno tests, it starts heating up. That makes the idle change [still running the older factory CIS setup]. CARB will FLUNK you if your idle is out of factory spec. In my case that means 950rpm +/- 50rpm. This has been a huge frustration for me Last- Again, this should only apply for the pre-computer cars. But, you may be interested in knowing that CARB has continued to CHANGE the emission requirements for these cars and tighten them up considerably from the emission standards these cars were originally built to pass. !!!! To all insult to this injury the CARB does NOT approve of any modifications that I have done to make my 930 run cleaner. [same will apply to mods to your 308] It is supposed to be dead stock, yet it is supposed to run a LOT cleaner than it was built for. I have been dying to do a complete engine management system for this car but there is nothing out that that has been CARB approved. It is a real catch-22. Right now I am using a much later Porsche electric air pump for my air injection system. We carefully modded it so that it looks factory stock and it blows a lot cleaner. However, it isn't legal! Is this insane or what? For that matter, how can it possibly be legal for the CARB to requuire a 32 year old car to pass emission standards far stricter than the car was build to pass and certified for? Clean air, yes. Fairness, NO. Common sense= well, you got me. It has been enough to make me think about selling my older "smog" cars. The hysterical part of this is that I can take my 1970 Porsche 911 race car [pure race 2.8 46mm Weber carbs and all] and stick a muffler/lights/wipers and register and drive it on the street.. no problem. This situation sums up why I don't own an F-car. I love the earliest 308 coupes. But 1976 and later all fall under our emissions testing. Several times I have flirted with one, but it all comes back to smog. No thanks. [Yea, I know a GT4 handles better and there are lots of pre-76 ones that wouldn't require smog. I have considered this but it is the GTB that has always made me take a 2nd glance.] I hope this long winded clutter might prove interesting/worthwhile for someone out there. It took me quite a while to figure some of this out. I wish you all happy F-car driving. They are sweet cars. JR
That's very interesting. I took the meaning of "pre-test" to mean completely offline with CARB. Nothing CARB does surprises me anymore. I'm certain that within ten years, new cars will be monitored in Sacramento 24/7 via cell and wifi and we'll get speeding and enviro viiolation tickets in the mail. CARB tried to get GM to build it into that with OnStar years ago, but were refused.
Well, if youre still worried, do what was recomended earlier, go to a pre test place- ask them up front what they charge (in LA, just got one done for $25 ), and make sure they dont record it on computer, also, as was mentioned. With me, I found out I was running rich. (at least, thats what the guy deduced). KNowing this alone is a plus.
