California is an amazingly wonderful place to live but not if your dream is to swap engines into anything made after 1975. I've received BAR approval for several of my projects but eventually gave up on arguing with the referee about this particular Jag. I eventually sold it to an enthusiast in Montreal who I believe is still enjoying it to this day.

The best advice I ever got about attempting to gain approval for an engine swap in California was to go see the referee at your local community college BEFORE you purchase or transplant anything. (Their rules are well documented with a quick Google search. Appointments can be made online). If they think your swap might be even a little in a grey area then be prepared to fight hard if you haven't already outlined your plan with them. Some swaps are impossible from an engineering point of view. OEM headers and catalytic converters from a 5.0 Ford V8 are a tough fit under a Miata. You can't put LS truck motors in California cars built after 1975. Ever. Your new transplanted powerplant could only exhale rose petals and it wouldn't make a difference to the people who are going to approve your swap for registration in California.

Or just do what everyone else does in California; form an LLC in Iowa and get your plates there.

 

Dave, the TSB for 1995-96 Caprice motors is 01-06-04-011. It will pull up online. I understand the TSB for the 1994 motor ends in -019 but it seems one has to pay to get that one. I think the referee I spoke with was actually looking at -019, but I'm not sure. It is explicit: "It has been determined that the Secondary AIR Injection system is not required to meet emission requirements for these vehicles only." The TSB was prompted by dealer complaints of having to service large numbers of failed pumps that caused driveability issues.
There is a further question that I could use some help with should I get into a fracas with the CARB folks. California's emissions test equipment is able to physically measure tailpipe emissions for Hydrocarbons (HC), Carbon Monoxide (CO), Nitrogen Oxides (NOx), Carbon Dioxide (CO2), and Oxygen (O2). The rest of the exam consists of visual inspection to ensure that all the factory equipment is there. Whether any of that stuff is working is either assumed, inferred from a failed tailpipe test, or from a DTC [diagnostic trouble code which, according to the TSB would only occur in 1996 OBDII Caprices]. The question I have is: Which of the the various smog related equipment serves to reduce the 4 tested tailpipe emission items, and which are supposed to deal with other emissions issues? I do know that the EVAP cannister is collecting and neutralizing something else. The smog pump and its related plumbing are there only to intercept unburned hydrocarbons before they get to a cold catalytic converted. Once the converter is warmed up it takes over that function and the air injection system is blocked off by a valve [unlike the ac compressor or radiator fan, the pump lacks a clutch so technically the engine is always churning it in pump mode]. Ironically, California vehicles are not tested for an operating AIR system because the first thing a smog shop is required to do before the test begins, and regardless of what the temperature gauge says, is let the car idle for quite some time. By the time the test begins, the AIR system has long since shut down in favor of the catalytic converter.

 

My 1994 XJS with the 6.0 V12 has an air pump with a clutch and it can cycle just like an AC compressor. I believe the XJ40 sedans ( 1987-94) with the 6 cylinder also had clutched air pumps.

 

Apparently GM decided not to invest in clutched pump since they were going to fail at an alarming rate anyway.

 

It's sad that California limits the ability to do engine swaps. If my xj6 needed a new engine, I would love to do something like this.

 

Just a comment here- California does not "limit" engine conversions. Instead, the California Bureau of Automotive Repair provides very detailed guidelines of what engine changes are legal into what vehicles including acceptable hardware and installation directions. No, it is not a simple process but for those who read the material, follow the directions, and know what they are doing, it can be done successfully. A competent installer, correct parts, and a reasonable budget, are needed at minimum.

And with the two most basic provisions that the replacement engine be as new or newer than the vehicle, and that weight classes be maintained (no truck engines into cars, etc.,.) the end result is that these converted cars generally have vastly improved overall emissions vs their original configurations. My 88 XJSC with a (fully OBD2 legal, California approved) 2002 Camaro LS1 conversion has emissions numbers something close to 1/10 of those the very same car blew with the V12.

That is the point of the guidelines- we can get the performance while not degrading emissions in any way.

I hope that helps

Andrew
Jaguar Specialties

 

Andrew is 100% correct. And if the BAR focused primarily on whether the engine swap resulted in emissions reduction, life would be considerably simpler. As I've pointed out before, certain emissions equipment cannot be reasonably tested by a smog station so Calif BAR relies in a visual inspection. If the factory equipment is there they assume it is functioning. In this particular case GM, with all its engineering resources determined the AIR system was defectively designed and did not reduce emissions. Instead it only burdened dealers and owners of these vehicles with excessive repair bills. That is why GM told its dealers to deactivate the AIR system and issued a decal alerting smog stations of this "fix". It is completely irrational for Calif BAR to refuse to recognize this process in 2020 when it had been approved in 2003. The arguments they cite for this reversal reveal the agency's elevation of form over function. And as Andrew points out, a potential engine swap can be approved if the owner is willing to waste considerable time and money restoring a non-function AIR system.

 

If the only thing holding up getting the car approved is having the air pump, why don't you just put it on then?? That's not a huge expense or a lot of hours. If that is all they need to bless your conversion, just do it. There are several good used sets on Ebay....

Good luck

Andrew

 

Andrew we come at this from different perspectives. You run a business part of which involves engine swaps. Getting them done and passed as quickly as possible is a rational business objective. Since you are also an ethical businessman, I'm sure you try to invoice your customers as economically as possible. Whether the requirements imposed by the agency and the resultant expense to the customer is rational is, for you, a minuscule part of the equation. Dealing with that is just an element of the business you're in.

I'm just a hobbyist. As such I come at this from the perspective of a citizen. I expect the agencies funded by the fees and taxes I pay to be true to their mission and pursue it sensibly. The emissions edifice is there to protect us and the environment insofar as possible within the economic realities and constraints imposed by a powerful and reluctant auto industry wielding considerable political influence. The referee system is outsourced to help the public comply with emissions regulations. Help does not mean "perpetuate itself by interpreting regulations as narrowly as possible to serve what referees believe is the agency's hostility toward engine swaps". It means just the opposite: Working with us to encourage and facilitate swaps that further the agency's primary mission to reduce emissions.

When the referees who were originally paid to help me get my car through emissions tell me to clutter my engine compartment with a defective and useless system at considerable cost [maybe not to you, but it is to me], as a citizen I become upset. Is this kind of frustration unprecedented? Of course not. Is the answer, "Just do it and quit whining" a satisfactory answer? Again, no, and particularly not on a forum designed to share and elicit possible solutions short of just going along with bureaucracy that has lost its way. I am just smart enough to know I may have to knuckle under, but I'm not quite ready to do that just yet.

 

Just to clear up a point, we are an R&D house essentially for Jaguar conversion kits and parts. The only cars that we build and work on here are my own- we don't build customer cars, don't work on them, and don't take them to the referee for customers. So my experience going through the referee process is my own, basically as an enthusiast. I suck up the time and expense as part of being involved with this on my own cars as part of my hobby.

As far as the cost here, I'm not following. A good used air pump system, something from Ebay that will work, is maybe $100 +/-. I am assuming you do your own work, so the cost for installation is your own. Add maybe another $100 or so for anything else you will need here to make this work and we are maybe at $200. In the grand scheme and cost of this whole project cost, is $200, the amount standing between you and an immovable object to get approved, really too much?? This can't be but a small fraction of what you have invested in the project, so what's the big commotion? And it's minor clutter at worst- the air pump on an LT1 is down low on the driver side, out of view, leaving only 2 hoses, one to each exhaust manifold, to be left in view. When my 88 XJSC had an LT1 I even ran the steel air pipe (that fed those 2 hoses) under the front the oil pan so even it was out of view.

You're right, our taxes do pay for the referee program, and in my opinion, IT IS A BARGAIN. You can take your car there as many times as it takes to get approved, they charge you nothing for the inspection (as many times as it takes), and then once approved, you are charged only $8.25 for the certificate and sticker. For the amount of time they sometimes put into these things, I see it as a bargain.

Is this maybe a little frustrating? Probably yes, but certainly a lot less so than seeing your project sitting in the driveway, being unable to enjoy it.

I hope it works out well for you.

Good luck

Andrew

 

The electric air pump on the LT1 is far better at it's purpose than the older belt driven ump that was used byu jaguar and a lot of other vehicles. Mine is present and possibly works. so far the referee found it OK and it has been Ok for subsequent SMOG shop inspections. The referee in my case was the auto shop instructor at a local community college. He was complimentary as to the installation and that I a non auto pro did it. Nice guy. he pointed it out to a student that he was mentoring at the "inspection" pat of the building where the instruction shop was. There are some "glitches" that he did not call me on. He was impressed with the check engine light. it looks "factory". Bob Loftus helped me with that. A transparency printed on his printer.

Now, BAR has given us some leeway. Ram horn manifolds for LT1's and similar. The rear dumps not fitting. I ground and drilled mine for the EGR port. It looks exactly like the GM method. and it works., Thanks to a Pro tech. The after market harness was flawed there.

Oh and as to the vapor test. we also get a break. Just sees that the flap valves are present and in good order. No leak down as in other cars.

No truck engines. sounds odd, but really is not. Emmision requirements are less, defeating the idea of cleaner not dirtier...

I do fault the legislature for not "day lighting" the law. A bill to raise the cut off to 1981 or older failed in committee.

I went through a lot to get a pass. but, since I went through a lot to get it on the road, I kept at it til I got it passed.. I'll not bad mouth the harness guy. he retired shortly after the sale to me!!! Not a well man.

Just passed SMOG. It aint free !!!! 88 bucks!!!! And registration now 125!!!

Carl

 

Andrew: I stand corrected as to your pursuits.
I have searched EBAY over several weeks and used tube, pump and bracket will be about $300. True, not much compared to the overall cost of the project, but there are a lot of things I would rather do with $300 than burden my installation with non-functional parts.
My experience with the referee over the phone was a Jekyll and Hyde affair. It started congenially, with the ref agreeing that the GM's TSB and decal should work. Once that was reversed by his supervisor, things took a distinct turn for the worse. The longer he talked the more he demanded. Actual and only Caprice wiring harness, paperwork from the actual and only the car from which the motor came. These are requirements I never heard of and when questioned his rationale for them was strained and contrived.
Carl: I have heard that Northern CA referees have very different concept of their reason for being than those in the Southland. Your experience would seem to bear that out. I am very glad that you had a positive experience. I remain hopeful that when the car is actually sitting there before the referee, I will have a better experience than I did with the fellow on the phone.

 

Is there a self serve junkyard you can pull the parts from? Should be a lot cheaper than buying stuff off ebay.

 

When I lived in LA (for almost 30 years, left in 1994) I found the various agencies big enough that every cross-section of humanity and personality could be found...surely a reflection of So. Cal itself. So, yes, there can be some Jekyl and Hyde scenarios "depending who you talk to".

Most of my experiences with the BAR were positive but there were a few stinkers in the ranks. And they can be a force to be reckoned with, as can the agency itself.

I realize this adds nothing useful to the conversation but I hope your next encounters are with some of the good people and not the bad ones.

Cheers
DD

 

The large SoCal pull your parts yard has a very friendly website that allows you to search the inventory of all their yards. You can also choose to be notified when a car comes in that falls in your sphere of interest. The parts I'd be looking for are now 25 years old so eligible vehicles within a reasonable distance are few.

I agree Doug. Problem is that the question of honoring the GM TSB/decal is likely to be referred to supervisors or even regional. They are, I suspect, are at a place on the corporate ladder where looking good tCalBAR supersedes the needs any individual hobbyist.

 

Is this the point where I can say that putting in a Jaguar XK engine will solve all your problems?

 

This is why I always recommend customers in California work with a provider (a shop) that has been through the referee process many times. The process requires a good understanding of what they will want to approve the car, and how to present it to them. I will tell you for sure that having the correct documentation to show where the engine came from (year, make, model and VIN of donor) is not a new requirement, and not unreasonable- how else can you show that you have what you say is actually there in the car??? That should not be a difficult hurdle. And yes, using the original wiring harness for the engine is also not a surprising request- that guarantees that all of the correct emissions wiring is there, something that is almost never included on aftermarket harnesses (and not to mention using a factory harness is much much less expensive than aftermarket). Also, trying to do any of this by phone is not effective. This is a hands on process- the inspector needs to see the car in person, not try and imagine what you have by phone. That approach seems to me to be very unlikely to end positively. And even if you got someone on the phone to agree to anything, there's nothing to say the inspector in the field will take any of that into consideration- why would they?. The phone guy never saw the car.....

But I am really back to just getting past. So what if it's $300? The car will get approved and you'll be done. To me that's not a big expense to get this behind you. Just go and do it and get on the road and enjoy your car.

I think at this point I'm going to step off of this thread. It's been a good discussion and all the best. I don't think I have anything constructive to add further

Andrew