So Does OBDII prevent engine swaps? Please discuss

[Tercel Drifter]

I've been a big fan of engine swaps for a while.  But one thing I've researched time and time again to no avail was whether one can use JDM engines on OBDII cars.  Are there laws in New England preventing this? Are we limited to USDM enginges w/OBDII? What's the deal?  Pre-96 car just have to pass the sniffer but what about newer cars, what are our limitations?

[laz]

I believe that it stands in what Federal law dictates, and that is that you can put any EPA certified ODBII engine as long as it meets the emissions standards for the original car.

Also I hear that ODBI engines are easier to tune than ODBII cars in certain applications.

With that in mind yuo may be able to put in a ODBII engine and hopefully find an adapter to an ODBI ecu to downgrade if that is what your original car used.

Hope that helps somewhat.

X

[GrandLordKhorne]

In new england, depending on your state and how astute the tec performing the insp is, they plug in the scaner for OBDII and check the ECU for tampering.  If you are swaping an OBDII motor for an OBDII motor than you are fine.  What you can't do technicaly is put a JDM none OBDII motor into a car build originaly with OBDII...  Having said that, if you know which stations actualy plug in and which ones do not, than it is not a problem to swap in a none OBDII as long as you can pass the sniff....

[Tercel Drifter]

I see, this has always been in the back of my mind when comtemplating JDM engines on newer cars, At least locally there doesn't seem to be away around it. I think I might call the DMV, there seems to be no straight answer to this. All JDM engines AFAIK aren't obdII therefore this limits us to USDM engines, even if the JDM engines are just as clean if not, cleaner.

[Darkest Edge]

Truthfully, OBDII system are not to bad to tune.  It depends on the car.  On Honda, yeah I'm a Honda and Toyota fan, K-Series engines are easy to work with now.  Hondata, a ECU modifier for Honda, can convert the stock ECU to make it basically a full standalone ECU.  Same ECU provided, but fully programmable.  Toyota has not created too much a scene as Honda, which sux, to provide a great deal of performance aftermarket parts, compared to Honda.

People in Honda community also have a lot of knowledge, by experimenting,  Almost all the results are spread to anyone to read.  Also, a lot of the parts, old and new, are interchangable, easily.

Yeah, I'm probably going to get flamed for what I wrote.

[Tercel Drifter]

No, you have a point.  But my original question remains unclear. Essencially I see two options, which I wonder if are possible.

1) Make a JDM engine ODBII complient (how?)

2) Make a USDM OBDII car pre-obd with the JDM harness and engine. And the legality of this will vary by state and region? (Cali big no no, FL a okay)

I'm curious to see how those Honda guys get away with JDM swaps. When taking into account emissions.  JDM engines are NOT obdII complient at least not off the bat.

[Darkest Edge]

Depends on the engine.  Sometimes USDM engine harness can be used on a JDM OBDII engine.  There might be several differences.  One that I can think of, JDM engines don't have EGR valves, I'm pretty sure about that, so there won't be a sensor for that.  To make it a legal, really legal, your going to have to retrofit the EGR system.  Not an easy task.  

A way to get around it, possible, is use a JDM ecu.  But scanning the ECU is going to be a problem during inspection.  A way to get around that, have a friend who has the same car as you and know a private inspector.  With your friend car, put your stock ECU into your friend car for the inspection.  Pain the ass, but can be done.

JDM wire harness can be used, but the wiring is going to be a different location.  Because the cluster and everything around it is located on the right side of the car, USDM on left, your going to need to extend and shrink the wiring harness around.

Plus legal issue of EGR again rises with the JDM harness.

Honda people will pay off inspectors.  But stock JDM engines, even without the EGR systems, are actually emission friendly.  They are really strict there.  Worse the the US.

There are know people who actually got their swaps legally passed and approved.  But its hard and can get complicated sometimes.  Give me your AIM, I can talk more about this if needed to.

[Tercel Drifter]

Thanks Will do. That was both encouraging and i informative.