Jump to content
SAU Community

Recommended Posts

  • 3 weeks later...

Hi Guys,

Long time reader first time poster. I have been doing some digging around into acts and legislations. The document that everyone seems to recommed is the EPA 2006 Modification guide which isn't actually a legal document but just a guide.

The Legislation the guide is 'suppose to follow' is the Environment Protection (Vehicle Emissions) Regulations 2003 which can be found here http://www.legislation.vic.gov.au (choose the 'E' and choose Legislation and go down to 60)

the PDF link I have added

http://www.legislation.vic.gov.au/Domino/Web_Notes/LDMS/LTObject_Store/LTObjSt4.nsf/DDE300B846EED9C7CA257616000A3571/AD52E1CA8ECA6916CA2577610035F8CA/$FILE/03-10sr010.pdf

This is what laws EPA Victoria have and what all EPA testers must abide by.

Yes the document has the typical legal layout (which is painful to read) but from reading it and going over it with others. Most of what is in the EPA 2006 Modification guide isn't actually in the legislation it is suppose to follow. Please correct me if I'm wrong but if there is another Act or Legislation I have missed please include it.

There are so many points I can make about who and what has been deemed non-epa compliated but yet is not in there legislation. I know EPA is a VERY touchy issue but I am putting this out there hoping it could make a difference and help inform people what is the law.

Yes I have been playing to much Deus Ex: Human Revolution and think the EPA are evil conspiracists controlled by the Greens which control the Labor Government.

Well the few things i checked.

- Exhaust noise

- Vehicle Emission controls (which covers ECU, PCV etc)

Were the same in the Guidelines, and Stat Rules. And that is what 99% of people here are going to be pinned for ;)

Also the part you have referenced is simply the emissions part for Victoria dont forget. There is more too it like:

Road Safety (Vehicles) Regulations 2009

That one also makes reference to ADR's and other things about emissions etc. I really CBFd trolling through it to see exactly what is referenced but my guess would probably say enough to make it a headache to then go and check each ADR.

  • 1 month later...

Hi Guys,

Just my luck i recieved a Noise Test request from the EPA. Thank god its not a full epa since im running a topmount with the rb30 inside. But i just wanted to be 100% sure, is the simple process of just showing up to a tester, getting it tested then giving the Certificate of Compliance to the EPA? No need to show the car?

Also, should i be worried about chucking the OEM r34 GTT exhaust back on with the amount of modifications i have done to the engine? (eg, gt35r, rb26/30, custom vband dump, ect) no chance of me damading the engine due to back pressure right? Obviously i wont be on WOT but what about the actual test at 4800rpm?

Where are they sending you for the test?

As i have said previously a mates GTR got done for noise, pod filters and a boost controller and the tester said if the car isn't stock its going to the EPA. He wanted stock Nissan cat or an EPA approved import cat with paperwork to prove it complied, stock FPR, stock exhaust, stock FMIC etc

Any "lenient" testers you recommend nismoid?

Although i have to replace my whole exhaust system, i just dont want any further issues with anything else. If thats even possible.

BTW ive been thinking about a racepace exhaust, do you recall what the ball park price they charge?

Been calling them 2 times a day for the last 2-3days but no one ever picks up or even returns my calls =[

No such thing as lenient either it's under or it's not

sorry alex let me be more spesific,

I dont want to draw attention to the fact that im running semi slicks, a top mount turbo ect, A noise tester wouldnt be concerned about this stuff right? Nor should he ask to see the engine?

Sorry mate, just saw your in Melbourne. If you were in Sydney i would say prepare the vaso as regardless of what they catch you for they rape you for everything up here, but Melbourne may be a bit different

Gosh man that must be a nightmare.

When i got home from work and opened up the mailbox to see a envelope from EPA . . . . my heart sunk and i was preparing for the worst. A full engine rip out and buying a new rb25 to put back in. To my relief it was just a noise test. I dont know how much longer i can go driving a car like this lol.

sorry alex let me be more spesific,

I dont want to draw attention to the fact that im running semi slicks, a top mount turbo ect, A noise tester wouldnt be concerned about this stuff right? Nor should he ask to see the engine?

They are testing for noise as i said.

That is all they care about.

go to exhaust city in chelt. great guy for epa noise testing. epa noise testers dont give a shit what your car looks like as long as it pasts test your fine. then you fax it through to epa and your cleared

I had an EPA for noisy exhuast on a VN (had a note through the mail saying the jacks had reported it), I took it to the local RACV place & he failed it so I made some restrictors & went back.

He told me he suspected that restrictors had been installed and threatened to report it to the EPA.

I took it somewhere else & they passed it no probs.

All they do is stick a microphone behind the exhause (they have measuring sticks to make sure it's in the right place), give it a couple of revs and that's it.

As said before, they don't care about anything else on the vehicle, just the noise level, think it's like 90dBA

As for roadies i's getting really hard to get one now because they have to take pictures.

Used to get them all day long up lol

When I bought my R33 they stung me for tint on the door too dark, new windscreen as the one on it was "sandblasted" & front brake discs.

Taking the tint off was fun (not).

  • 1 month later...

I just think its BS how this state/ country doesn't allow you to modify your own vehicle how you want. Not allowed 2 intake mods wtf?? not allowed this not allowed that... what if your car is 10 times safer than standard form then what??

As sad and stupid the laws are im still going ahead with my custom setup. Just puts a downer on it after reading a few posts about it all.

I wish there was good reasons behind not allowing after market modifications. :(

I just think its BS how this state/ country doesn't allow you to modify your own vehicle how you want. Not allowed 2 intake mods wtf?? not allowed this not allowed that... what if your car is 10 times safer than standard form then what??

As sad and stupid the laws are im still going ahead with my custom setup. Just puts a downer on it after reading a few posts about it all.

I wish there was good reasons behind not allowing after market modifications. :(

I think because of the following reasons:

1. Cars have safety features which you can affect by modifying. (Airbags, seatbelts, crumple zones, etc. etc.) Just think about that fully sick 5" monster tacho you see on some dash's. Then picture said tacho hitting the driver in the head when their whole body is flung forward because they rear ended someone.

2. Cars have pollution equipment in place to minimise how much nasty stuff you inhale when your mate drives off. CATs are fitted for a reason. Cars are tuned for pollution minimisation. etc.

3. Modifications done by back yarders can be dangerous as they haven't got full knowledge of engineering principles and the ADR's.

4. Putting modifications to driveline components (such as fully sik 22" chrome bling wheels) means other components wear out faster as increased loads contribute to extra stresses on the system. Again, your average backyarder (and some mechanics for that matter) have no idea when it comes to 'system engineering'. Hence why we have to use an automotive engineer for drastic and not so drastic changes.

I guess to sympathise with you about 2 intake mods.... Agreed, the EPA are a bunch of idiots. They should be educating car enthusiasts on how to get the most performance and fuel economy, but minimal impact on the environment. Don't get me started on Vicroads. Those guys have no idea what so ever. They brought in some rules to say cages weren't allowed to be fitted to cars (at all) because it affected crumple zones etc. Pity that means older cars (say pre 90's) which may not have crumple zones now could not have a cage if you wanted to drive it on the road. Fortunately they have reversed their decision. Twits!

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now



  • Similar Content

  • Latest Posts

    • The average previous owner for these cars were basically S-chassis owners in the US. Teenagers or teenager-adjacent. I often tell people that neglect is easier to fix than something that was actively "repaired" by previous owners.
    • Update 3: Hi all It's been a while. Quite a lot of things happened in the meantime, among other things the car is (almost) back together and ready to be started again. Things that I fixed or changed: Full turbo removal, fitting back the OEM turbo oil hardlines. Had to do quite a bit of research and parts shopping to get every last piece that I need and make it work with the GT2860 turbos, but it does work and is not hard to do. Proves that the previous owner(s) just did not want to. While I was there I set the preload for the wastegates to 0,9bar to hopefully make it easier for the tuner to hit the 370hp I need for the legal inspections that will follow later on. Boost can always go up if necessary. Fitted a AN10 line from the catch can to the intake hose to make the catchcan and hopefully the cam covers a slight vacuum to have less restrictive oil returns from the head and not have mud build up as harshly in the lines and catch can. Removed the entire front interior just shy of the dashboard itself to clean up some of the absolutely horrendous wiring, (hopefully) fix the bumpy tacho and put in LED bulbs while I was there. Also put in bulbs where there was none before, like the airbag one. I also used that chance to remove the LED rpm gauge on the steering column, which was also wired in absolute horror show fashion. Moved the 4in1 Prosport gauge from sitting in front of the OEM oil pressure gauge to the center console vents, I used a 3D printed vent piece to hold that gauge there. The HKB steering wheel boss was likely on incorrectly as I sometimes noticed the indicator reset being uneven for left vs. right. In the meantime also installed an airbag delete resistor, as one should. Installed Cube Speed premium short shifter. Feels pretty nice, hope it'll work great too when I actually get to drive. Also put on a fancy Dragon Ball shift knob, cause why not. My buddy was kind enough to weld the rust hole in the back, it was basically rusted through in the lowermost corner of the passenger side trunk area where the wheel arch, trunk panel and rear quarter all meet. Obviously there is still a lot of crustiness in various areas but as long as it's not rusted out I'll just treat and isolate the corrosion and pretend it's not there. Also had to put down a new ground wire for the rear subframe as the original one was BARELY there. Probably a bit controversial depending on who you ask about this... but I ended up just covering the crack in the side of the engine block, the one above the oil feed, with JB Weld. I used a generous amount and roughed up the whole area with a Dremel before, so I hope this will hold the coolant where it should be for the foreseeable future. Did a cam cover gasket job as the half moons were a bit leaky, and there too one could see the people who worked on this car before me were absolute tools. The same half moons were probably used like 3 times without even cleaning the old RTV off. Dremeled out the inside of the flange where the turbine housing mates onto the exhaust manifolds so the diameter matches, as the OEM exhaust manifolds are even narrower than the turbine housings as we all know. Even if this doesn't do much, I had them out anyways, so can't harm. Ideally one would port-match both the turbo and the manifold to the gasket size but I really didn't feel up to disassembling the turbine housings. Wrapped turbo outlet dumps in heat wrap band. Will do the frontpipe again as well as now the oil leak which promted me to tear apart half the engine in the first place is hopefully fixed. Fitted an ATI super damper to get rid of the worn old harmonic balancer. Surely one of the easiest and most worth to do mods. But torquing that ARP bolt to spec was a bitch without being able to lock the flywheel. Did some minor adjustments in the ECU tables to change some things I didn't like, like the launch control that was ALWAYS active. Treated rusty spots and surface corrosion on places I could get to and on many spots under the car, not pretty or ideal but good enough for now. Removed the N1 rear spats and the carbon surrounding for the tailpipe to put them back on with new adhesive as the old one was lifting in many spots, not pretty. Took out the passenger rear lamp housing... what do you know. Amateur work screwed me again here as they were glued in hard and removing it took a lot of force, so I broke one of the housing bolts off. And when removing the adhesive from the chassis the paint came right off too. Thankfully all the damaged area won't be visible later, but whoever did the very limited bodywork on this car needs to have their limbs chopped off piece by piece.   Quite a list if I do say so myself, but a lot of time was spent just discovering new shit that is wrong with the car and finding a solution or parts to fix it. My last problem that I now have the headache of dealing with is that the exhaust studs on the turbo outlets are M10x1.25 threaded, but the previous owner already put on regular M10 nuts so the threads are... weird. I only found this out the hard way. So now I will just try if I can in any way fit the front pipe regardless, if not I'll have to redo the studs with the turbos installed. Lesson learned for the future: Redo ALL studs you put your hands on, especially if they are old and the previous owners were inept maniacs. Thanks for reading if you did, will update when the engine runs again. Hope nothing breaks or leaks and I can do a test drive.
    • No those pads are DBA too  but they have colors too. I look at the and imo the green "street" are the best.
    • I’m not sure what happened I told them about sonic tunes free OTS tune and the next the I know .. I was booted..   To funny 
×
×
  • Create New...