Jump to content
SAU Community

Stopped By Cops - Requested For Epa Compliance

ihtasham
 Share

Recommended Posts

ihtasham Newbie

ihtasham

Posted
Posted

Howdy All, Hoping to get some help here.

I've had Skyline R33 GTS-T 1997 for over two years now. About 3 weeks ago I got pulled over by a cop (on Sydney Rd) and according to him apparently my car was way too loud and it sounded like there was a jumbo jet coming from behind lol.

Luckly he didn't fine me but I got a letter from EPA requesting me to get a certificate of compliance. So I took it to one of their recommended mechanics and they asked me to get the following fixed:

  • Exhaust (must reduce the noise level from 105 -> 90)
  • Get the air clearner assembly lid put back in
  • Blow off Val
  • Remove the EMS

I bought the car as is and never done any of the modifications. So could you guys please:

  • Suggest the best course of action here?
  • Recommend any good mechanics who can help me with the above at reasonable cost

And one last thing, once I've the certificate of compliance, is it advisable to get all the stuff added back to the car so I can sell it?

Would really appreciate some prompt replies. PS: I'm not a very Skyline engine savvy.

Owgasm Grand Master

Owgasm

Posted
Posted

Do as theyve asked and replace all with stock or acceptable parts.

Not necessary to sell it.

After you've been cleared you could put your old stuff back on but risk the chance of the same thing happening.

mad082 Grand Master

mad082

Posted
Posted

yeah there isn't much you can do about it. all of the mods you have are illegal. you may not have been aware of this as you bought the car with a RWC/safety certificate, however this only means the car is safe, it doesn't mean the mods to the car are legal.

mad082 Grand Master

mad082

Posted
Posted

don't need a "skyline" mechanic. any exhaust shop will be able to sort the exhaust out. source the airbox yourself and fit it yourself (easy to do). buy a stock bov and fit it yourself also, or get a mate who is handy with the tools to do it. as for the EMS, is it just a piggyback or a full ecu? (i'm not familiar with them). if a full ecu then again, source a stock ecu yourself. will take 5 mins to swap over.

Jasonr31 Enthusiast

Jasonr31

Posted
Posted

I'm guessing its just a noise test if was taken to an exhaust shop. Go to a different shop, but first put a stock exhaust system back on and even put some steel wool in front of the cat to quieten it down further... They shouldnt even be looking at bov, airbox etc

M34N Community Regular

M34N

Posted
Posted

yh mate it sucks but its the law so you have to obey it. id consider it a compliment though "jumbo jet coming from behind" XD

I was thinking the same thing, I had a mate tell me to call VicRoads so they can clear a landing strip for the R34 :whistling: They are a loud engine + exhaust combination the RB's.

As others have said, take it to a good exhaust shop to quieten it down, replace the airbox, BOV and ECU with the stock items. I keep stock parts for my cars, never get rid of them. Comes in useful for exactly these situations and you can revert it back to the way it was if you want.

Bronx Mentor

Bronx

Posted
Posted

just a curious question, in regards to the ecu, what if your car was tuned for fuel pump, bigger injectors and e85 for instance, can they still make you remove of your ecu?

or in general, what is the law in regards to aftermarket ecus?

Truffles Community Regular

Truffles

Posted
Posted

just a curious question, in regards to the ecu, what if your car was tuned for fuel pump, bigger injectors and e85 for instance, can they still make you remove of your ecu?

or in general, what is the law in regards to aftermarket ecus?

Aftermarket ECUs are generally illegal, regardless of what they're tuned for. Particularly from an EPA point of view, as it changes the emissions level of the car.

I'm not familiar with the particulars of the matter but to have an aftermarket ECU approved (if you even can), you have to have the car emission approved and have the tune locked so it cannot be edited.

At any rate, it's of course easier to just swap back to a stock ECU as opposed to jumping through all the respective hoops.

  • 2 weeks later...
32vspec2gtr Collaborator

32vspec2gtr

Posted
Posted

Aftermarket ECUs are generally illegal, regardless of what they're tuned for. Particularly from an EPA point of view, as it changes the emissions level of the car.

I'm not familiar with the particulars of the matter but to have an aftermarket ECU approved (if you even can), you have to have the car emission approved and have the tune locked so it cannot be edited.

At any rate, it's of course easier to just swap back to a stock ECU as opposed to jumping through all the respective hoops.

I believe this is incorrect. Its not so much the ecu thats illegal. Its more to do with the fact that the car won't meet emissions requirements, which with a good tuner can be made to. Also another thing I have heard them say why the ecu is illegal is due to the fact that its no longer speed limited.

With a good tuner and the emissions testing equipment you can make the car legal. I've seen a 400awk gtr meet and even exceed the emissions and noise tests much to our shock. ha ha.

Harey Veteran

Harey

Posted
Posted

The rules vary significantly depending on which state you are in. I know QLD is quite leanient in comparison. NSW requires you to get a free IM240 emissions test and then an engineers certificate. VIC requires you to get a full ADR37/00 or 01 emissions test which costs ~$2k each time even if you fail then an engineers certificate, plus there are only 1 or 2 places that do it (VIPAC is the main one).

045HOW Mentor

045HOW

Posted
Posted

AFAIK there is no EPA in QLD and the closest is Sydney so we don't get very much trouble up here regarding that sort of business as well as many other lenient situations like just needing a modplate for aftermarket bits in your engine bay :cheers:

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
 Share
Go to topic listing


  • Latest Posts

    • suko
      J50 clock date suddenly reset to January 1

      By suko · Posted

      Well, I can recommend the partial AV system translation CD I ordered from Car Audio Workshop in NZ. Whilst it didn't address the date issue, it has conveniently translated on-screen menu items into English, and now allows the GPS-received time to be offset in hours rather than minutes, so I can display Eastern Australian time accurately ( and bump it by another hour when daylight savings starts ).
    • GTSBoy
      Baron's R34 GT-R build thread - car in Japan for 5 years -_-

      By GTSBoy · Posted

      Yuh, if it's 45°C outside, my car is driving in it.
    • soviet_merlin
      Baron's R34 GT-R build thread - car in Japan for 5 years -_-

      By soviet_merlin · Posted

      I'd be curious to hear more. Otherwise, have you driven a modern x-trail? I wonder how it compares. Here in Australia they are/were popular for rentals and fleet vehicles. I have been in some and my impression was they are bad. But, this may have been very different in the 2000s at a good trim level. Twenty years is plenty of time to make the model worse. I do very much agree with the 2 silver cars in the garage approach. But, not driving because it's too hot would not leave a lot of time in the year for many Australians. I don't think you need to worry too much unless the car has actual issues with overheating. 
    • BaronOBeefdip
      Baron's R34 GT-R build thread - car in Japan for 5 years -_-

      By BaronOBeefdip · Posted

      Back again. I returned to Japan in Jul/Aug to spend time with the car on my birthday and remind myself what all the sacrifice and compromise is for. It happened to line up with the monthly morning meet in Okutama, which I have been wanting to go to for a long time. It's a unique event at a unique spot with really rare, interesting, and quirky cars. It's where all the oldheads and OGs gather. The nighttime scene at DKF certainly has its place and should be experienced if you're into cars, but there's too much bad attention and negativity around it now. IMO the better time is Sunday morning at DKF or Okutama; it's more chill and relaxed. I'm glad I was finally able to go, but not sure it's worth the drive from all the way from Nagoya immediately the day before, unless I was already staying in Tokyo for the days right before the meet, because you have to wake up quite early to make it in time. Funnily enough though I didn't drive the car all that much this trip because it was just too damn hot. While there were zero issues and running temps were nominal and the A/C was strong, RBs already run crazy hot as it is. Sure, it took it all like a champ but something about driving these cars in the ridiculous heat/humidity bothers me and makes me feel like I'm asking too much of it. I'm just me being weird and treating the car like a living thing with feelings; I'm mechanically sympathetic to a fault. Instead I was mainly driving something else around - a KX4(silver) 2001 X-Trail GT, that I acquired in May. There's a few different flavors to choose from with Xs, but visually it's the Nissan version of the Honda CR-V. Mechanically it's a whole different story as this, being the top-trim GT, has an SR20VET mated to a four-speed auto and full-time AWD! It was a very affordable buy in exceptional condition inside and out, with very low mileage...only 48k kms. Most likely it was owned by an older person who kept it garaged and well-maintained, so I'm really happy with how it all worked out. It literally needs zero attention at the moment, albeit except for some minor visual touch-ups. I wanted something quirky, interesting, and practical and for sure it handily delivers on all three of those aspects. I was immediately able to utilize the cargo and passenger capacity to its full extent. It's a lot of fun to drive and is quite punchy through 1st and 2nd. It's very unassuming -in the twisty bits it's a lot more composed than one would think at a glance- and it'll be even better once I get better tires on it(yes, it's an SUV but still a little boat-y for my liking). So...now I have two golden-era Nissans in silver. One sports car and one that does everything else; the perfect two-car solution I think👍 The rest of the trip...I was able to turn my stressed brain off and enjoy it, although I didn't quite get to do as much as I thought. I did some interesting things, met some interesting people, and happened into some interesting situations however, that's all for another post though only if people really want to know. Project-wise, I went back to Mine's again to discuss more plans and am hoping to wrap that up real soon; keep watching this space if that interests you. Additionally, while working in the tormenting sweatbox that is the warehouse, I was able to organize most of the myriad of parts that my friend is storing for me along with the cars, and the 34 has a nice little spot carved out for it: And since it can get so stupid hot in there, that made it all the more easy -after I was standing there looking at the car and said 'f**k it'- to finally remove all the damn gauges that have mostly been an eyesore all this time. Huzzah. The heat basically makes the adhesive backing on the gauge mounts more pliable to work with, so it was far less stressful getting this done. I didn't fully clean it up or chase the wiring though; that will happen once I have the car in closer possession. Another major reason to remove all that stuff is to give people less reasons to get in my car and steal s**t while it's being exported/imported when/if the time comes, which leads us to my next point... ...and that is even though it's time in Japan is technically almost up since it's a November car and the X would be coming in March, I'm still not entirely sure where my life and career is headed; I don't really know what the future looks like and where I'm going to end up. I feel there's a great deal of uncertainty with me and as a result of that, it feels like I'm at a crossroads moreso now than any point in my life thus far and there are some choices I need to make. Yes, I've had some years to consider things and prepare myself, however too much has happened in that time to maintain confidence and everything feels so up in the air; tenuous one might say. Simply put, there's just too much nonsense going on right now from multiple vectors. Admittedly, I'm struggling to stay in the game and keep my eyes on the prize. So much so in fact, that very recently I came the closest I ever have before to calling it quits outright; selling everything and moving on and not looking back. The astute among you will pick up on key subtext within this paragraph. In the meantime I've still managed to slowly acquire some final bits for the car, but it feels nice knowing there's not much left to get and I'm almost across that finish line; I have almost everything I'll ever want for my interpretation and expression on what it is I think an R34 should be. 'til later.
    • Bwagz
      Engine model

      By Bwagz · Posted

      Thanks for that, hadn’t used my brain enough to think about that. 
×
×
  • Create New...