Stopped By Cops - Requested For Epa Compliance

[ihtasham]

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]

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]

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.

[ihtasham]

Thanks Guys, thats what I'm planning to do as well to have all fixed.

Could any one recommend any good Skyline mechanics for the jobs please?

[mad082]

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]

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

[mad082]

my guess is that it was done at an EPA testing station/certified independant workshop, not just a random exhaust shop, so they would've gone over the entire car (as they are required to).

[sikmatesubwoofa]

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

[M34N]

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 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]

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]

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.

[mad082]

yeah you can get tunes that pass EPA testing. not sure if it has to be in the stock ecu (nistune) or whether it can be on any ecu.

[T4NK]

Find a mechanic you can pay to pass it, and have him say you had stock parts on it then so if u get done again say u put the parts back on.

[32vspec2gtr]

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]

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]

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