CAlifornia BAR/SMOG/engine swap thread.

[peterdawolf]

S50B30US CARB legal swap almost ready to bar.

I just need to go get a harness connector for my radiator coolant sensor out of a junkyard and I should be all set..

E36 325i, 413 DME, with an S50B30US, Dinan S/C kit, Turner ceramic coated headers.. taking a test pass on the smog before I go to the bar appointment hopefully next week, and all CEL's are eradicated, at least on the stomp and a snap on scanner. Have new 50-state legal magnaflows with certificates and an OBD1 mid pipe.. soon as I get past the ref, the OBD2 midpipe is definitely going back on (much bigger, dual pipes).

As far as the appointment, I heard good things in this thread about Fullerton, anyone know how it is with Compton College? They are a bit closer, although either one works more or less ;)

Peter

[McGyver]

1991 e34 m30b35 into 1989 325i

I finally got my convertible to Berkeley from Richmond, VA!

I took it to a smog guy to see how clean it's running, and it appears to be running too rich since my HC and CO are both double the m20 limit, but the NO is super low.

I've fixed all the vacuum leaks, replaced the coolant temp sensor, replaced my 3.0 bar FPR with a 2.5 bar FPR, tried multiple DMEs, and messed with the AFM. I have a generic o2 sensor, but it's only reading off of one bank. Nothing is getting it clean enough, so I'm guessing that the original m20 CAT just can't handle the volume of gasses from an m30 (or my CAT is dead). Now I'm to the point where I think I need to replace the CAT.

I intend to BAR this car so it's all legal and on the up&up, but I have a couple of questions:

1) What else provides input the would keep me from being so rich?

2) Are the allowable gasses from an m30 higher than the m20 limits? Meaning, am I really running too rich, or is the standard just not accounting for the correct engine?

3) Am I supposed to use the dual m30 CATs out of the e34, or my single e30 CAT?

[Brian697]

Thank you very much.

[raj]

Can anyone comment on whether they think these will pass the BAR?
I was under the impression that the stock mid pipe had to be intact, but I've heard varying accounts.
I'm having subframe clearance issues— this looks like a perfect solution, provided the referee will accept it.

https://www.facebook.com/TheArcAsylum/photos/a.348285461918957.80334.344547542292749/1263668970380597/

[mtech325]

I think it's going to be dependent on the referee. My 24v car has a custom midsection that mimics the routing of the OEM m50 midsection, and I passed. It doesn't look special, but it also doesn't look stock.

Like you said, some people have had very strict referees that require the midsection to be unmodified, so they had to clearance the subframe if I'm not mistaken. Do you happen to know of other people's experiences at the BAR station you plan to go to? That way you have a sense of what that particular referee will be checking.

[arch4ngel]

Can anyone comment on whether they think these will pass the BAR?
I was under the impression that the stock mid pipe had to be intact, but I've heard varying accounts.
I'm having subframe clearance issues— this looks like a perfect solution, provided the referee will accept it.
https://www.facebook.com/TheArcAsylu...3668970380597/

I went this route and passed, stock OBD2 midpipe fits and the rear sump oil pan is a bonus.

[Brian697]

Well, just came from the Referee in Chula Vista. Real nice guys, but it did not pass for several reasons.

My car: '87 e30 325iS with S52 from a '97 M3 (was an auto).
Intake: Kamotors with stock S52 intake manifold
Exhaust: complete e36/M3 from donor car, which came with an aftermarket catalytic converter on passenger side. (4) O2 sensors
Full OBD2 sensor package, except EWS deleted
DME flash: Markert Motor Works (convert from auto to manual, delete ESW)

Issues:
1) air filter system must be CARB-approved
2) aftermarket converter is not current, and must be replaced with a current part number
3) High NOx, gross polluter. All other parameters show very lean (but did not throw any codes during the test).
4) Referee must be able to reset the sensor status to "not ready"
5) The DME must be checked by a BMW dealer to confirm that the flash is compatible with the engine

Actions:
1) Will install a CARB-approved air filter system
2) Will replace the old aftermarket converter with a new aftermarket converter
3) Will do another smoke test to see if I missed a vacuum leak. Not sure what I will do after that...
4) Working with Dave at Markert to get the "not ready" status enabled.
5) Looking for a BMW dealer who will not charge me an arm and a leg to bless it. I am concerned about the EWS delete - is that going to be a non-starter for them?

Appreciate any input/suggestions.

On a different subject, I asked the Referee about exhaust system modifications. He said that the cats and downstream O2 sensors must be located within 3" of the original locations, and that the mid-pipes did not have to be OEM.

Will update as progress occurs.

Brian

[pazi88]

I am concerned about the EWS delete - is that going to be a non-starter for them?

If EWS delete is made correctly there is only one control bit that has been changed. Should not be problem. But if it's done in wrong way there is chunk of program data missing and the ecu will not work as it's not meant. So in that case it could be problem.

[Brian697]

Update - passed and now have the official sticker!

Accomplished tasks:
1) purchased ECIS CAI from Custom Performance Innovations (better price than Rogue). Applied CARB sticker on shock tower.
2) Welded in Magnaflow converter
3) smoke test showed a leak at the AIT sensor (installed backwards, how the hell did I do that???)
4) Dave and Andres at Markert updated the DME with a quick turnaround (thanks!)
5) BMW of El Cajon (thanks to Nick Owen) checked out and blessed the DME load for $100 (1 hour of shop time). EWS delete was a non-issue.

Referees checked everything out, including turning all of the sensors to "not ready" status, and ran the emissions test. 45 min later, he asked me where I wanted the sticker installed (driver's door jamb).

Good guys - interested in doing their job correctly, but not over the top.

[clavinZERO]

Badass! Congrats! Going through this right now myself.

[bradmer]

Update - passed and now have the official sticker!

Congratulations Brian! Totally stoked for you buddy!

[clavinZERO]

Going through the BMW dealership ECU verification right now myself (new bullshit for us in 2017). Literally an hour ago, the local dealer could not get any of their systems to talk to the ECU to read them the CAL ID and the CVN, which is what the state referee wants along with the statement of "THIS PART NUMBER ECU GOES WITH THIS ENGINE" on a dealership invoice. My family shop's computer could connect just fine and engage all the obd2 functions, but did not display the needed info; so I am hoping a code reader I am getting can let the dealer read that information for me.

An excerpt from my email from local BAR referee after I sent them a letter from local dealer validating my ECU (aka PCM):


"I received your letter and forwarded it to BAR. They requested that the info be put on a dealer invoice. They want verification that the PCM is for a 1999 BMW M3 CA cert. The BAR would like the dealer to list the Calibration ID (CAL ID) and Calibration verification number (CVN) as well.

Thanks,

***********
Smog Check Referee (Solano College / Santa Rosa JC)"

Pulling my hair out and I am way passed expired on my smog test extension... hope I don't get a fix-it ticket, but at least my fees were paid on-time for registration.

I just want my fucking fancy $8.00 sticker!

I really don't want to send my ECU back to Markert Motorworks again either, although they were pretty cool to work with.

---

1999 s52b32 obd2 swap, all emissions systems intact, no check-engine light or codes for 12k miles! 29MPG highway.

[Brian697]

Keep after it, Clavin.
Hopefully, when Markert set up your DME, he enabled the "not ready" status for the sensors (typically he sets all sensors to "ready").
If the sensors cannot be reset by the referee, he may reject it (mine did).

[clavinZERO]

When they did my initial test at the ref, he said all was well and it met all the readiness monitors. That leads me to believe Markert did the right magic!

[Brian697]

Sweet! Dave's team does good work!

Backup plan: a road trip to San Diego to see Nick Owen at BMW of El Cajon. Then run over to the referee at Southwestern College (appointment required) and get your $8 sticker. After which, we meet up and get a beer to celebrate your success!