Here in California, as far as emissions are concerned, is there an advantage to performing a 1JZ/2JZ-GTE swap on a SC300 manual car with OBD I (pre-1995) versus OBD II (1996 and thereafter)?

For example, would it be easier to pass California SMOG emissions on a 1995 SC300 manual with a 1JZ/2JZ-GTE swap than a 1997 SC300 manual with the same engine swap?

 

It would be easier to pass on an OBD1 car IF they don't look under your hood. Unless you can find a US 2jzgte, you still have to take it to a ref though, and those guys are a**holes. CA is having smog places now plug into your car if you have OBDII to check out more info and if you've cleared codes or not. You also have to keep the EGR.

Good luck!

 

how are the modified IS300's passing out in Cali
I've seen some turbo ones out there...
do they just pay someone off, or use a ODB2 simulator?

 

There is a street legal kit developed by Greddy for the IS300.

Sc's on the other hand I'm not sure about any street legal kit.

 

if you have an obd1 car they do:

visual - engine bay and look to see if you have any check engine light/codes - dont fail either - you have to make them think your engine bay is stock.

2 speed test with sniffer on dyno - you cant fail this either

if you have an OBD2 car-

in addition to above: they will plug a machine into your diagnostic port and it will scan your ecu for stored CEL codes. you cant fail this either
also, they will check your gas cap for evap for OBD2, it has some function or other (forgot, been a long time since I smogged my evo8)

engine swapping rules for smog:

engine has to be same year or newer, also has to be a usa market motor - 1jz was never sold in usa.

you cannot convert an obd2 car to obd1, you can make a obd1 car an obd2 car though.

electronically, it is all easy to do- you can take a 1jzgte from 1989, wire it up with a USA MK4 2jzgte obd2 1998 ecu- and pass obd2 computer, diagnostic, etc etc - you'd be paying dr tweak a bundle for it and you'd have to config an extra o2 sensor, but the 1jzgte is not a usa legal engine, therefore if the tech knew, you would fail 100% on the visual.

a stock MK4 JDM 2jzgte on visual is identical to usdm with exception of the EGR unit on the intake manifold- I had them both in my garage and choose to install the JDM unit on my engine- the JDM cylinder head dosnt have the egr cutout in the cylinder head, one could easily fool smog guys by installing a USDM 2jzgte MK4 intake manifold with its appropriate EGR business on a JDM 2jzgte - connect everything, they will never know that the cylinder head blocks it off.

EGR sucks. why eat your own poo!

i am not a smog tech, but:
if you want 100% legal

find sc300 body, find usdm MK4 TT motor, find appropriate USDM MK4 TT obd1 or 2 ecu to match your sc300 body. obd1 ecu for 1995 and prior, obd2 ecu for 1996+

there are no vins on any cylinder heads or JDM shortblocks, there are no vin numbers at all in japan- they dont use vin numbers.

SC300's have 2jz-ge's in them stock anyway, in the eyes of toyota you could have just as easily done a cylinder head only swap- sombody here and on supraarforums has done a full gte+tt+ecu head swap on stock 2jz-ge sc300/mk4 na bottom end.

if the sc300 is already obd2, its just connecting all the wires to the right place. same for obd1. if you are adding obd2 to an obd1 car, theres a thread on supraforums with DIY on how to install an OBD2 ecu and obd2 port on a obd1 supra.

 

Great post! This is actually one of the debates I'm having on whether I should keep my SC3 95 to swap in a GTE motor, or sell the vehicle and purchase an A5 instead!!! If I do the swap but can't smog it, what's the point, you kno? I still would like to confirm whether an all stock GTE swap can really pass smog, but assumming the tech won't try and distinguish between a GE and a GTE motor. If that's possible, I actually know a couple of friends who work at test-only and regular smog stations. You know, there's been so much pressure lately in California with the Smog issue, because a few Smog techs are idiots for even trying to hook up people they don't know. WTF, you kno?? How much more dumb can you get. I mean, isn't your Smog Certs supppose to be like gold?