Idi in California

my wife and I are considering moving to California from Arkansas and I was wondering if I could get some advice on registering and smogging it in ca like does it need a cat and all that I have a 89 f350 with an 87 6.9 swapped in thanks

Any diesel older than 1998 don't need to be smogged. You'll need to get your vehicle inspected when you first register it at the DMV, so as long as you aren't rolling coal, I'm 99% sure you'll pass the initial inspection. Then every year thereafter, you'll just get the typical re-registration invoice in the mail, but shouldn't need any inspections or smogging for a truck that old.

If you want, you can call the California DMV and ask them directly. Their calling service isn't great, but it's not the worst either. They'll likely put you on hold for 30-some minutes, but they can answer any questions you want. I used to call them all the time when I was shopping for vans, because previous owners tend to hide their outstanding registration fees and fines. In California, you can look up the outstanding balance on any license plate by calling the DMV.

I called the dmv and they told me the cut off for smog is 1976 and I was trying to explain to the lady it’s a diesel and I don’t think she quite understood what I was saying so I thought I’d try here to see if someone in CA has one and could shed some light on this for me

'76 is for gassers. She's wrong and clearly not informed about the diesel cut-off. I know it really well, because my darn Jetta TDI is a '98, and I have to have to smogged every 2 years. I wish I had bought a '97 Jetta.

My IDI is an '88, and I've never been required to have it smogged. I bought it from a guy in Santa Clara, so I didn't have to import it to the state. So, I can't really tell you how they inspect an incoming diesel from Arkansas. About ten years ago, I imported a '97 gasser from Wisconsin, and the DMV did an inspection when I registered it for the first time. I was worried that it didn't have the infamous "California emissions" package that I always heard on the Price is Right, but the DMV didn't seem to care. It passed their initial DMV inspection, and it passed subsequent biennial smog checks, so it was fine.

Granted, that gasser wasn't a diesel, so I dont' know for sure how they conduct the initial DMV registration inspection, but I suspect it's the same as the gasser with minor differences. If you aren't rolling coal or blowing smoke and the IDI didn't come with a cat stock, then you should be fine.

if you are planning on using your IDI commercially though, there are other implications and regulation. You should look into that. But if you are using it for personal use, you should be fine. There are hundreds of hippies and hicks that love these engines here in California. I just took my IDI van up to Sequoia Natl Park for camping, and I had three different guys come up to the van to ask if it was a 6.9 or 7.3.

Ya I’m not rolling coal or have stacks or any of that young guy stuff I get a little blueish gray smoke but I’m pretty sure that’s from a failed cdr so with it being this old I could run a straight pipe after I turbo it and it would still be CA legal?

I’m originally from the Los Angeles area and my wife’s family and my adoptive family are out in CA is the reason we were thinking about going back I just want to make sure some uninformed gestopo tree huggers aren’t going trying to impound my truck

Ethan Turner said:

Ya I’m not rolling coal or have stacks or any of that young guy stuff I get a little blueish gray smoke but I’m pretty sure that’s from a failed cdr so with it being this old I could run a straight pipe after I turbo it and it would still be CA legal?

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The diesel inspection is visual. They don't have any fancy smog detectors like the gassers get. If you have blowing smoke, they will likely fail you.

Ethan Turner said:

I live near Clinton AR it’s north central AR in the foothills of the ozarks

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I'm about two hours if that away from Clinton roughly 45 minute drive from Searcy.

I'm in southern California with a 1994 E350 7.3L IDI.

So far, no problems with DMV, but there's always the concern anyone can call some badgehat because, well, its a diesel.

I did all my DMV stuff through AAA. You probably want these guys around, as you are one of the big guys now, and if you go down, most everyone else can't help much.

genscripter said:

The diesel inspection is visual. They don't have any fancy smog detectors like the gassers get. If you have blowing smoke, they will likely fail you.

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This was for a 2003 Corolla engine car (Pontiac Vibe) but I bought it out of TX where there is no emissions testing. It had about 150k miles. I took it to Washington state and it passed their smog test on the first try, no problem. The state itself gives suggestions on how to pass the test, such as making sure you arrive at full operating temperature, leave A/C off, leave it idling while waiting, etc.

the very first thing I would do if I were you is get a AAA membership.
you can avoid the DMV all together.

IDIoit said:

the very first thing I would do if I were you is get a AAA membership.
you can avoid the DMV all together.

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IDK. I had a friend who had the AAA insurance, and they offered to re-register his car for him. We sat in their office for an hour, and they still were still dealing with other customers. Finally I told him to just go to the DMV and use the kiosk. We drove 10 blocks to the DMV, used the Kiosk, and left in 2 minutes. AAA insurance seems like a waste of money and time.

However, I do have the AAA premium towing package. Only $100 per year, and they do a bunch of 100 and 200-mile tows for free. I've only had to use it twice, but it's nice to have.

BeastMaster said:

I'm in southern California with a 1994 E350 7.3L IDI.

So far, no problems with DMV, but there's always the concern anyone can call some badgehat because, well, its a diesel.

I did all my DMV stuff through AAA. You probably want these guys around, as you are one of the big guys now, and if you go down, most everyone else can't help much.

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If you are ever in the Inglewood area, PM me. I'm always interested in seeing more IDI vans.

Slicknik said:

@Ethan Turner

So your truck was originally a gasser correct ? And then you swapped a diesel into her?

CA DMV would still consider that a gas truck which would mean you have to smog your truck because it post 75”. So the lady would be correct , pre 97’ diesel and pre 76” gassers for smog exception

Unless your truck came originally diesel

With that being said you could still go through the lengthy process of getting your engine swapped “barr’d” in Cali and then you wouldn’t have to smog it . Your going to spend $$$$$$$$ to go this route

Regardless I got you covered on the SMOG

, 100% Cali livin , Just send me a message and will go from there ,whenever you move (this goes for anyone on the idi forum)

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ooooooooh. I didn't realize this was a diesel swap. I skimmed the original post quickly, and I just assumed the block swap was just an IDI '89 to '87 swap.

If you put in a diesel engine, the DMV ain't gunna like it. You should really consider looking into seeing how you can register it as a diesel, because it will save you years of headaches. While googling around, I read that you should find something called a "Smog Referee" at a CHP office and set up a phone appointment to discuss your options.

At this point, you should just buy a junked '89 Ford F350 diesel, swap the arkansas registration to you, and swap over the vin to your good truck. Then you can just register it as an imported diesel upon arrival to California.

genscripter said:

However, I do have the AAA premium towing package. Only $100 per year, and they do a bunch of 100 and 200-mile tows for free. I've only had to use it twice, but it's nice to have.

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you don't need their insurance. you just need their membership, which you already have.
we don't have kiosk here at DMV.

I usually go bright and early. and im out within 30 min

It’s always been a diesel I think the po blew the 7.3 that was in and they swapped this 6.9 in

@Ethan Turner , just thought it was a gasser based off how you worded your first post , nobody does that swap from a 7.3 to a 6.9 , I’ve known ppl to sleeve there 7.3 to 6.9 but that’s it, are you n/a or F/I?

you wouldn’t have any issues registering it in Cali

I’ve bought early 2000’s 7.3 PSD trucks before from Florida and just had to pass visual smog inspection and had to weight the truck

It’s n/a right now and as far as nobody really doing that swap that’s why I like it it’s got the zf5 behind it the only year you could get that combo was 87 so I thought it was pretty cool

Slicknik said:

@Ethan Turner , just thought it was a gasser based off how you worded your first post , nobody does that swap from a 7.3 to a 6.9 , I’ve known ppl to sleeve there 7.3 to 6.9 but that’s it, are you n/a or F/I?

you wouldn’t have any issues registering it in Cali

I’ve bought early 2000’s 7.3 PSD trucks before from Florida and just had to pass visual smog inspection and had to weight the truck

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If my 7.3 blew, and the only thing I had available was an old 6.9, you bet I'd make that swap.

A while back, I did a 7.3-to-6.9 swap in my van, so that I could take my time rebuilding the new 7.3 engine.

http://www.nickpisca.com/diesel/turbo/7-3-to-6-9-swap-in-a-e250-clubwagon-van-with-photos/

No joke on keeping our right to fix our own! Sacramento County CA has just enacted a law making it illegal to repair your own car, even inside your own garage with the door shut. OK to do minor repair such as tune up, brake job, or oil change but no major repair and not disabled over 24 hrs. No projects. $450 fines have been levied!

No smog for our trucks ( yet). They will have you weight it then charge you by the pound to register it. Wait till you find out what registration costs! My 87 F 250 is now $340/ year!

I just saw the engine swap part. Since the engine is older than the truck its not a legal swap. Has to be the same year or newer. Maybe you can get away with telling the smog ref that its a 1990 engine since most are clueless? If not you wont be able to register it in California.

OT: any firearms you own that are not on " the list" cant come with you. Welcome to 2nd amendment infringement.

DMV won't know if engine is 6.9 or 7.3. Engine serial # are not matched to VIN. You will have to get a weight with the increase somewhere north of 6000#. DMV will verify VIN if from out of state. My truck came from Nevada and I had no issues.

My latest reg was $275. Fuel is expensive. CA fuel tax is high, with another increase as of July 1. Diesel is taxed more than gasoline here. $4.00+ per gallon is the norm.

OK, This thread is done. I shouldn’t have to clean up after adults! I’m cleaning up the crap and leaving the actual valid information. If you want to continue this, GO TO THE REFINERY. If this gets started in another thread, I will shut it down and issue vacations. NO WARNINGS. If you don’t like the rules, I will happily show you the door!