I had my exhaust modified by a shop that is no longer in business (XMP in Aliso Viejo) and I recently went to the smog inspection place I normally use and it's got a new owner who won't pass my car due to visual inspection. I have to admit I don't know a lot about what was done on my car, I just know I loved the Bassani x-pipe that was put on years ago (2002?). I understand that laws have changed and didn't always require a visual inspection and I guess the old smog shop owner was passing me recently even though I technically shouldn't have passed? The emissions always passed, but now I'm being told I don't have CATs, which I wasn't aware of... I'm looking to find a way to legally pass inspection, but not have it change the way my car sounds or performs if that's even possible. Any suggestions would be very appreciated - I miss driving my car!!!
95 GT 5.0 - not passing CA smog visual inspection
- Thread starter CA-95GT
- Start date
-
Sponsors (?)
08GT500
5 Year Member
Hello, I live in Mass, were adopting CA’s emission program, I understand you perfectly. I rip off certain aftermarket parts, put the Original stock Tune in (One Test run is looking for any Tunes that were flashed to the CPU). If you do not have the Tuner that was “Married’ to that Car, it can be a pain in the arse. If you need it as a Stock Tune- Ford must Reflash it at the Dealer & that’s 400-600$ (Sorry).
But, you get a Tuner, now and it will store the Tune that’s in it. Then, flash it Stock @ the Dealer, come Home after you get a Sticker & the SCTX4 Tuner will take & store the Stock Tune while getting the older Tune back.
First, I would talk to a few Gearheads, locally- or a good Speed Shop, Friends of Friends & find a shop that can inspect without the BS. I’d seen a Mach one exhaust (Borla) install by a Ford Dealer, and he wanted a Sticker from the same Shop before he got it back, and he was failed at the Same Dealership!!
You can get a Catted X pipe that will bolt up & will not really restrict anything, Magnaflow is cheapest and made well. You still have the O2 Sensors? OR, Cut out areas in the Front Pipes and install Cat’s individually. May be cheaper that way, cut slits in the Pipe ends and Clamp the joints with the good, 2 Bolt Side Clamps they use on the newer Exhaust Systems. Quiet your Exhaust by using Steel Wool inside, stick a Screen in to hold it in there, or punch holes in a piece of Shiny Silver HVAC Vent Tape & Clean the Inside of the Pipe, Stick the Tape in, backwards, to bottom and top of the area a few inches in that gets smaller. You can also use Strong Magnets to Block the Steel Wool. If it’s loud, it’ll quiet it. Unless it’s 304 SS, they use only 400 Series Stainless- it’s Magnetic.
Any other issues? Is your Check engine Light on?
But, you get a Tuner, now and it will store the Tune that’s in it. Then, flash it Stock @ the Dealer, come Home after you get a Sticker & the SCTX4 Tuner will take & store the Stock Tune while getting the older Tune back.
First, I would talk to a few Gearheads, locally- or a good Speed Shop, Friends of Friends & find a shop that can inspect without the BS. I’d seen a Mach one exhaust (Borla) install by a Ford Dealer, and he wanted a Sticker from the same Shop before he got it back, and he was failed at the Same Dealership!!
You can get a Catted X pipe that will bolt up & will not really restrict anything, Magnaflow is cheapest and made well. You still have the O2 Sensors? OR, Cut out areas in the Front Pipes and install Cat’s individually. May be cheaper that way, cut slits in the Pipe ends and Clamp the joints with the good, 2 Bolt Side Clamps they use on the newer Exhaust Systems. Quiet your Exhaust by using Steel Wool inside, stick a Screen in to hold it in there, or punch holes in a piece of Shiny Silver HVAC Vent Tape & Clean the Inside of the Pipe, Stick the Tape in, backwards, to bottom and top of the area a few inches in that gets smaller. You can also use Strong Magnets to Block the Steel Wool. If it’s loud, it’ll quiet it. Unless it’s 304 SS, they use only 400 Series Stainless- it’s Magnetic.
Any other issues? Is your Check engine Light on?
jozsefsz
15 Year Member
I don't see how your emissions would have passed without cats. It's possible but unlikely. Your new inspector wouldn't be the first who didn't recognize a high-flow converter. You'll need a much better idea of exactly what was done to your car, and exactly what your local laws will require you to un-do. If you truly have no converters, your X-pipe is coming out or getting hacked up to install converters, depending on what's allowed. A decent quality converter will muffle the sound only a tiny bit, and won't harm performance in any noticeable way at all. Personally I prefer to just live somewhere that isn't a Communist nanny-state - we have emissions testing where I live but people aren't religious about it. You might want to take it to a 'certified shop' and have them tell you what's needed.
Hi - thanks for your feedback, I have no issues at all other than the visual failure - car runs great!
Thanks for your feedback. That's the crazy part - passes emissions without any issue, which is why I'm so frustrated. If it was a problem, I'd want to get it fixed, but if it's simply a visual requirement that was part of legislation passed well after I'd modified my vehicle and my tests blow clean, then I just don't understand the purpose of this requirement. The smog shop I took it to basically said I need to get catalytic converters, so I wanted to see if anyone had a good recommendation on the best way to accomplish that without having to completely undo my modification.
1# verify you have cats
#2 if there are cats visible, contact a referee
#3 if no cats visible, have cats installed (I really doubt you could pass sniffer without them, they may be aftermarket cats, inspector sees two cats and factory has four cats
I have no personal experience with Cali emissions inspections, this was part of a conversation I had with an employee of a local exhaust shop that worked at an exhaust shop in Cali. He said this issue came up all the time.
#2 if there are cats visible, contact a referee
#3 if no cats visible, have cats installed (I really doubt you could pass sniffer without them, they may be aftermarket cats, inspector sees two cats and factory has four cats
I have no personal experience with Cali emissions inspections, this was part of a conversation I had with an employee of a local exhaust shop that worked at an exhaust shop in Cali. He said this issue came up all the time.
I'm with the other guys, I would be REALLY surprised if you passed the sniffer test without cat's installed on that car.
Thanks for taking the time to offer suggestions - I will have someone else check it out before I assume I have none... I know I definitely passed the emissions because I have the output prints that show it as part of my prior smog - can't really trick the system on that part!
Thanks - the new owner of the smog shop I have always used told me there was nothing there, so that's all I have to go on. I'll get it checked by an exhaust shop. I'll check on the forum for any good recommendations for exhaust places near me - I don't want to have problems
08GT500
5 Year Member
Hi, I’m typing something w/images that may help, check this out in about 15 Minutes- may help you. John-
08GT500
5 Year Member
Hi, The comments above are true, indeed. It would be near impossible for a Car to pass a Sniffer Test without Cat’s. Yes, it has occurred, where they are gutted, and then actually passed the test.
You don’t have a Check Engine light, which leads me to believe you are 1) Running a Cat delete Tune, or 2) you are running Anti Foulers on the 02 Sensors that will basically tell the CPU “All is well”.
If you want advice on how to breeze through an Inspection without affecting your current setup, buying a Catted X pipe setup that will Bolt in place, and removing it & replacing it with your Bassani Off Road setup once you have a Sticker is what we do in Mass. It’s not terribly expensive- depending on your Budget, it’s not Illegal- who’s going to care once you get a valid Sticker?
Speaking to a Shop owner who will level with you on this in Cali. is the best idea, to lay out your, &’ showing him your options. I can say with relative Certainty you can likely get away with (2) Cat’s, your Car came with (4)- But having your Car running pristine, & not dumping Fuel at Idle- you should be fine.
I’m curious, if you didn’t know you had no Cat’s, and the first (2) or Upstream Cats are not really easily visible, you may have the upstream Cat’s installed, just not the Stock Downstream Cat’s.
One Member of Stangnet lives in Cali., and posted this...
“I've legally passed CA smog with only two cats. If you're asked, just tell the truth: you bought the car without cats, so you had to buy an aftermarket replacement midpipe. If the shop keeps giving you a hard time, just go somewhere else. Most shops aren't that picky on the visual. The one I go to in West LA just checks if you have cats, not how many.”
The BELOW is an OEM REPLACEMENT of your STOCK setup, specifically to be identical to your California Emissions Catalytic Converter setup.
Hi, The comments above are true, indeed. It would be near impossible to pass a Sniffer Test without Cat’s. Yes, it has occurred, where they are gutted, and then actually passed the test. If you want advice on how to breeze through an Inspection without affecting your current setup, buying an X pipe setup that will Bolt in place, and replacing it once you have a Sticker isn’t terribly expensive- but who’s going to care once you get a valid Sticker? It’s also a good idea to speak to a Shop owner who will level with you on this in Cali., but being the State that’s not already adopted, but plans to exceed Cali’s Emission guidelines- I can say with relative Certainty you need only (2) Cat’s, your Car came with (4)- But having your Car running good, not throwing Codes- you should be fine.
I’m curious, if you didn’t know you had any Cat’s, look at how the first (2) (or Upstream Cats) are not very easily visible, you may have the upstream Cat’s installed. Here’s a (4) Cat System for your 95’, it’s an X Pipe- but just for illustration purposes...
Note how it may not be easy to see the Front (2). The NEXT is a 95’ Mid-Pipe (2) Cat. X Pipe Setup..
You can Bolt this directly into Place of your current Off Road H-Pipe, looks like this: Call AM or Summit and tell them to give an exact fit of your Bassani X Pipe, with a Catted one- so, Unbolt, then remove- rebolt-DONE!
The 2 lower Pipes show, what I’d wanted you to see. If you are OK with just (2) Cat’s, and you SHOULD BE, you don’t need (4) Cats, if you were a 1996 Mustang GT, then you would likely NEED to be, but you’re one year shy of an OBD-2 Computer platform, being OBD-1, you will likely be fine with just having (2) Cat’s.
Verify this- and then you swap out your Setup, for a Week, Drive it a bit with the Cat’s, get your Sticker, 8 Bolts later- you’re back to where you were, where your performance is. You must be running Anti-Foulers on your 02 Sensors, or you’d be throwing CPU Codes. Remove them and thread 02’s into the Bungs on your new Catted H Pipe. You can get these much cheaper than shown, just examples..
Biggest point I also wanted to put on the Table, is the NEWER CATBACK Systems have very much less restriction that it’s made out to be, the Sound May be a little less raspy- but not always, and Bassani makes some good assemblies that lose 10-15HP MAX, you can get that back with running under Drive Pulleys. You can also purchase Cat’s that have high flow numbers, drop your mid Pipe- if they’re Stainless to CRbon Pipes, TIG Weld them in with ER309 Wire, StInless to Stainless with 308-316 Wire, Arc- Same Flux covered 3/32” Rods. 60-75A DC Pos.
Cats Cost 80$ -100$ apiece, or less- cutting out the section in your Bassani Pipe to Slip fit/Weld Cat’s in- 1 per side- Bolt it up. You won’t KILL your Performance with High Flow Cats, so don’t be so concerned, or just buy the X Pipe with Cats that Bolts, unbolts. Don’t worry about Driving it, you can just tell them you’re waiting for Parts to come in- about a Week, not something dangerous- just 02 Sensor Wires or something.
Have anOrder slip you printed out, that’ll be enough for any Cop. Don’t let it bother you, talk to the Shop Owner- you’ll be fine!
Cheers! John
View attachment 613941
You don’t have a Check Engine light, which leads me to believe you are 1) Running a Cat delete Tune, or 2) you are running Anti Foulers on the 02 Sensors that will basically tell the CPU “All is well”.
If you want advice on how to breeze through an Inspection without affecting your current setup, buying a Catted X pipe setup that will Bolt in place, and removing it & replacing it with your Bassani Off Road setup once you have a Sticker is what we do in Mass. It’s not terribly expensive- depending on your Budget, it’s not Illegal- who’s going to care once you get a valid Sticker?
Speaking to a Shop owner who will level with you on this in Cali. is the best idea, to lay out your, &’ showing him your options. I can say with relative Certainty you can likely get away with (2) Cat’s, your Car came with (4)- But having your Car running pristine, & not dumping Fuel at Idle- you should be fine.
I’m curious, if you didn’t know you had no Cat’s, and the first (2) or Upstream Cats are not really easily visible, you may have the upstream Cat’s installed, just not the Stock Downstream Cat’s.
One Member of Stangnet lives in Cali., and posted this...
“I've legally passed CA smog with only two cats. If you're asked, just tell the truth: you bought the car without cats, so you had to buy an aftermarket replacement midpipe. If the shop keeps giving you a hard time, just go somewhere else. Most shops aren't that picky on the visual. The one I go to in West LA just checks if you have cats, not how many.”
The BELOW is an OEM REPLACEMENT of your STOCK setup, specifically to be identical to your California Emissions Catalytic Converter setup.
Hi, The comments above are true, indeed. It would be near impossible to pass a Sniffer Test without Cat’s. Yes, it has occurred, where they are gutted, and then actually passed the test. If you want advice on how to breeze through an Inspection without affecting your current setup, buying an X pipe setup that will Bolt in place, and replacing it once you have a Sticker isn’t terribly expensive- but who’s going to care once you get a valid Sticker? It’s also a good idea to speak to a Shop owner who will level with you on this in Cali., but being the State that’s not already adopted, but plans to exceed Cali’s Emission guidelines- I can say with relative Certainty you need only (2) Cat’s, your Car came with (4)- But having your Car running good, not throwing Codes- you should be fine.
I’m curious, if you didn’t know you had any Cat’s, look at how the first (2) (or Upstream Cats) are not very easily visible, you may have the upstream Cat’s installed. Here’s a (4) Cat System for your 95’, it’s an X Pipe- but just for illustration purposes...
Note how it may not be easy to see the Front (2). The NEXT is a 95’ Mid-Pipe (2) Cat. X Pipe Setup..
The 2 lower Pipes show, what I’d wanted you to see. If you are OK with just (2) Cat’s, and you SHOULD BE, you don’t need (4) Cats, if you were a 1996 Mustang GT, then you would likely NEED to be, but you’re one year shy of an OBD-2 Computer platform, being OBD-1, you will likely be fine with just having (2) Cat’s.
Verify this- and then you swap out your Setup, for a Week, Drive it a bit with the Cat’s, get your Sticker, 8 Bolts later- you’re back to where you were, where your performance is. You must be running Anti-Foulers on your 02 Sensors, or you’d be throwing CPU Codes. Remove them and thread 02’s into the Bungs on your new Catted H Pipe. You can get these much cheaper than shown, just examples..
Biggest point I also wanted to put on the Table, is the NEWER CATBACK Systems have very much less restriction that it’s made out to be, the Sound May be a little less raspy- but not always, and Bassani makes some good assemblies that lose 10-15HP MAX, you can get that back with running under Drive Pulleys. You can also purchase Cat’s that have high flow numbers, drop your mid Pipe- if they’re Stainless to CRbon Pipes, TIG Weld them in with ER309 Wire, StInless to Stainless with 308-316 Wire, Arc- Same Flux covered 3/32” Rods. 60-75A DC Pos.
Cats Cost 80$ -100$ apiece, or less- cutting out the section in your Bassani Pipe to Slip fit/Weld Cat’s in- 1 per side- Bolt it up. You won’t KILL your Performance with High Flow Cats, so don’t be so concerned, or just buy the X Pipe with Cats that Bolts, unbolts. Don’t worry about Driving it, you can just tell them you’re waiting for Parts to come in- about a Week, not something dangerous- just 02 Sensor Wires or something.
Have anOrder slip you printed out, that’ll be enough for any Cop. Don’t let it bother you, talk to the Shop Owner- you’ll be fine!
Cheers! John
View attachment 613941
08GT500
5 Year Member
If you type in California Cat’s emissions, or the like- Stangnet has some good archived articles regarding this, take a peek, they made it work, too. Same issues, except they were not given any allowances as you had for a few years.
“No. Cats Vs High Flow Cats” is helpful regarding Sound/Power, on Stangnet, and. “Catalytic Converters” in the 94’ 95’ Mustang specific area, Google any question, put “Stangnet” on the end of the sentence, you’ll be amazed about how many times this came up, and people said places to go you may be familiar with.
Going to a Muffler Shop, unless it’s Custom installs, will likely tell you they want to put OEM back on the Car- and rip you off in the process. Talk to a reputable Speed Shop (Not Advanced, or AZone types) and you will find answers. Even a Friend of a Friend that does Inspections, works at a Dealer, or a Tuning Shop, then, you’ll get a straight answer.
Some parts will not ship to California if they are Performance, ship to a Ffiend outside Cali, they ship to you, or to a Business in California you may know, IF you run into that. They really ARE getting ridiculous! No worries, however. You’ll get there, less issues than expected. Many spots don’t like the guidelines and will be less apt to follow everything to the Letter.
Good luck! John
“No. Cats Vs High Flow Cats” is helpful regarding Sound/Power, on Stangnet, and. “Catalytic Converters” in the 94’ 95’ Mustang specific area, Google any question, put “Stangnet” on the end of the sentence, you’ll be amazed about how many times this came up, and people said places to go you may be familiar with.
Going to a Muffler Shop, unless it’s Custom installs, will likely tell you they want to put OEM back on the Car- and rip you off in the process. Talk to a reputable Speed Shop (Not Advanced, or AZone types) and you will find answers. Even a Friend of a Friend that does Inspections, works at a Dealer, or a Tuning Shop, then, you’ll get a straight answer.
Some parts will not ship to California if they are Performance, ship to a Ffiend outside Cali, they ship to you, or to a Business in California you may know, IF you run into that. They really ARE getting ridiculous! No worries, however. You’ll get there, less issues than expected. Many spots don’t like the guidelines and will be less apt to follow everything to the Letter.
Good luck! John
@98Mustang2017
One thing to keep in mind, his car is a 95' which would have pre-cat 02 sensors only (obdi), so he could have the cats removed without a cat delete tune or MIL eliminators on that car. It would still be very surprising to see a pushrod 5.0 pass Cali sniffer test requirements with no cats.
One thing to keep in mind, his car is a 95' which would have pre-cat 02 sensors only (obdi), so he could have the cats removed without a cat delete tune or MIL eliminators on that car. It would still be very surprising to see a pushrod 5.0 pass Cali sniffer test requirements with no cats.
Hi, The comments above are true, indeed. It would be near impossible for a Car to pass a Sniffer Test without Cat’s. Yes, it has occurred, where they are gutted, and then actually passed the test.
You don’t have a Check Engine light, which leads me to believe you are 1) Running a Cat delete Tune, or 2) you are running Anti Foulers on the 02 Sensors that will basically tell the CPU “All is well”.
If you want advice on how to breeze through an Inspection without affecting your current setup, buying a Catted X pipe setup that will Bolt in place, and removing it & replacing it with your Bassani Off Road setup once you have a Sticker is what we do in Mass. It’s not terribly expensive- depending on your Budget, it’s not Illegal- who’s going to care once you get a valid Sticker?
Speaking to a Shop owner who will level with you on this in Cali. is the best idea, to lay out your, &’ showing him your options. I can say with relative Certainty you can likely get away with (2) Cat’s, your Car came with (4)- But having your Car running pristine, & not dumping Fuel at Idle- you should be fine.
I’m curious, if you didn’t know you had no Cat’s, and the first (2) or Upstream Cats are not really easily visible, you may have the upstream Cat’s installed, just not the Stock Downstream Cat’s.
One Member of Stangnet lives in Cali., and posted this...
“I've legally passed CA smog with only two cats. If you're asked, just tell the truth: you bought the car without cats, so you had to buy an aftermarket replacement midpipe. If the shop keeps giving you a hard time, just go somewhere else. Most shops aren't that picky on the visual. The one I go to in West LA just checks if you have cats, not how many.”
The BELOW is an OEM REPLACEMENT of your STOCK setup, specifically to be identical to your California Emissions Catalytic Converter setup.
Hi, The comments above are true, indeed. It would be near impossible to pass a Sniffer Test without Cat’s. Yes, it has occurred, where they are gutted, and then actually passed the test. If you want advice on how to breeze through an Inspection without affecting your current setup, buying an X pipe setup that will Bolt in place, and replacing it once you have a Sticker isn’t terribly expensive- but who’s going to care once you get a valid Sticker? It’s also a good idea to speak to a Shop owner who will level with you on this in Cali., but being the State that’s not already adopted, but plans to exceed Cali’s Emission guidelines- I can say with relative Certainty you need only (2) Cat’s, your Car came with (4)- But having your Car running good, not throwing Codes- you should be fine.
I’m curious, if you didn’t know you had any Cat’s, look at how the first (2) (or Upstream Cats) are not very easily visible, you may have the upstream Cat’s installed. Here’s a (4) Cat System for your 95’, it’s an X Pipe- but just for illustration purposes...
Note how it may not be easy to see the Front (2). The NEXT is a 95’ Mid-Pipe (2) Cat. X Pipe Setup..
You can Bolt this directly into Place of your current Off Road H-Pipe, looks like this: Call AM or Summit and tell them to give an exact fit of your Bassani X Pipe, with a Catted one- so, Unbolt, then remove- rebolt-DONE!
The 2 lower Pipes show, what I’d wanted you to see. If you are OK with just (2) Cat’s, and you SHOULD BE, you don’t need (4) Cats, if you were a 1996 Mustang GT, then you would likely NEED to be, but you’re one year shy of an OBD-2 Computer platform, being OBD-1, you will likely be fine with just having (2) Cat’s.
Verify this- and then you swap out your Setup, for a Week, Drive it a bit with the Cat’s, get your Sticker, 8 Bolts later- you’re back to where you were, where your performance is. You must be running Anti-Foulers on your 02 Sensors, or you’d be throwing CPU Codes. Remove them and thread 02’s into the Bungs on your new Catted H Pipe. You can get these much cheaper than shown, just examples..
Biggest point I also wanted to put on the Table, is the NEWER CATBACK Systems have very much less restriction that it’s made out to be, the Sound May be a little less raspy- but not always, and Bassani makes some good assemblies that lose 10-15HP MAX, you can get that back with running under Drive Pulleys. You can also purchase Cat’s that have high flow numbers, drop your mid Pipe- if they’re Stainless to CRbon Pipes, TIG Weld them in with ER309 Wire, StInless to Stainless with 308-316 Wire, Arc- Same Flux covered 3/32” Rods. 60-75A DC Pos.
Cats Cost 80$ -100$ apiece, or less- cutting out the section in your Bassani Pipe to Slip fit/Weld Cat’s in- 1 per side- Bolt it up. You won’t KILL your Performance with High Flow Cats, so don’t be so concerned, or just buy the X Pipe with Cats that Bolts, unbolts. Don’t worry about Driving it, you can just tell them you’re waiting for Parts to come in- about a Week, not something dangerous- just 02 Sensor Wires or something.
Have anOrder slip you printed out, that’ll be enough for any Cop. Don’t let it bother you, talk to the Shop Owner- you’ll be fine!
Cheers! John
View attachment 613941
John - thank you so much for the detailed info & pics - very helpful! Great of you to take the time to provide - I appreciate it!!
You are right, my car only has ODBI, and I'm now finding that the guy who owned the smog shop was doing me a great favor. I've been asking around, but every other shop I go to tells me that they are not willing to lose their license, so something is causing them to back off. I'm just annoyed that the rules keep changing - if this is all about emissions, if the car blows clean - why should anything else matter? Especially since I've passed for so many years, why now is this a problem? Really ridiculous. Thanks for the help!
Have any of those shops even looked at the car to see if the cats are there? It sounds like they are being overall cautious without even looking at the car if so. You should be able to look under the car yourself and look for the X in your existing Bassani X-pipe directly behind the transmission. Directly in front of the X (toward the engine) should be the cats. If it's just straight pipe there going to the engine, then you do not have cats.
What John posted up there should be a good reference as to what it looks like. Here is the specific Bassani X-pipe you have on your car (if it has cats).
https://lmr.com/item/BE-50943/Mustang-Bassani-Catalytic-X-Pipe-Stainless-50-94-95-50943
I had a Bassani X pipe installed an a 95 GT, and it only had two cats on the pipe. I passed emissions for years with those hi-flow cats. I eventually had to modify the exhaust to add two additional hi-flow cats so I had 4 cats on the car. Before I sold it, the smog tech said that California was checking model numbers on the cats to make sure they were CA legal; the Bassani cats didn't have the right numbers. This may be why you're failing the visual test.
Could be - and the paperwork I have doesn't show much and the modification shop is no longer in business. I doubt the guy checked numbers - he just did a quick look underneath with a mirror and sent me away. Over the weekend, a friend recommended a "friendly" shop where he gets his old truck smogged and that guy did the same thing.
Similar threads
