Hey guys, I live in Connecticut and just received a letter in the mail from Motor Vehicle stating that I need to bring my truck in for emissions testing? I didn't think the older diesels had to be tested? My truck is a 2001 7.3L and it didn't come with a Catalytic converter. So what do they test for and how can the truck actually fail?

Kevin

 

If your vehicle is a 1996 or older diesel-powered or between 8,501LBS and 10,000LBS (1997 and newer), it will be tested using either the Loaded Mode Diesel (LMD) opacity test using the dynamometer or Modified Snap Acceleration (MSA) test. The diesel tests use an opacity meter to measure the density of smoke from a vehicle’s tailpipe.
Diesel vehicles that are model year 1997 and newer and less than 8,501 lbs. will receive the On-Board Diagnostic test (OBD).
Please note: not all Test Centers can perform opacity tests. Please contact the motorist hotline or click here to find the closest Full Service Test Center.

 

you should be under 8500# unless you have two full gas tanks or a load of heavy tools and such in the back. My 99 crew cab 4x4 with half a tank of fuel is about 7600#.

 

Test cutoffs are determined by the GVWR as found on the warranty/data plate, not what the truck actually weighs.