I have a 1989 F-250 with a 460 and a 5 speed. I am moving from Kansas to California in the next month I am worried about passing smog to register it in California. Should I worry, what should I do before testing and what should I watch out for that will cause it to fail. Thanks.

 

All the smog stuff just needs to be there and it needs to be working. If you have any showing codes it will fail.

In an 89 the cat may be tired and in need of replacement. There is no easy way to tell until you get the vehicle tested on the smog check equipment.

 

Just make sure the first test is an evaluation, not the emission test. That will let you know any problems. Where in Califorina are you going. There are different levels of testing.

 

X2 on previous posts. The OEM equipment, including cats, closed air cleaner, evap, air etc--all of it for your "49 state" vehicle has to be there and you have to pass the sniffer as well.

You DO NOT have to make any changes to meet the 1989 CA standard, only the 49 state standards in effect when your vehicle was new.

On another note, don't know why you are moving here, but I hope you have a good paying job waiting and some other reason for coming here. The current economic, political and tax environment is not good, and not likely to improve in the foreseeable future.

 

"On another note, don't know why you are moving here, but I hope you have a good paying job waiting and some other reason for coming here. The current economic, political and tax environment is not good, and not likely to improve in the foreseeable future. "

That is why I left in 2005, moved to Idaho and never looked back...

 

I am moving to San Bernardino area because I have been offered a job as a maintenance mechanic in a manufacturing plant. Otherwise I wouldn't leave the Midwest.

 

Thanks for the info everyone

 

Well, good luck and I hope all goes well.

San Berdoo has fallen on hard times:

San Bernardino struggles after bankruptcy | Marketplace.org

Be careful where you plant yourself. Services may evaporate, taxes may rise, God knows what will happen. Foreclosed houses may or may not be a bargain, so do some homework before you jump into a home in that area.

Also, do not bring any "assault" weapons or "ugly guns" to CA. We still have basically the old Assault Weapons Ban, and if you have the wrong features on your rifle, big trouble can be had.

Summers are boiling out there, but you will think you've gone to heaven this time of year compared to a Midwest winter....

 

Good points there........

I too am considering "blowing this popsicle stand".

Things don't look good from here on out............


Bob

 

This is somewhat of an off topic post, but If you have to work in San Bernardino, I would strongly suggest trying to find a place to live up in the mountains just to the north. The towns known as Crestline, Lake Arrowhead, Rim Forest, etc. They are small towns that are safe, uncrowded and beautiful and not any more expensive than living in San Bernardino. They are up in a national forest at high elevation 5,000+ ft. and have much cooler summers and a real winter with lots of beautiful snow. When it's 100 degrees in San Bernardino it's 80 degrees in Lake Arrowhead. The commute up the mountain is about 30 minutes but believe me it's well worth it to be away from the crime, smog, crowds, and heat of San Bernardino. The housing market is so ****ty up there right now that you can get a house for pennies on the dollar.

As far as the smog test, as others have stated, make sure all of your emissions controls are in place and working. If you have any modifications (i.e. headers, aftermarket ignition, airbox) they must be California approved and have a CARB number. Set your initial timing to 10 degrees as just a few degrees advance can make a big difference in idle emissions. I would also run a bottle of Chemtool B-12 or similar fuel system cleaner through a full tank before the smog test and then fill up with some good quality gas like Chevron for the test. Have the smog shop run a "pre-test" so if you do fail, it won't go on record.

Good Luck!

 

In Phoenix, we found that very often a failure to pass Carbon Monoxide Emissions Standards was easily overcome: Adding alcohol to the tank to make the content around 20% alky usually brought the CO into compliance. The testing facility, after all, has no idea what the hell is in the tank........

Carburetted engines often were a bit harder to start, but EFI, even early designs, gobbled the alky pretty readily. "Denatured Alcohol", as sold in paint stores, etc., was what we used.

impish

 

A lot of smog check stations in California offer a free retest if you fail the first one. I've taken advantage of that on several occasions. Shop around as the the prices vary. The test is required when you bring a vehicle into the state and

Alcohol can help for hydrocarbons (HC). It allowed me to pass my test today. If you use too much the NOx will go way up. The standard gas here has 10% and you can go up to 20% or about 25% depending on the particular vehicle.

+1 on not actually living in San Bernardino. The mountains are the place to be, unless you like the gang bangers. Actually there are some nicer places and worse down in the valley, but up high is a great place to live. Just be ready for a little housing sticker shock.

 

I'm sure houses will be exponentially more expensive anywhere in California as opposed to Kansas. In my experience, houses are about the same price in the San Bernardino Mountains as they are in San Bernardino itself. Yes the average price for a house is much higher in the mountains but that's because most of the houses in the mountain communities are much bigger and nicer than most San Bernardino Houses. For a similarly sized/quality house I think the prices are about equal mountains vs. valley.

You will pay for gas on the commute though. Hopefully your F-250 is not your commuting vehicle...

 

I lived this summer in Riverside when I was working as a Intern so I am relatively familiar with the area. I would love to live up north but my F250 is my only vehicle and 460 doesn't use gas as much as it chugs it like its beer at frat party. Which is why I am looking to live close to work. I do have a exhaust leak I will have to fix but other than that everything else should be fine thanks for the advice yall.