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Can you all tell me what year they started putting catalytic converters on these trucks? I guess there stirrin up the pot around here, and going to start checking to make sure you have them. 78 f150 sc 351m 2wd
Cats come on the 78 and newer light trucks. I believe the gvw cut off in 78 was 11,000... so everything lighter had them. If your in PA I guess their looking for cats, air pump, egr etc....... Yippie I guess (in PA) from what I've been told if you have an "R" title you can get away with out them..but that's just hear say I've been hearing...
Yes, in PA they are pushing the issue. Which, I think is wrong, not that I'm against having clean air and all that, but think about it. You have a 25+ year old vehicle, and there had never any emission regulations over the majority of the vehicle's life. Over the yeard the air pump may have stopped working, or a motor change or whatever. ...parts that were not needed: charcoal filters, cats, gas filler necks, etc. were removed, not necessarily for performance, but just simply to save a buck or two, and why not? At the time they were not required by the state. Now, we have to either replace all the original equipment as it was from factory, or stay under 5000 miles annually.
The kicker is this: In PA the emission requirements vary from county to county. For instance if you live in Fayette County in 2003 there are no emmissions testing, but in 2004 a new law now requires that there be a visual test, where they will be looking for all of the above, along with a sniffer test. That is not going to be cheap.
Sniffer test is when they put the sensor in your tail-pipe to measure the emissions.
Scottdale is Westmoreland County, so you already have to get an emissions sticker with your annual inspection. In Fayette County 2004 will be the first year for testing.
Actually,im in Kingview [Fayette county]. If you cross jacobs creek your in Scottdale[Westmoreland County] .I thought it was just going to be a visual test, so we're gettin the sniffer test too? I just heard recently that Westmoreland County was doing away with emissions.
My neighbor has a garage and he should me the paper From 1975 to 95 its going to be a visual inspection. And anything from 96 on up will be the full test visual and sniffer. But i'm in lancaster co Pa. It might be different here.
Ron78Supercab,
CreekFalls is up your way, I used to do some 4 wheeling up there a few years back. I don't have the time or money to do that anymore.
I may be mistaken, I'll have to look it up to be sure, Fayette may just be a visual test, but from what I hear it's not going to be good for you if you live in Fayette County. I don't know anybody who still has all of that stuff on their rig.
You may want to consider finangeling a way to registering your truck in Westmoreland County once the new laws come into effect, because in Westmoreland Co. if you stay under 5000 miles a year you are exempt from all emission testing all together. (the speedo can easily become accidentally disconnected)
The emission requirement differences from county to county is rediculous, they should make the whole state have the same requirements, but that would make too much sense...
Since we are on the subject, How many people out there still have all of their original emissions equipment on their trucks, in good working order???
Visual check and gas cap check. I can handle that. Just don't think it right chargeing 40.00 or 50.00 dollars just to do that. Its a big rip off if you ask me. Thats what i said to my neighbor you mean i got to pay that much just for you to check if my gas cap holds pressure or not. Because my truck never had any emission stuff on.
I was under the assumption that '78's did not need cats, but '79's did. My '79 does not have them, but the previous owner gave me paperwork that shows it passed the last few years. The last time I went through in IL, they plug in the ALDL (OBD2) port under the dash (96 and newer only); if no error codes pop up, you pass. If error codes arise, they pop you onto the chassis dyno (where I passed). I think older vehicles might just get the sniffer. My friends dad has a 79 F250 with a 203 'case, and they didn't put him on the dyno! hee hee
Originally posted by Torque1st The GVW for cats was much lower. My 78 F250 with a 6200 GVWR was leaded fuel with no cats.
You were running Leaded fuel in 79? I thought they were all swapped over to Unleaded by then..but I wasn't born yet either..hehe Anyhow did vehicles that ran leaded fuel even have emissions equipment? I thought it was only unleaded. My 78 Bronco and 79 250 (7000 gvw) both run on unleaded and came with cats and egr stuff
For a while after unleaded engines were introduced, gas stations offered both leaded and unleaded fuels. The leaded pumps had a bigger nozzle so it wouldn't fit into the fill neck of the unleaded vehicles since they had a restricter in them. After I ran a rock bar through my failing catalitic converter, I was able to run leaded fuel in my unleaded car by punching out the restricter in the filler neck. Back then, people thought that the exclusion of lead might be hard on even the newer engines that were designed for unleaded fuels. Not alot of trust for new restrictions, laws and big governement in those days. Since then, however, it has been proven that unleaded is ok for unleaded engines.
Yes I am kinda old I guess.