Some of the crap here is incredible. The auditor in this area has been bustin chops lately. He brought a late 80s Ford into the shop for inspection and purposely removed and plugged the EGR vaccum tube. Up here, you must contact the owner and state the problem, then perform the work on emmision systems (Most would have just left alone, or unplugged the line and stick it back on the EGR). Luckly he caught it and called the guy on it. That is when the auditor stated who he was and that he passed this time.

If your going to do emmisions, do a tailpipe and skip everything else. To me, visual, just pads the pockets of the aftermarket manufactures, and the big business.

Steve S.
To many to list

 

I also have an emission inspection license and a lot of 70's trucks don't need cats
I have a 79 F-250 with no cats and it doesn't need them. If they made 1 truck that year that didn't have cats then the state can't require any of them for that year to have because they simple can't prove this truck ever had cats.

It has a 85 460 in it and it has the non catalyst sticker which also says it meets all emissions requirements for heavy duty trucks for the 1985 model year so I don't know why you couldn't inspect a 78 without cats as they made heavy duty trucks all the way into the mid 80s without them!, your county must be messed up

 

Great, I'll send them all to you. I need my license. I wouldn't even put a sticker on my own '79. I went and got a collectable plate for it.

 

Hey guys, great thread here. Being a fellow citizen of this great commonwealth I have a question. My 77 F150 has a 300L6
and is pretty void of emission crap except for the pcv. This is the way Ford built it. I have the "non-catalyst" sticker on my valve cover. My question is can I put on efi exhaust manifolds and still comply? I live in Huntingdon county and we have the same stupid visual inspections. If my truck is smog exempt then I should be able to do just about anything,right? Thanks guys

 

Mark A,
Before the 69 F250 became exempt years ago in Cali I installed a Holley injection system. It ran cleaner than a carb as the cam I was running put me over the edge of smog readings. They failed my visual and the injection system passed tailpipe. Added cats and failed again because cats were not installed in 69, it passed tailpipe. Paid $75 and got a "telephone smog certificate" Later passed smog with a carb but idle was at 950 rpm's, some stations would allow headers and others not. I hear Phoenix Az has the Co down to 3.75%, these old FE's were never designed to run that clean. Just a way to screw the working class out of their money. Is smog a problem in Pa like Cali or did the state find out there is money to be made? What's registration fees for a 60's / 70's F250 in Pa, Cali is $131?
.....=o&o>.....

 

Sorry to hijack this but...

It seems there are alot of people on here that live around the pittsburgh area.

I myself live in the North Hills.

Anyone else live in the North Hills?

 

I have a 79 f-250 with a 351m. I live in lycoming county and it only needs to pass the visual. It has a catalyst sticker under the hood. Will it still pass if it has dual exhaust put on if i use 2 cats?

 

I don't think smog is much of a problem here in PA, but PA is a commonwealth. So yeah, I think it's more about the $$$(especially since PA lawmakers voted themselves a raise that tops Cali ). Registration for my '77 1/2 ton is $58/yr!
I'm quite sure a 1 ton is well over $100/yr.

 

Hi,

I have a '78 F150 4x4, 351M/C6 truck. I am currently trying to sort out the emissions hassle for PA near Harrisburg.

First, to understand what we have here you should read a few www pages the state put together:

http://www.pacode.com/secure/data/067/chapter177/subchapCtoc.html
This is the PA law about inspections.

http://www.drivecleanpa.state.pa.us/drivecleanpa/default.htm
This is the page for the translation of the law for your area.

Right now I'm running the truck under the state-wide <5K mile per year exemption.

I have purchased original Ford dealer shop manuals for the truck. As it is over 6000 GVW, the manuals say it should be a heavy duty emissions vehicle. My understanding according to the book is that there should be thermactor, EGR, and PCV systems but not evap, thermactor, or cats. The shop manual shows pictures of the fuel system with and without evap, and the exhaust with and without cats.

I have read the PA emissions reference book at my local inspection station, and it does specify everything possible. How they arrived at this when it is directly proved wrong by the Ford manuals I don't know. It shows the same for F150 and F100 trucks, and that is not correct - the light duty and HD emissions packages were different according to Ford. (Things changed in '79 when the HD cutoff went to a much higher GVW).

I have a '79 parts truck to compare and I can see no evidence that there was ever an evap system on my '78 truck, as there is no charcoal cannister or lines and no indication that they had existed.

I have the PCV system now, I can add EGR to my Streetmaster intake as it has a place for the factory valve, and I've collected most of the parts from '79 trucks for the various vacuum lines and the evap system.

I do not have the original valve cover stickers for the truck. **I am seeking clear photos or an actual valve cover for the 351M showing "non-catalyst" so that I can prove that it existed, as well as see what other items it should have had. Let me know if you can help!**

So, I'm stuck on determining if I need the cat and the thermactor system. I know what the state says, but I need more details so I can see what is correct.

So, I'm seeking documentation such as build sheet data, valve cover photos, your inspection station issuing a sticker for your '78, etc. I will gladly compile the data and post for all to share.

Thanks!

Ed

 

That sucks that a state can try to over-ride the federal standards that way. What probably happened is that some beaurocrat looked up one trucks specs and made them universal for all trucks and called it a day. Sad thing is that with the lower number of trucks and owners, probably no one will challenge it in court.

 

I have a '79 Bronco. It DOES NOT have cats. I says "FUEL" on the fuel gage, and has the large filler neck for the leaded gas. It has a non-catalyst sticker under the hood. There is no A.I.R. pump.
I do not know if this is original, as I was not at the dealership in 1979 when it was bought, but if it is not original someone went to great lenghts to fake it. Alot further than it would be worth, considering this vehicle is not performance enhanced in any way. It would probably have cost more to do all of these modifications than to just repair whatever needed fixin' to pass emissions.
I believe it is original. However I had to get "Street Rod" plates or spend insane money to install emissions equipment.
This is in Maryland, I think emissions B.S. is spreading to just about every state now.
BFW

 

It's all bull. I live in PA as well and work part time in a garage. I don't do inspections but I read all the info just so I can know. I have never had issues with my 79. My mechanic is a FORD guy so he knows what came on the truck and what did not.

My question is wher eis this book that the mechanics use to determine what was on the vehicle? If you look over the inspection code it tells you that if it was not orginally equipped then it is not inspectable.

I have never seen this book that says what every car every year had installed. I would have thought it woudl be in the garage next to all the inspection stuff but I looked and did not see it. I don't see PA going to all that trouble to compile a book of that nature.

I think alot of mechanics are freaking out and afraid they will lose thier license if they make a bad call.

Bring your truck home if you live in a area that dont require testing and just needs visual look at another garage you will find someone that knows what they are doing.




Visual inspection of emission control system. Vehicles registered in counties where there is not an emission inspection program under Chapter 177 (relating to emission inspection program), shall be checked visually for the presence of emission control components. These components may be original vehicle equipment or an equivalent aftermarket replacement component meeting the same standards. In addition to the exceptions under § 175.4 (relating to vehicles required to be inspected), this subsection does not apply to vehicles registered as collectible or classic motor vehicles as defined in 75 Pa.C.S. § 102 (relating to definitions).



and What the hell is " the certified vehicle configuration " PA don't know everything about every vehicle ever made.

 

My son lives in Butler, and we moved to Morgantown from Butler last year. There is no emissions testing in Butler County and no emissions sticker for residents in that county. My son just registered a new/old 93 Honda and had no emissions testinng. I had all my cars and my 76 F-250 factory 460 licensed there with no emissions test as of August of 04 before we moved here.

Best of luck to you. We lived north of town in Center Twp. around the Hull plan lake.

 

My 1978 F250 does not have cats and never had them. It does not state "unleaded fuel only" on the speedo either. It will also accept a regular leaded fuel pump nozzle. The original engine/emissions stickers are gone, lost in some engine wash or repair.