I would just register in another county that does not inspect.

 

Was it a new/Ford car dealer or side lot? I would think that it is on the dealer, period. It is their responsibility to insure a vehicle is legal. Manual transmission trucks did have a CAT from the factory, autos did not regardless of the state sold (e'99 to '03 7.3). Mine is a Cali truck sold new here and no CAT. Has the sticker to prove it. Guy at a local truck shop lost a sale on a whole new 4" exhaust system because he demanded that I have a CAT installed when it was not needed.

 

I have an '02 and this question has been around the board several times. I live (not by choice, long story) in CA that has the strictest smog laws and I can assure you, even here, the '02 7.3 did not come with nor is a catalytic converter required.

 

Depends, was the truck sold "as is" or did it come with a warranty. The loophole will be that someone living in an area that does not require a CAT could just have easily purchased it and would not have a problem. If the truck was manufactured without one then you are not required to put one on it. Going by the sticker is another issue as I have seen some recommend to others on here to swap out the stickers to a non-cat sticker so they could try and pass a smog. I read an early reply to this post some years ago that said only 07 and later needed smog but this is not true. I have an 02 that gets smog checked every two years but the problem with CA smog checks are that they are not state wide. Even specific counties may only have a partial smog check zone. I live in Riverside County so the west half gets smog checks while the east half is not required to have them. Another idea may be to contact the original owner and see if he/she had a CAT and if they removed it and/or if they still have it if it did come with one.

 

How about getting the OASIS report? It is normally free of charge from your FORD dealer. I have seen a better VIN decoder..let me look.

And again...
The answer:
One of the many reason I bought a 7.3.


BTW, this thread was originated almost six (6) years ago, just sayin'.

 

And FYI, E99 7.3L in California do have to have Cat's with Auto trans. I have one. And sticks did not on the E99. It changed after that.

 

I don't know if it is common practice anymore with all the changes in credit laws over the last several years, but most dealers use to have a hand full of run down, beat up, barely running cars that they would finance to people with bad credit through a local lender(for a kick back I assume). The lender might get the first few payments before the loan went to collections and and the car got repo'd. 6 mo's later that same car would be back at the same dealership. These cars were sold strictly AS-IS and probably shouldn't have been on the road. But it was a way for people with fat pockets to make more money.

This was also in South Carolina where they stopped doing vehicle inspections back in the early 90's. You can buy a new 6.7 and remove all emissions controls off of it with no worries.

 

Truck was bought from a Ford Dealership....as small family owned one but a Ford dealership nonetheless. Truck was NOT sold with a warranty provided by the dealership but at the time of purchase I did purchase a supplemental warranty with the truck. I'll have to make a call but I doubt the warranty I purchased would cover equipment that was never there.

 

Check the law. I know for certain a vehicle sold here in California by a commercial dealer has to have a certain percentage of brake pad material left, front and back, and all safety equipment must be present and in working order (seat belts, air bags, etc).

I'm not sure, but I believe all OEM emissions equipment must be on the vehicle and in proper working order too.

Correct, an '02 7.3L equipped with a 4R100 didn't come with a cat. However, manual transmissions are a different story.

Stewart

 

Been trying to find the colorado laws but so far haven't come accross anything helpful.

 

You could go back to them and ask. If it's a small family-owned one they may favor customer loyalty over volume sales. You could talk to the sales manager and tell him/her what you found. Ask them if they are willing to work with you to fix this issue. If they ask, let them know they did not discuss any emission equipment issues so you were under the impression that all the required equipment was installed and in working order in able to pass the emissions test. Tell them you are doing legal research on the issue but feel they should make it right and install a catalytic converter on the truck at no cost to you.

If that doesn't work you can request to talk to someone higher. I'm not sure of the legal aspect but I would think that is something they should have told you since they should have found that on one of the inspections they did on it before putting out front for sale. I don't think it's unrealistic that you should be able to buy a vehicle from a dealership, drive it down the street and have it pass a smog check.

It may not work, but they may ask you for your information. I would think something that's a drop in the bucket for them is worth resolving rather than wasting time haggling over. It's not like they gave a flat tire for a spare.

Just my .02. That's what I would do. As my wife always tells me...you catch more flies with honey.

 

I'm guessing this situation varies by state. I learned here in Indiana last year when looking at a 2004 F-350 Dually, that a dealer (actual Ford dealer) will not keep/sell a used vehicle if the catalytic has been removed. The truck I was looking at had no cat or muffler. The Car Fax report showed the dealer took it in on trade, and rather than selling it they sent it to auction right away where the local used car lot where I test drove it found it. Called the Ford dealer to inquire WHY they would let it go rather than sell it (nice truck ~$18k) thinking they might have known something seriously wrong with it. They said it was flagged for auction because "no cat", that they can't resell a used vehicle with no cats. I also learned that once that was discovered they don't even continue to inspect the truck for "certified used vehicle" status. They'd make more at auction then spending the money on exhaust restoration to resell.

 

I am sure CO has a governing body that over sees there smog program (CA uses BAR, Bureau of Automotive Repair). Contact them to determine if a cat is needed for your specific truck. All this might be for naught if it is not required. That is where I would start.

 

Here in California it's the sellers responsibility to have it smog certified before sale.

 

Thanks everyone for the advise/help/insight. Got the cat put on and my truck passed emissions. So far dealership has paid for 1/2. I'm going to keep contacting them to see if they can meet me a little closer than 1/2 way. I may not make much progress but at least I've got my truck back, it's legal, and I wasn't stuck for the full amount.