I have a 170k 2006 F550 utility body truck w/ a 6.0 that came into CA from out of state this week.
Truck runs fine and seems to have no obvious issues, but only a few hundred miles driven so far.
The EGR valve hole next to the filter housing is covered by a removable plate, so I conclude that the EGR tube is deleted also.

Truck was an oiler for a large Caterpillar dealership, so it was not deeply modded as far as I can tell, apparently just a basic delete that made sense wherever it lived last.
The DMV did not require a smog check to register the truck, but may do so whenever they decide to do so - I am presuming that out-of-state won't matter regarding testing reuirement.

My regular smog check guy said two things:
1. Valve gone is a visual fail.
2. EGR Valve absence will show in computer codes when smog check performed and OBDII connected to DMV computer.

3. The local diesel mechanic, who seems like a straight shooter, commented that some folks have reported to him not being required by DMV to get smog checked at all for reasons unknown. Is that a thing?


My Questions:
---> Is reinsertion of the full EGR system (valve plus tube) my only path here (valve only won't cut it?) ?
---> Shall I presume that the computer needs reprogramming if I reinstall both as well? I have no idea what was used to keep the check engine light off.

Thanks in advance!

 

1. You do not, and most likely will not, have to have a smog check for that truck.

2. This applies to title transfer, as well as the biennial checks that all other 6.0l pickup trucks are required to undergo in order to maintain registration status.

3. It isnt a "thing". It is because your F-550 is over 14,000 GVWR, and the DMV computer automatically knows this from your VIN and previos state registrations.

That's the good news.

Now here is the rest of the story.

4. If you use the truck commercially, as a business, in doing work for hire, or as part of an activity requiring an MCP / CA number, or in the construction trade, or as a service vehicle (oiler) to a fleet of other vehicles, or in any capacity whatsoever that can be construed commercial, including but not limited to delivering flowers on Valentine's Day... (unless to your s.o.)

You will be subject to an ANNUAL Periodic Smoke Inspection Program test.

The PSIP requirement has been in place since 1999, applies to all diesel engines operated on the road, regardless of model year (yes, even engines prior to 1997) in commercial vehicles with a GVWR over 14,000 lbs.

5. You may perform your own annual PSIP, if you purchase smoke opacity testing equipment that the state recognizes and approves, and provided that you complete two training courses that the state approves or offers from time to time.

6. Or, you can hire a mobile PSIP tester with the approved equipment and training to do the tailpipe test for you.

7. No vehicle inspection is enforceable with a PSIP. Whether or not you have an EGR valve or a blocker plate is not what the PSIP is trained or qualified to look for. This is a Smoke Inspection test, not an equipment inspection test. The smoke from the tailpipe will read x% opacity, and if that % is under a predetermined threshold for your model year engine, you pass period. You could have a squadron of butterflies farting under the hood for an engine, and it wouldn't matter. Only the smoke produced counts, not what makes the smoke.

8. The allowable percentage of opacity has recently been reduced, effective 2018, but the reduction is not likely to impact any 2006 engine. The state regulators believed that the allowance set for diesel engines from much earlier engines (prior to 1994) was, in their own words, "too lax".

9. Currently, you are to keep your own PSIP records, and maintain them for two years. There was no requirement to submit the records for data collection by the state, and, there was no requirement for the inspector you hired to submit the records of the smoke test done for you. Effective April this year (2018), this is changing. The CARB is putting the finishing touches on a new database where fleet owners will be required to enter in the opacity percentages measured from their annual PSIP tests, in addition to the other fleet reporting requirements that have been in existence since 2012. By 2020, but not until 2020, registrations will be blocked by the DMV for vehicles whose owners have not met or maintain self reporting requirements.

Note that none of these changes involve someone looking under your hood to see if your valve covers are purple. Again, this is a self reporting requirement to test and log the smoke produced, not an inspection of the presence or lack thereof of smog equipment.

Now, the bad news...

10. You won't be able to register that truck in CA after 2023... Unless you install a new engine and emissions system that is model year 2010 or newer.

11. It does not matter if you retrofit your 550 with a newer exhaust aftertreatment system. The diesel exhaust retrofit program was only an interim measure to stairstep trucks into meeting the state's emission reduction goals without immediately forcing owners to buy new trucks. All trucks that have been permitted to continue to operate with an exhaust retrofit will, per a schedule that was established 10 years ago, no longer be permitted to operate within the next 5 years. The sunset for each retrofitted vehicle depends on model year and engine retirement year credits earned for early adoption prior to mandatory compliance. It's years too late today to get those exemptions. Don't bother.

12. There is no point to fooling with the current status of your EGR in order to pass an inspection, because no inspection of that device in your truck is required. With only five registrable years remaining for a commercially operated 06 F-550, you'll have to decide what makes the most economic sense to you as to what repairs you want to make to that engine.

Two more points of interest...

13. If the truck is exclusively for personal recreational use, none of the foregoing applies, except for the fact that over 14k gvwr vehicles remain outside of the biennial smog check program.

Last point...

14. No matter what state the vehicle is registered in, no matter what inspection program the vehicle is subject to, even if no inspection at all, ever... The disablement and or removal of OEM emissions controls is a violation of Federal law, and is subject to penalties as severe as $10,000 per day. In view of this, being in California doesn't matter. Not lecturing... just reminding, because a lot of folks seem to forget this one little detail.

 

They even want to ban internal combustion engines by 2040 or so.......

Welcome to the DPRK (Democratic Peoples Republik of Kalifornia) pretty much COMPLETELY run by the DSA .

I'm so glad I left in the 80's.

Oh, and by the way, Welcome aboard!!

Cheers!!

Rick

 

Referring to item #3, my F-350 is over 14,000 and does indeed need to be smogged at a 14,500 gvw.

 

BPD has a un-delete kit if you want to go that way.

 

If you're talking about the one in your avatar picture that appears to be SRW, (Crew Cab) it may have a GVWR of 11500 in the SRW config.

According to the FOMOCO Spec sheet (pg6 of 13) for the 2015 pickups, the only GVWRs at 13,500 and above are the F-350/450 Crew Cabs with DRW's

https://www.fleet.ford.com/truckbbas...SB_Updates.pdf



From CA DMV https://www.dmv.ca.gov/portal/dmv/?1...dmv/vr/smogfaq

 

Don't kid yourself, five years after that(or less) they will ban anything that is not at least from the 6.7 era.....and they'll all bend over and take it.

 

Or they'll bring their special brand of bull**** to Texas.

The moose out front shoulda told ya'll....

 

Yeah.....Wa & OR are getting the same way........I am retiring soon and I'm thinking about ID, TX, NV and other places too!

ALTHOUGH.......If they create the state of "New" California, I might consider it

https://newcaliforniastate.com/new-california-news

 

My bad, I transposed a number. You are correct.

 

I have moderated the Online Imperial Club forum since 1995, and it's a delight to get knowledgeable specialty information from you so quickly after having dispensed it to others for so long.
I appreciate the energy that you took to reply - I feel much better now about smog status of my truck. I'll look into the opacity test - exhaust is transparent to my eye, which is not a test machine, but I don't see anything going on under any conditions, will look at exhaust at WOT next time I drive and get a test to establish records soon.

I suppose that I'll be able to sell the truck in 2023 outside of the state to one of the fine people who chose not to live here, but I bet the market will be flooded at that point.
I'll try and get my money's worth out of it in the next 5 years. I drive about 35k a year and that would take me up to around 350k on it, perhaps, which seems to me to be a fair service life.

----

A big hello to the chorus for their rowdy rendition of "I hate California so-oo much it hurts" - you are magnificent people and I'm pleased to be your countryman because we're all in this together.
Don't let the political conspiracy money machines convince you otherwise - not all of it is true, and hooray for President Trump and all of the wonderful things that he has brought to the table so far.
-If Oprah runs and wins 2020, I look forward to gale force winds punctuated by chattering teeth and wagging tongues from you guys. "Thanks Oprah" is super close to "Thanks, Obama", so you're already all set, huh? Har-har.

 

I have a question for the Cali people. Can he get pulled over
at one of the roadside inspection traps?

On Oprah maybe she will start eating again and have a heart attack
and just drop over.

 

I would think, no. once they know the vin, they're going to tell you to have a nice day (if that's even possible in the land of frootz and nutz)

I only lived there for the first 27 years of my life!

 

Well with Scary Jerry running the place. You never know.

 

All they would have to do to create a "new CA" would be put up a fence around about a half dozen large cities, the rest of it would take care of itself.

But go ahead, keep sending all those dairy farmers to the midwest to my area because of all the BS regs......we love the added revenue.