Need a question answered quickly! I am wanting to purchase a 1990 Foxbody Mustang 5.0 out of state and have it shipped to California. I have never done this before and am wondering if there are some unforeseen issues with doing this? Will a stock 1990 Foxbody Mustang 5.0 pass California emissions without having to add anything? The vehicle has only 25K original miles on it and is all original. Appreciate your insights, thanks.
1990 Foxbody emissions in California
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If all of the original smog equipment is there and in working order, it will pass smog inspection.
Now, there's no telling what condition those components are in after 33 years.
Now, there's no telling what condition those components are in after 33 years.
Thank you. Do you know what components that may need replacing to pass California emissions?
If all of the original smog equipment is there and in working order, it will pass smog inspection.
Now, there's no telling what condition those components are in after 33 years.
If it's advertised as 'all original ' and '25k original miles' it should have all the emissions equipment there and in working order.
Buying from a dealer or individual?
Buying from a dealer or individual?
I think 1975, so if you have a 1976 you still need to pass the sniffer. Ridiculous.
It was a dealer but I hired a mechanic to inspect it thoroughly. He said it was a "Time Capsule"
evintho
Dirt-Old 20+Year Member
The only real emissions difference between California and 49 state cars are the cats. CA cars have more precious metals in their cats however, many models were built the same across the nation to meet all 50 state standards. If the car is a time capsule, as you say, the emissions sticker under the hood will tell you if it's CA legal, or not. Worst case scenario is, you may have to swap out the cats.
85GTStangGuy
Advanced Member
Interesting... I always wondered what the difference was between the stricter Cali emissioned car and a "49-state" car.
rednotch
Founding Member
While it should pass, CA cars had there own ECU's with slightly different emissions tuning even back then, they have all ways been broken down as federal vs ca emissions. The OEM cats where 100% the same From ford, after market replacements are either federal or CA compliant since most are cheap ceramic now.
I believe there is a process for out of state car certification, maybe contact a referee with questions.
Mhalc1
Member
You shouldn't have a problem passing smog, Just make sure those cats are nice and hot and I would suggest a pretty full tank of gas. My 1990 GT has passed 2 smog tests out here in California. even with GT40 heads my thermactor tube is only installed to pass visual and my smog pump was going out, I still passed by a hair. In previous years after my engine refresh it passed the sniff test no problem. I just had to install new gromets for my fuel tank as it didn't pass the EVAP the first time.
I concur, you should pass but it would be a good idea to go through the car with a fine tooth comb first. Go through all the vac lines and make sure they aren't dry rotted. Would help to build a cheap smoke machine and smoke test to find and fix any vac leaks. Verify stock timing, dump all the engine codes and confirm you get three code 11's in sequence. If oyu have any, let us know what they are.
Thermactor ports on the heads are prone to clogging, but this is only an issue at cold startup. Once warmed up, the air injection system switches to sending air directly to the H-pipe, so don't arrive for testing with a cold car. Get it hot and toasty with a good long drive and lots of head soak. That will get the cats up to temp as well.
Thermactor ports on the heads are prone to clogging, but this is only an issue at cold startup. Once warmed up, the air injection system switches to sending air directly to the H-pipe, so don't arrive for testing with a cold car. Get it hot and toasty with a good long drive and lots of head soak. That will get the cats up to temp as well.
I think the guys covered it. You can expect the soft pieces (grommets/hoses) to be suspects if they've never been changed.
Don’t
i
I will tell you from experience. Just because the owner tells you that it will pass SMOG in Kalifornsky is not guaranteed. My car had the entire SMOG system when I bought and the owner swore that it will pass SMOG!!! I never did and it was labeled as a gross polluter. So, if you know someone who can test it first before the official SMOG then you will be good if not........get ready to pay some bucks on replacing everything that is SMOG related.
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