Also sorry about your loss, Ron
I completely agree with your advise, and have a truck full of character, reliable and fun to drive and work on.

YEEY! 22R-Eliable FTW!
When you wish upon a star (from Geminids meteor shower watch...)


Merry Christmas!

 

Hey guys, so im starting to look into surround states for my first truck, IF i bought a truck from AZ, should it technically pass smog in all 50 states? Theres a couple nice rust free trucks in Phoenix AZ that i wouldn't mind taking a look at but not sure if it will pass smog in California. The truck is bone stock unmodified, but not sure if there was special smog equipment only for CA trucks. Can anyone please clarify this?

 

Trucks sold new in California usually had more/different emissions equipment installed from the factory than others sold in the other 49 states did.
Sometimes Cali emissions compliant trucks were sold in other states as well though, so your out of state purchased truck might well be Cali spec. You'd have to check the emissions label.
Should'nt really matter with a used one though, whether it is a federal spec or Cali spec machine.
If the truck has all the smog equipment that the factory built it with installed and functioning correctly, I doubt that they have any gripe.

 

Looking at an 87-89 22RE 4runner. Little leery on buying a truck out of state because i wouldnt be able to check for CA smog until i brought it back into the state. With other Cali trucks i can ask the owners to smog it before sale. But AZ does have more than a few nice condition all stock 1st gen 4runners and trucks so i dont want to count them out just yet..

 

Living in Az, I got a couple Az trucks.

I'd be afraid that a Cali truck might have been inculcated with unsavory social and political values....

Just kidding.

 

I would check with the California emissions dept about bringing in trucks from out of state. I would guess millball is right; if the truck has all factory emissions equipment in place and operational, it should pass. I don't think they will require you to bring it up to CA specs. But don't take our word for it; check with the people who know.

 

On a label under the hood, just above the battery, if label is still there, it will say Cali Emiss or Fed Emiss. On a 91 truck I had, it was Cali Emiss and it had a sensor in the EGR, not sure if they did that in the early models but it could be a sign that it is a California emissions truck.

 

So i found the label but what if its too old and worn to read it? Can i call a dealer or smog station with the vin and ask if its cali or fed emissions compliant?

 

I don't remember the site, but there is one or maybe more where you can put the vin in and it gives all the information on your truck. Wish I could remember it as it was helpful. A dealer could tell you if your truck is Cali or Fed Emiss.

 

Spoke with CA DMV and they were able to verify that the vehicle is 50 state emissions compliant. They told me the vehicle was purchased new in 89 in the state of California therefore is 50 state compliant.

For anyone reading this in the future for reference:

It doesnt explicitly say whether its 49 or 50 state legal on the emissions label like it does on the later model years. This is from a 1989 V6 truck and this it what the label reads "THE VEHICLE CONFORMS TO U.S. EPA REGULATIONS APPLICABLE TO 1989 MODEL YEAR NEW LIGHT-DUTY TRUCKS WITH A CURB WEIGHT GREATER THAN 450 LBS"



They said for any other vehicle if it was not originally purchased in the state of California (they can always check by VIN) they said you would have to call the manufacturer (not the dealer, but not sure if she just told me that because she was unsure if a dealer could verify this information).