If a tune is required for LT headers, and a tune will fail an emissions test....what do you do when you have to go to emissions? Retune it back to stock and leave the headers on??? Won't that hurt something?

 

Wicomico County. Worchester, Somerset, and Dorchester don't. Pretty sure Talbot Co doesn't either.

 

I'm a state inspector and they don't usually check for emissions components at the station .....for one you should only require an obd IItest which is the MIL has to be off with no codes and all rediness tests completed except for 1 or 2 I believe....no treadmill test for you it's for pre 96/obd II vehicles here in MD.

 

I don't think a tune fails emissions in general, it's just when the tune shuts off the o2 sensors so make sure yours doesn't and you'll be alright.

 

A tune is not required for headers. you "may" get a tune based on a header change but it is not required.

 

Ok, so if I need to I can put the stock airbox back on, leave the headers on and limp into emissions and pass? As long as I have cats I assume?

 

suoperdave84
Yes, you can put the stock air back on with your headers and run emissions if thats your choice.just reflash tune to stock with the stock air box. Unless there is a huge line or something you should not be at smog but for a few minutes. Swap everything back when done.

 

I'm in Carroll County.

Here they just check the OBDII port on newer cars. No mirror check. This has been the procedure for 5 of our cars/trucksranging in age from 1997 through 2006.

Recently, I took my 2005 Mustang in to get tested and it FAILED. The emissions readiness monitors were not running and didn't store any values. I took the car back to my tuner, who checked the tune and saw that the parameter for the readiness monitors had inadvertantly been turned off. He slipped me a modified tune, I drove from Westminster to Frederick and back, drove around town for 30 minutes, went back and passed. This is not the O2 sensor problem (sometimes they need to be turned back on).

Emission stations are NOT supposed to report you and in fact are not a reporting authority. If someone at a station does this they are doing it on their own and just being a big d!ck.

I've been driving modded cars forever and never once ran into a problem at an emission station that couldn't be solved. Just lucky I guess.

John