I live in California and have been having a hell of a time trying to find out if a 2000 Lightning I want to buy in Nevada is legal to register in California due to emissions.

The cowl was replaced on the truck which means the emissions sticker is missing. The previous owner sent me a picture of what the sticker used to look like and it did not call out California saying it could not be registered there.

I then called Ford and had them run the VIN (2FTZF0732YCB07481), the guy I talked to looked into it and said it was a California Emissions ready vehicle. I then went in to buy the under the hood stickers for the cowl and was told by a different person from the parts department that it was not a California Emissions read vehicle.

So what I'm looking for is a little help on understand if I can register this truck in California or not? Any help is appreciated.

 

You can. It doesn't matter if the truck was sold in another destination state or not. As long as all the emissions related crap is still there, all four cats, egr, etc, you're fine.

Are there any mods to the L? Is there a custom tune on the truck?

Stewart

 

This is all that has been done to it.
4lb Lower Pully
JLP Flip Chip
JLP Intake
JLP Intercooler Reservior
JLP Heat Exchanger
Accufab Throttle Body
OBX Stainless Exhaust

 

If you know of a "smog friendly" shop, they might overlook the intake and throttle body. I know I get problems with my JLP intake even though I've "modified" it to look like it's from SVT.

Depending on the tune, you might not pass the OBD 2 plug-in test because the readiness code for the drive cycle might be set.

Unless the tune has been specifically written to allow the drive cycle code to reset, it'll pop up and cause you to fail.

Did the owner delete any of the cats when he installed the exhaust?

Stewart

 

I called my local smog guys and they said they dont need to see those stickers and would just look up the VIN number on what emissions checks to do.

The owner does have the original intake so I would put that back on there for the smog. Hopefully they will overlook the throttle body.

Not too sure about the flip chip, all I know is that it does have a setting to switch back to normal mode and remove it from performance mode. I can ask the seller for more details about the chip.

The owner said that it was a cat back exhaust. Thats all the information I have.

 

What kind of throttle body is it? Is it a single blade throttle body?

I ask because those can be tricky to tune for and if you didn't have it, you could just remove your flip chip and run the stock tune for the smog test. With just a 4 pounder, the fueling tables can easily adjust for the extra boost.

Anything more than a 4lb lower though and you should use a custom tune for safety reasons.

Stewart

 

The tb is a single blade. I think a phone call into SVT about my questions could clear this up since ford themselves couldnt help much. I also feel that all of the L's have the same setup under the hood, its just the ones sold in California have the California emissions sticker. The SVT people should be able to clear that up.

 

It doesn't really matter. The stickers/being California prepped/etc only matters when the vehicle is first sold NEW. ANY, I repeat ANY used vehicle can be purchased in another state and registered here, as long as it's still factory stock.

The only problems you'll have is with the modifications the owner did.

Diesels are now getting smogged here in California. California 7.3L PSD's came with a few different things when compared to the other 49 state 7.3's. The most glaring difference is the glow plug control module on the California prepped rigs versus the glow plug relay on the other 7.3's. But none of that matters once it's a used vehicle. I can go out and buy a 7.3L PSD with a GPR instead of a GPCM and have it registered here without ANY problems.

You're worrying about the wrong thing. You need to be concerned about the mods on the L, period.

Stewart

 

So it sounds like I need to do this, correct me if I'm wrong.

4lb Lower Pully (ok to keep on)
JLP Flip Chip (find out if chip allows drive cycle code to be reset)
JLP Intake (owner has stock intake, ill just put that on)
JLP Intercooler Reservior (no problem)
JLP Heat Exchanger (no problem)
Accufab Throttle Body (might be able to sneak this one by, if not need one $350
OBX Stainless Exhaust (catback exhaust should be fine)

 

Yep.

I did have a smog guy ask about my JLP rez tank, but I kinda mumbled something about all my stuff being Ford Motorsport stuff or allowed aftermarket accessories and he didn't say much.

Where do you live? I know in some bigger cities they get really ticky-tack with their visual inspections.

Stewart

 

I was told I might need to remove the res tank and put the straight hose back on, not a problem.

So it looks like the JLP chip has a stock mode which is good so I dont have to worry about that. Johnny Lightning Performance Link

I live in Elk Grove, which is like 20 minutes south of Sacramento. I have a pretty good smog place to go to. I called them already and they said to just bring it in and tell me what I need to do if anything.

 

I know where Elk Grove is. My brother used to live right at the southern tip of Elk Grove park, on Mountain Home Court. But that was over 10 years ago. He lives in Folsom now.

Ideally you can find a smog place that follows the rules, but isn't stupid and knows stuff like IC reservoirs don't affect emissions.

Stewart