| The following list will help you determine if a part for your vehicle is
a replacement part and legal for use on pollution. Check the manufacturer's catalogue to verify vehicle application
and look for disclaimers, such as "Not legal for street use in California." |
| Air Cleaner |
| Most emission controlled vehicles will have an air cleaner that is a closed
element type or thermostatically controlled. A replacement air cleaner must meet the same specifications as the
original and connect to any emissions equipment that was attached to the original equipment air cleaner. Any
replacement air cleaner elements may be used as long as they meet original factory specifications. Any air
cleaner that does not meet the original factory specifications requires an Executive Order to be legal for
street use. |
| Cams |
| The manufacturer of replacement cams determines which of their parts are
considered replacements for original equipment. These replacement cams are then listed by vehicle year, make,
model and engine size in the manufacturer's catalogue. A replacement cam must have exactly the same specifications
(grind) as the original part. Cams that have different specifications than the original part require an Executive
Order to be legal for street use. |
| Carburetors |
| The manufacturer of replacement carburetors determines which of their models
are considered replacements for original equipment. These replacement carburetors are then listed by vehicle year, make,
model and engine size in the manufacturer's catalogue. Carburetors not listed as replacement parts by their manufacturer
must have an Executive Order to be legal for street use. |
| Catalytic Converters |
| A legal aftermarket catalyst is one that is listed in an ARB approved manufacturers
catalogue for the year, make, model, and engine size of vehicle on which it is being installed.
Manufacturers of aftermarket catalytic converters must obtain an Executive Order for their products from
the Air Resources Board in order to be listed in an approved catalogue. |
| Coils and Ignition Wires |
| Any type of coil or ignition wires may be used as long as they meet original
manufacturer specifications. |
| Computer Chips |
| Replacement computer chips must be an original equipment manufacturer part.
Aftermarket computer chips must have an Executive Order to be legal for street use. |
| Electronic Ignitions |
| The manufacturer of replacement electronic ignitions determines which of
their models are considered replacements for original equipment. These replacement electronic ignitions
are then listed by vehicle year, make, model and engine size in the manufacturer's catalogue. Electronic ignitions
or electronic point replacement units for vehicles not originally equipped with these items require an
Executive Order to be legal for street use. Swapping electronic ignitions from different years, engines, or
makes is illegal. |
| Distributors |
| The manufacturer of a replacement distributor determines which of their
models are considered replacements for original equipment. These replacement distributors are then listed by vehicle
year, make, model and engine size in the manufacturer's catalogue. Swapping distributors from different years, engines
or makes is illegal. Aftermarket distributors that are not listed as replacements for the original part
require an Executive Order number to be legal for street use. |
| Fuel Injection |
| The
manufacturer of replacement fuel injection systems determines which of
their systems are considered replacements for original equipment. These
replacement fuel injection systems are then listed by vehicle
year, make, model and engine size in the manufacturer's
catalogue. Fuel injection systems not listed as replacement parts
require an Executive Order to be legal.
Modifications that change a vehicle from fuel injection to
carburetion or from carburetion to fuel injection also require
an Executive Order to be legal. |
| Fuel Tanks |
| Replacement fuel tanks must be identical to the original part. Add-on fuel
tanks, or tanks with greater capacity than the original tank are legal for street use only if they have
been issued an Executive Order. |
| Heads |
| Replacement heads must be identical to the original part. Head swaps from
different years, engines or makes are illegal. Aftermarket heads or valve train components that are not
made to the same specifications as the original parts require an Executive Order to be legal for street use. |
| Headers |
Non-Catalytic Converter Equipped Vehicles
Headers for non-catalyst equipped vehicles are considered legal
replacement parts as long the replacement header allows for the installation of all smog control equipment originally
attached to the stock exhaust manifold. Depending on the vehicle, some of the equipment that would normally
be attached to the exhaust manifold includes:
- Air Injectors
- Heat Shields for the Thermostatic Air Cleaner
- Heat Risers
- EGR System Hookups
- Fuel Evaporation Systems
|
Catalytic Converter Equipped Vehicles
Headers for use on catalytic converter equipped vehicles require
an Executive Order to be legal for street use.
|
| Intake Manifolds |
| The manufacturer of replacement manifolds determines which of their models
are considered replacements for original equipment. These replacement manifolds are then listed by vehicle
year, make, model and engine size in the manufacturer's catalogue. |
| Replacement manifolds may be made of a different material than the original
part, for example polished aluminium instead of cast iron, but the design of the casting must be the
same. Any manifold not listed as replacement part by its manufacturer must have an Executive Order
to be legal for street use. |
| Carburetor adapter plates are not legal unless they are an integral part
of a replacement manifold. |
| Other Internal Engine Parts |
| Replacement internal engine parts, such as pistons, rods, or the crank,
must be designed to factory specifications. Oversize parts can be used as long as they are within factory
tolerances for replacement engine parts. Any part not built within factory specifications requires an Executive
Order to be legal for street use. |
| Transmission or Transaxle |
| Transmissions and transaxles changes alone are not legal. Transmissions
and transaxles can only be changed along with their matching engine. The total engine transmission
package must conform to the engine change requirements above. |
| Replacement Engines |
| Entire engines can be replacement parts. As with any other replacement part,
the engine must be identical to the original. If the replacement block or engine is obtained without emissions
equipment, all the equipment from the original engine must be installed on the replacement block. |
| If the engine is not identical to the original then it is not a replacement
part, instead it is considered an engine change. |
| Engine changes are a modification that must meet certain requirements to
be legal (please see "Engine Changes"). |
| Japanese Replacement Engines |
| Used engines imported from Japan can be used as replacement engines as long
as the engine being used has been identified as functionally identical to the original engine. Please
refer to the engine importers catalogue to determine if a replacement engine is legal for installation in
your vehicle. |
| Engine Changes |
| Engine changes are legal as long as the following requirements are met to
ensure that the change does not increase pollution from the vehicle: |
- The engine must be the same year or newer than the vehicle.
- The engine must be from the same type of vehicle (passenger car, light-duty
truck, heavy-duty truck, etc.) based on gross vehicle weight.
- If the vehicle is a California certified vehicle then the engine must
also be a California certified engine.
- All emissions control equipment must remain on the installed engine.
- Vehicles converted to 100% electric drive,
with all power supplied by on-board batteries are considered in
compliance with the engine change requirements. All fuel system
components must be removed prior to inspection. For additional
information contact the ARB helpline at (800) 242-4450
|
| After an engine change, vehicles must first be inspected by a state referee
station. The vehicle will be inspected to ensure that all the equipment required is in place, and
vehicle will be emissions tested subject to the specifications of the installed engine. |
| Exemptions for Uncontrolled Vehicles |
| Vehicles that were manufactured before emission control regulations took
effect are called uncontrolled vehicles. Aftermarket parts regulations and anti-tampering laws do not apply to
these vehicles. |
| Uncontrolled vehicles may have any aftermarket add-on or modified part installed
as long as the vehicle can still meet the tailpipe emission standards for the year of the vehicle. Uncontrolled
vehicles must retain any original or retrofit crankcase control (PCV) devices and NOx device required for
the year of the vehicle. |
| The following vehicles are considered uncontrolled vehicles: |
- 1965 and Older : U.S. Manufactured California Certified Vehicles
- 1967 and Older: U.S. Manufactured Federally Certified Vehicles
- 1967 and Older: Foreign Manufactured Vehicles
|
| For More Information |
| To verify Executive Order numbers, or for questions about the replacement
parts guidelines, please contact the California Air Resources Board Vehicle Hotline: |
|
(800) 242-4450 California
(626) 575-6858 Non-USA
|
|
To obtain a list of ARB Executive Order parts, or for information on
the Executive Order certification process for aftermarket parts manufacturers, please write to:
California Air Resources Board
Aftermarket Parts Section
9480 Telstar Avenue, Suite 4
El Monte, California 91731
|
