Californians: be wary when smogging your 996 C4
Posted: Fri Oct 09, 2020 10:28 am
Until 2016, the computers at every smog shop I've used since acquiring my 996 C4 informed the tech that the car should not be run on a dyno since it's AWD. In 2018 and again this year - at two different shops - the tech was not notified that the car was AWD and shouldn't be tested on the emissions dyno. This is not an issue for me since I deleted the front wheel drive components...so I just let them dyno it.
Dynoing a C4 with the FWD stuff still installed will wreck the viscous coupling; if you take your C4 in for emissions testing, be sure to tell the tech that the car is AWD and shouldn't be dynoed.
For those of you not familiar with CA emissions testing: MY2000 or newer cars use newer emissions testing hardware (no dyno required); the old testing equipment is for emissions testing vehicles built from 1976 through 1999. Vehicles older than 1976 are emissions test exempt, although you're _supposed_ to keep any smog hardware intact on older cars as well.
Dynoing a C4 with the FWD stuff still installed will wreck the viscous coupling; if you take your C4 in for emissions testing, be sure to tell the tech that the car is AWD and shouldn't be dynoed.
For those of you not familiar with CA emissions testing: MY2000 or newer cars use newer emissions testing hardware (no dyno required); the old testing equipment is for emissions testing vehicles built from 1976 through 1999. Vehicles older than 1976 are emissions test exempt, although you're _supposed_ to keep any smog hardware intact on older cars as well.