L99 AFM Delete / CA SMOG Check Inquire

[smwalker]

Hey All, Visitor here from your Zeta cousin the Caprice PPV!

Had a question for all the California members with an L99 and have completed the AFM/DOD delete and tuned out the system. Have you been able to pass the CA SMOG check with the AFM/DOD system tuned out/off?

I ask because some of our tuned PPV's have been getting through with a pass and I am not sure if they are just not looking at our specific car (small population) or if they are ignoring all engines that have AFM/DOD in them from the factory.

My suspicion is they are ignoring engines with AFM because think of all the truck owners who have done a DOD delete and tuned out the system. I thought I would see post after post from those guys with all the "Modified Software" fails after July 2021 but have not heard a peep! They all could not have gotten a CARB compliant tune.

We have seen a few fails from the Pontiac G8 Community that have the L76 AFM engine but those were pretty heavily modified so not sure if they "just" turned off the DOD or if they messed with other systems like turning off monitors and such. Both of those fail with a "Modified Software" reason, but no specifics are given.

So really asking if you only just turned off the DOD in your tune and tried to pass the CA SMOG were you successful or not?

Thanks!!

P.S. Save the California Sucks posts please, we all know you can run whatever you want in Alabama.

[morepowerjoe]

From my understanding is that when you unlocked the tune to change anything that they would fail you but maybe that's not the case. It would be maybe a good idea to call up one of your local inspection shops and ask them if the ecm would fail if you just turned off the afm I'm thinking they would but let us know what you find out because I'm sure a lot of guys are wondering the same thing.

Maybe like you said they have a afm deactivator in the obd port?

[lemontwist]

the best thing would be to move to texas and vote republican. second choice would be dyno steve.

[olblue75]

Be careful talking about this stuff never know who your talking to or whose reading?

[Moto-Mojo]

Originally Posted by lemontwist

the best thing would be to move to texas and vote republican. second choice would be dyno steve.

I just spent 30 days in the C5 hole for a “politics” infraction.

[brettstoner]

So we talked over on the other forum but I was wondering if they are only verifying the CVN number for emissions only. i.e. the CVN changes when you turn off the rear O2 sensors. They may not be checking the engine calibration CVN.

[smwalker]

Originally Posted by morepowerjoe

From my understanding is that when you unlocked the tune to change anything that they would fail you but maybe that's not the case. It would be maybe a good idea to call up one of your local inspection shops and ask them if the ecm would fail if you just turned off the afm I'm thinking they would but let us know what you find out because I'm sure a lot of guys are wondering the same thing.

Maybe like you said they have a afm deactivator in the obd port?

Inspectors have no say in the pass or fail criteria in this area it is all internal to the inspection computer. The only education they gave us is the CAL ID and CVN are queried. If they are different from the factory versions or any CARB compliant Tune in the records then it is a fail. But honestly the inspectors don't know pass or fail till the end of the inspection when the owner finds out as well.

With the AFM delete module in the OBD port what we usually see is it is unplugged for the SMOG test and the monitors are not complete because the Module does not allow some monitors to complete, so that is a fail also. Gotta leave it out a few weeks before your test to allow the monitors to run.

[smwalker]

Originally Posted by brettstoner

So we talked over on the other forum but I was wondering if they are only verifying the CVN number for emissions only. i.e. the CVN changes when you turn off the rear O2 sensors. They may not be checking the engine calibration CVN.

Yea that is what I am trying to determine. How are PPV's getting through with just DOD deleted.

But once you start turning off monitors I think that is part of an OBD check they had in place before the Tune thing implemented. How the hot shops were doing illegal smogs was with emulators. So the emulators would send all the monitors to "Clear" just to be safe. So even on a car with no EGR it would send the EGR was Clear! And the SMOG machine would accept that. Well after a while they could see the data discrepancies so they started gathering data on each model and what monitors it should send. So turning off any system and not reporting is a fail where it could possible get though before.

Since there is no monitor for AFM that is not an issue but the change in the file when turning it off should be the clincher.

[jlsat3]

I passed my smog in 2020 with a tune from dynosteve that included an AFM delete. Will that not work anymore? I have my engine apart about to do a physical AFM delete to LS3 cam & lifters. That's a big fix back to stock L99 if I don't pass.

[bottletalk]

Originally Posted by Moto-Mojo

I just spent 30 days in the C5 hole for a “politics” infraction.

hahaha awesome!!

[bottletalk]

Originally Posted by jlsat3

I passed my smog in 2020 with a tune from dynosteve that included an AFM delete. Will that not work anymore? I have my engine apart about to do a physical AFM delete to LS3 cam & lifters. That's a big fix back to stock L99 if I don't pass.

can't see why it wouldn't, an ls3 can pass in another car so why not yours?
gotta hear the reasoning behind the decision if it fails, that would be enough to drive a guy postal!

[jlsat3]

Well, I hear California checks for ECU modifications now. So with a required tune to disable the AFM, it would fail smog.

[smwalker]

Originally Posted by jlsat3

I passed my smog in 2020 with a tune from dynosteve that included an AFM delete. Will that not work anymore? I have my engine apart about to do a physical AFM delete to LS3 cam & lifters. That's a big fix back to stock L99 if I don't pass.

In 2020 they were not searching for tunes. Actually they were in the preliminary stages of the rule change and sending it to the ref if they detected modified software.

That they did not flag yours then is a positive for you.

Like I said in my initial post I think they have given the AFM engines a pass on the tune detection because of all of the people that have deleted DOD and done a tune just to keep thier cars on the road without a check engine light.

I will warn you that I believe the most they allow is the DOD to be turned off. If you start turning off other emissions system to get rid of a check engine light and they do not report thier monitors as ready then that might be a separate fail apart from the tune not meeting the check digit requirement.

Please keep us posted on your results after you get your engine back together and get a smog.

[smwalker]

Originally Posted by bottletalk

can't see why it wouldn't, an ls3 can pass in another car so why not yours?
gotta hear the reasoning behind the decision if it fails, that would be enough to drive a guy postal!

Every car model has a specific ECU file and check digit that needs to be present to pass a CA smog Check.

If you tune the ECU file (with a non approved tune) the check digit changes and that is a fail.

The file name changes also but I hear tuners can get around that. They cannot, to my knowledge (and of course none of them would admit to it) get around the check digit feature.

CA has a process for putting a different engine in your car just gotta go through some inspections and special labeling to do it.