I thought this was interesting for anyone in the ECUFlash community even though it is CA. There are probably far reaching implications. My biggest concern would be that based on the concept of these new laws that additional laws could be enacted that make it illegal to modify your ECU.

http://www.smogtips.com/new-smog-law-AB-2289.cfm

 

That actually looks like good news. No more sniffer, just visual and code check.

BTW, Its already illegal to modify your ECU.

 

That is actually a blessing to ca people. That's how we get smog here. Do the right patches no troubles.

 

I get the feeling there is a catch.

 

Do you have any basis for that feeling? The law is pretty clear, but the software's sophistication is a bit of a unknown until we have a few months of feedback on the process. I haven't figured out if CA is just using software already developed that other states are using. That would be interesting to find out.

The driver for the law is to aid consumers, in that smog checks and the stations are expensive with a dyno, and regulating who does what has been challenging for the state. Since most cars are more sophisticated than the original and expensive testing equipment it makes logical sense that vehicle ECU's have technologically leaped passed the 10 year plus testing equipment. Its the right move for the state as far as I can tell from the reading. I guess we'll know in a few months.

 

I recently got CA smogged on E85 and the STAR station did both tailpipe emission and functional tests. Stock cams, airbox, CARB approved cat, stock fueling and timing meant that I passed the emissions test with plenty of room to spare. I failed on the functional test because the EGR and O2 heater tests were not completed. This was due to not driving enough miles since disconnecting the battery and the ECU had not completed its drive cycle tests. It seems as though the law change has not been phased in where I live in CA. The good news is that they offered me a free retest once the functional tests have completed. I used an ODB II scanner (ProScan 5.9) to check and the missing functional tests completed after driving a further 200 miles. The station also now carries out a new CARB inspection where they read the part number off the cat with a mirror then check it against a database. If it doesn't match the CARB approved cat for your model they will fail you. My cat (Magnaflow universal fit part# 46756, CARB# D-193-89) wasn't even in the database they used for the look up so they passed it!