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Posted by: gnomefabtech Mar 13 2023, 06:25 PM

Car came from Nevada but I can't tell if it was originally a California car. It still has injection but doesn't have a cat or smog pump. Doesn't look like it ever had either but I'm wondering since I'm going to try and register it here in California. Thanks in advance!!

Here is the Vin:

Posted by: JeffBowlsby Mar 13 2023, 06:43 PM

All 75s and 76s should have a smog pump and air injection, check your heads for the air inlets or plugs in their place.

https://bowlsby.net/914/Classic/Emissions.htm See chart at bottom pf page.

A 49 state 76 would not have EGR or a CAT, but a CA-model would.

Does your FI harness have the branch (6-pole connector, near the battery) for a speed limiter box?

Still have the drivers side clear windshield label? That may tell if you if its a CA model or not.

Posted by: rgalla9146 Mar 13 2023, 07:24 PM

A 1976 California car will have a EGR lamp on the dash and a EGR reset box under the
passenger footrest

Posted by: gnomefabtech Mar 13 2023, 08:27 PM

Thanks. I'll be able to look at the car more this weekend and see what's missing. Might be a bit of a project to get it Cali legal.

Posted by: L-Jet914 Mar 13 2023, 08:29 PM

You can also check the VECI label (vehicle emission control information) and it will say "This vehicle conforms to US EPA and California regulations applicable to the 1976 model year new motor vehicles."

Posted by: Type 47 Mar 14 2023, 06:10 PM

and something like that on the drivers side in the rear trunk. If you have these and they are not plugged in to something it's a 49 state car.

Posted by: Chris914n6 Mar 14 2023, 08:34 PM

Writing myself a note to look at my vin sticker for you tomorrow. I have a 75 cali car with the windshield sticker, and removed cat counter in pass footwell.

I replaced it with a motor that will actually pass the sniffer test

Posted by: wonkipop Mar 14 2023, 08:50 PM

is that true that only california cars had cats in 1976?
i thought cats were US wide for 76 model year for all car makers and all models.

its certainly true that only the 75 californian cars had cats.
not the 49 state cars.

my understanding of the emissions laws through the 70s is that it is incremental.
california gets the standards the year before the other states do.
the next year the 49 states gets the california standard of previous year and california moves on to the higher standard. and so on.

i know from the EPA research we did on the L jets a couple of years back that i came across the government documents detailing the agreements auto manufacturers made with the EPA in the late 60s and early 70s. thats when the decision was made that exhaust catalysers were the way to go. in fact the automakers pressed for the cats rather than other technologies. the concern the auto makers had was in relation to supply of the catalysers and so they proposed a staged introduction.
the EPA agreed and thats how california got to be the lab test rat so to speak.

but i could be wrong about all this.

Posted by: JeffBowlsby Mar 14 2023, 09:09 PM

All 75-76 CA-model 914s required cats.

https://bowlsby.net/914/Classic/Emissions.htm See chart at bottom pf page.

Posted by: wonkipop Mar 14 2023, 10:02 PM

ah, i just figured out how porsche got away with not having cats on MY76 49 state cars.
they ceased production at the end of 1975 calendar year.
end of calendar year 75 was the final deadline - after that all cars sold USA wide had to be fitted with cats.
most car makers that intended to market a car for the full 76 MY installed cats.
porsche knew they were finishing this baby off.
they ran that to the wire!

Posted by: JeffBowlsby Mar 14 2023, 10:18 PM

Got proof or is that speculation? We’ve heard that the emissions reqs ran with the model year, not calendar year. Here in CA, 76s require bi-annual smog cents, even though made in calendar 75.

Posted by: wonkipop Mar 15 2023, 12:29 AM

its not exactly a speculation mr. b.
i dug a lot of stuff on the EPA for the 1,8 EC-A, EC-B research.
i'll dig up the specific EPA thing again. i know its on file somewhere in the EC-A/B material i have.

there was a specific date laid down for all cars sold in the USA to have Cats.
and like most things EPA related it is a calendar date.
in terms of a final deadline.
and i do recall the year is 1975.
and thats for USA wide. not just california.
thats the year before.

many of the domestic automakers in the USA staggered the introduction of the cats across their model ranges during the model year. not necessarily at the commencement of the model year.
supply of catalysers was the issue. gearing up production of them from suppliers.

Posted by: type47fan Mar 15 2023, 12:53 AM

VIN 4762903947 MFG 12/75

Supplemental driver door silver label states "1976 model year".



Based on the chassis tag (5029038) in the driver side door jamb, my car probably began assembly on Tuesday, December 16, 1975, during the final week of formal assembly for the model.

California had a 30 year rolling exemption for smog certs that was discontinued in 2006. Hence, the 30 year old model year (MY) 1975 California 914s made the cut in 2005, but the MY 1976 didn't for 2006, and beyond.

Info from BAR:

"Collector cars that are model-year 1976 and newer require a Smog Check. Because Smog Check stations do not have the equipment necessary to inspect collector cars, collector cars are eligible for an abbreviated inspection performed by a Smog Check Referee. For more information, visit https://bar.ca.gov/consumer/smog-check-program/collector-cars page or https://asktheref.org/."

"All vehicles that are model-year 1975 and older do not require a Smog Check."

" . . . while California law requires the Smog Check Program to focus on high-polluting vehicles, the Smog Check Program also does not require older vehicles to meet the same emissions standards as newer vehicles. Smog Check emissions standards consider the vehicle type and model year so that a vehicle is never held to a standard that applied when the vehicle was originally manufactured."

Posted by: wonkipop Mar 15 2023, 02:20 PM

@http://www.914world.com/bbs2/index.php?showuser=994 fan

not what jeff is talking about.
jeff and i are talking about the 49 state cars.
i had not realised the 76 49 state cars did not have a cat.
as everything was required to have a cat by 76 MY usa wide.


........so how come a 76 914 got away without one?

jeff's asking for proof about my statement that they slip through the net because they stop production in dec 75.

the summary version is the clean air act by nixon administration in 1970 is a way bigger act than vehicle emission regulation. the act is not written in model year terms.
model years are an automaker convention. the act has a date on it. 1975 period.

it was the auto makers who negotiated with the USEPA in terms of model years.
thats how automakers introduced styling changes and more importantly major engineering changes.

jeff wants the date of the act.
he may not think so.
but thats what he is asking for.
i'll find it again.

its the clean air act by the nixon administration.
it was passed in 1970.


------
am well aware that everything in california has a cat from 75 MY on.

am also aware that everything in the USA wide was supposed to have a cat from 76 MY on. (ie from fall 75). thats how the USEPA and CARB implemented the clean air act via the auto makers. they staggered it from 73 on. to stage the introduction of the tech and assist with the scale of the implementation. cal first, then rest of USA following year.

for insight into this one of the surprises was that Ford achieved fitting of cats to all models, USA wide by the end of the 75 MY. slightly ahead of schedule.
the other two of the big three did not make it until the start of the 76 MY.

and it turns out porsche did not make it at all when it came to a 76 914 49 states.
interesting little duck and weave by the germans if you ask me.
they don't have to? they end the car in 75? same time as the act has the final deadline.
which is actually a year. not a specific day. the act had a bit of lattitude in that sense.

if they hadn't ducked and weaved, and you owned a 76 914 49 state car and it was still intact with pollution gear - it would have conformed to californian standards. thats the year that the emissions standards come into conformity USA wide. that was the EPA big plan.

Posted by: wonkipop Mar 15 2023, 04:59 PM

righteo mr. b @http://www.914world.com/bbs2/index.php?showuser=104 .

i think this is the about the 4th item you have challenged me on where i have been correct. lets see. charcoal cannisters? EC-A = california. EC-B = 49 states.
there was a few other things i recall from 1.8s.
i can't figure out whether you are exploiting me as a third world inhabitant to do your research hard yards or i know more than you guys about your own laws and congress.

i first boned up on this crap back in the 80s in prep for my scholarship interviews to go the USA long before the internet existed and back then i used our fine provincial university library. believe it or not i was interested in USA construction code standards for energy efficiency in buildings. you guys had codes. no one else in the world did.
you had an EPA. down here we just copied you a few years later. back in that era ther rest of the world looked to the USA for technological leadership.

what a truly great time in the history of the planet. i mean it.

anyway i found this stuff because i was interested in the CARB approval dates for emission approval of the 1974 L jets, thanks to member L-Jet914 who had the CARB docs and posted them. when i went to the source in the CARB archives the approvals were always submitted and granted beginning in jan of each calendar year, despite the model year starting 4 months before.


here is the link to the clean air act in 1970 (in its 1970 form without the later ammendments). get a headache reading the whole thing if you don't believe me . you guys really know how to write legislation gobble-de-gook. i thought our government was good at it down here.
we got nothing on you.

https://www.govtrack.us/congress/bills/91/hr17255/text


and for those who don't want to have their heads throbbing due to reading how the government brings down a sledgehammer - an extract to just induce a mild bit of discomfort.




if you read the model year definition really carefully you can see how porsche did it.
read it three times and the penny will drop.
the act has one of those classic bureaucratic/legal definitions.
model year must include jan 1 of the calendar year as well.

if you are wondering why they do the jan 1 inclusion its how the act reconciles its broader goal of 1975 as the year standards are achieved with automaker annualisation.

anyway the point is, under the act, porsche for all intents and purposes could say they were not producing a 1976 model year car. they were not making it on or after jan 1 1976. they might have called it a 76 MY for the sake of the showroom, but when knocking on the EPAs door they were defining it as something else.

a bit like the famous 1970 1/2 ford falcon. only made for 6 months. ford had a 6 month model. (i wonder if thats got something to do with evap emission control systems? )

------

of mild interest is to note when the act set the standards for CO and hydrocarbons as 1975 and for NOX as 1976 MY. in reality this was executed a little differently.
sometime shortly after 72 it was revised to stagger - with california leading.
and the NOX was actually achieved earlier with the CO and HC coming later as the cat dealt with the CO and HC. NOX was done with ignition timing.
and whats not mentioned is the scramble to get the unleaded fuel infrastructure set up for the cats.
that was all rearranged with approval from the EPA after lots of discussion and negotiation with auto makers. the main goal was to achieve the whole thing by the end of 1975. ie Jan 1 1976. which they did.

i got other stuff too on file i found with the L jets.
stuff you guys would have long forgotten.
like for instance the EPA and CARB woke up pretty quick that every time a californian or texan drove into mexico they couldn't gas up on unleaded.
so the trip killed their cats.
there was a special little law that kicked in that meant you had to go have your car tested to see if the cat still worked. and if it did they gave you a sticker. and if it didn't you got an order to get a new cat.
i'm not sure this was enforced.
but its there as an ammendment to the clean air act.
dates from 77.

Posted by: JeffBowlsby Mar 15 2023, 07:27 PM

Awesome man. That is a really thorough explanation and makes perfect sense. Its all news to me.

Near as I can understand the 75-76 2.0s were essentially the same car. In two models 49-state and CA-models. Only difference being marketing materials, VIN numbers and trims.

Posted by: wonkipop Mar 15 2023, 08:01 PM

my pleasure mate.

its my training as an architect.
there is always a definition for a term and it never quite means what you think it does.
ie "model year". but the legislators think of everything. they think "lawyer".

i found so much crap digging out the truth behind those L Jets.
most of it useless, except for trivia like this stuff.

ps. i was wrong about ford getting there first with catalysts in 1975.
it was GM.
what Ford tried to do was tune the cars down using "strangulation" to meet the NOX, HC and CO standards. it made the cars guzzle petrol. even their small cars like Pintos which were supposed to be economical. just as the fuel crisis hit. good idea not.
they quickly backed away from that and started screwing the cats on.

Posted by: wonkipop Mar 15 2023, 08:15 PM

yeah - when you look through the CARB archive there is no approval for 1976 MY porsche 914s. don't exist. wasn't applied for? or least i couldn't find it.

i had to think about that again when you guys brought up this idea of californian and USA 76 models.

basically as far as officialdom was concerned no such thing as a 1976 MY 914?
they are all "1975"s. california and USA. like the 70&1/2 ford falcon. (which i might add is a pretty car, we kind of got an evolution of that falcon in our early 70s australian falcon - which went on to spit out the lovely "mad max" falcon hardtop GTs.)

Posted by: JeffBowlsby Mar 15 2023, 08:58 PM

There must be some other CA law here that overlaps the 75-76 model years. In CA, 75 914s are exempt from bi-annual smog testing, but 76 model year cars are not exempt. This requirement is not exclusive to 914s.

Considering the effects in hindsight at this point in time, P should not have marketed the 76 cars. We’d be better off if they had just extended the production as 75 model year cars but maybe there were other laws that prevented that. No 76 model year 914s were sold to Europe.

Posted by: wonkipop Mar 15 2023, 09:09 PM

yes.

but i guess no one was really thinking about a situation 50 years down the track with californian legislators. the truth is the cars should be exempt as historic vehicles.
its not like there are thousands of them running around spewing out hydrocarbons.
they only get driven on weekends for the most parts for anachronistic pleasure.

its the legislators at present who are being plain silly?

EDIT
i should add that technically speaking california arrived at the jan 1 1976 deadline in MY 75. so technically speaking a 76 car is a repeat of the 75 car (any model) when it comes to california. and they stay that way pretty much until 1980. there are some small revisions to exhaust emissions but nothing much changes until 1980. the reason for that is the EPA know the next step is closed loop systems. that required O2 sensors and there were none until Bosch finally cracked them in late 70s and we could get there - feedback systems allowed them to go the next step in emissions reductions. so really if they are letting you drive a 75 "un-monitored and un-smogged" in california they should be letting you drive anything pretty much from 75 to 80. thats how i understand it. so its a strange boundary for california to pick.

its only the rest of the USA where a 75 does not equal a 76MY. 76 MY or post jan 1 1976 where the cat becomes mandatory. and its only really the 76 914 for rest of USA that is exploiting the loophole to be manufactured and sold when it was.
yet it seems the rest of the USA doesn't give 2 F#$%s so to speak about a 76 50 years later.

ironic.

Posted by: JORACER#40 Mar 15 2023, 09:21 PM

If you live in CA DO NOT purchase a 76 914 I am going through hell to get mine smog. I would find another year 914 but I have owned mine since the 80s.

Posted by: gnomefabtech Mar 15 2023, 09:27 PM

Thanks for all the feedback and information!

I'll be able to look the car over more closely on Friday when I get it home. My hope is that it's a 49 state car so I don't have to add a cat to it since it doesn't have one. I think the smog pump is missing so I'll be figuring that out at the very least but otherwise all I think all I will need is a carbon canister and all the hoses to get everything routed.

Posted by: wonkipop Mar 15 2023, 10:07 PM

so how does that work then.
if it was originally a california car its got to stay californian conforming for 76?

but if its not originally a californian car then now, 50 years later, you can bring a 49 state car in and so long as its still 49 state car conforming it only has to conform to that, not california standards of 76?

forgive me for asking as a dumb aussie, but i did go through a similar trauma 30+ years ago bring my 914 back from the USA into AUS. and it was pretty nuts and a very petty process. which was an utter joke given that AUS design rules of 74 were a long long way behind the USA. fortunately one of the guys in the state registration authority who knew his stuff and wasn't just a petty idiot stepped in.

Posted by: wonkipop Mar 16 2023, 06:03 PM

@http://www.914world.com/bbs2/index.php?showuser=104 and others unfortunate to own 76 in california.

i found the CARB executive orders on the 76 after another search.
it was under VW (not porsche).

1976






will be what CARB would be using to determine original emission equipment fitment.

comments.
the executive order is laced with a series of conditions.
all beginnng with "be it further resolved".
note about only valid on vehicles produced up to 31 DEC 1975.
the inclusion of
1. Replacement of CAT at 30,000 mi.
2. Inspection of EGR at 30,000 mi.


1975 for reference.







i've never been able to find the USEPA records to see just how they were certifying cars.
suspect they have been transferred to US govt. national archives.
may not be digitized.

Posted by: gnomefabtech Mar 16 2023, 07:24 PM

As far as I know the key is that if it's a 49 state model than I don't need a cat and the restrictive exhaust that goes with it. Still need the smog pump though.

Someone correct me if I'm wrong on this. As far as I know this car is a Nevada native and I'll be the first to bring it into Ca..

Posted by: JORACER#40 Mar 16 2023, 08:29 PM

The Smog Pump is the is the most difficult to deal with. first the heads must have threaded holes into the each exhaust port only on 75 76. Next the pump brackets and pully usually have been removed along with the EGR.
I think all 76 were built in 75 form the left over parts from the 75 run.

Even if you get all the parts next is getting the 50 year old FI and ignition to work perfectly for the test. it is hit and miss. I had it down to a science until I didn't. Now I am replacing all the parts I know are on the edge of spec. It is costing me more to fix my FI then to purchase an aftermarket FI which would do a much better job at reducing bad emissions.

Sorry for being a downer but I have not been able to drive my 914 for a while just because I can not pass smog.

Posted by: wonkipop Mar 18 2023, 06:28 PM

your thinking is correct re 76 being built from the same parts as 75.
with exactly the same pollution gear and settings.
the CARB executive orders prove/confirm that. zero difference.
gives you slightly wider scope for sourcing missing bits for the 76.
you can go shopping for 75 cal spec 2.0s in junkyards etc for those missing bits.
it strikes me the EGR might be a tricky beast. its got a vac operated valve.
a bit like decel valve and fuel pressure regulator, the diaphragm can fail, spring weakens etc. i am unsure how the EGR kicked in on a 2.0 but i know for a fact how it worked on a 1.8. it only activated via the vacuum port above the throttle plate. its vac connection was only to that port. it used the same vac connection that 74 49 state 1.8s used for vacuum advance on distributor. so it only opened at high vac steady state running at cruise. part throttle open. did not open at idle or wider throttle openings while accelerating. i could be wrong but i would imagine the 2.0s were similar? not sure what the contemporary smog tests are like in california, but they are not going to pick up a functioning EGR with an idle test. but they might pick it up with a steady state higher rev test. but if its only a visual examination it has to pass, ie original equipment is still installed you might get over the line. as far as i know the EGR lowered NoX at cruise/
and assisted the engine to run cooler at cruise and slightly assisted fuel economy. it helped to offset the hotter temps around the exhaust valve due to the slightly retarded timing at cruise.
maybe it might have burned a few hydrocarbons but the CAT was supposed to take care of those along with the psuedo thermal reactor heat exchangers.

interestingly the 1976 912 E with the same 2.0 engine and L jet fitted did not have a CAT, instead it was fitted with "proper" thermal reactors (same as 911s of that era). these were an alternative to CATS. they were like two cylindrical cans that the exhaust stub pipe outlets fed directly into and hung under the car. those cans get very hot but worked ok on the rear engined porsches as they hung under the car in the airstream. 912E owners have got a similar problem in california. thermal reactors are unobtainable except by finding one on a junked car that might still be not corroded out.

------

interesting side note on the clean air act.
by end of calendar year 1975 they had not achieved the 90% reduction in NoX, HC and CO that the act originally set as the levels for the deadline. they just got as far as they could get to and the USEPA agreed. there were small incremental tightenings each year all the way to 1980 because the EPA understood that the last bit could not be achieved without the EFI systems going closed loop.

they had to wait until Bosch finished developing the O2 sensor. which they did in 1980.
at that point the USEPA and the automakers resumed the process to work towards the 90% reduction the 1970 act aimed for.

all interesting stuff in the context of air pollution.
i am old enough to remember my stinging eyes and the taste in my mouth riding my bicycle to university here in the late 1970s and early 80s. brown air. always happened in the hot summertime. long gone.
--------

Posted by: gnomefabtech Mar 18 2023, 07:28 PM

Well I finally got the car in my possession and it's pretty complete minus the throttle body that was removed and lost. And no smog pump. So I'm in the market for a throttle body and all the air injection parts.

Does anyone know how the Cali DMV decides the year of the car? The bill of sale says it's a 75 but the vin is clearly a 76.

I'll post pics tomorrow. It's a bit dehydrated from sitting in the nevada heat but zero rust!

Posted by: wonkipop Mar 18 2023, 07:46 PM

bill of sale probably a typo?

there are original condition 76s on BAT archive with sales docs.
window stickers and sales receipts from dealers. all are marked as 1976.

the DMV will go off the VIN sticker in the door?
in the USA that is the legal manufacturers plate the Fed DOT mandated for all USA cars.
they ignored the manufacturer's plate in the frunk.
only the USA got those Vin stickers and thats why there are there.
i guess it depends on how smart your DMV guys are.
naturally its going to say 75 but a later month.
i imagine they work off model year convention.
and i suppose if he looks up the actual Vin number itself it might give a listing as to what model year that is? interesting?

Posted by: wonkipop Mar 18 2023, 07:51 PM

i'm not sure mr b. @http://www.914world.com/bbs2/index.php?showuser=104 has one of these in his collection of labels and plates on his website.

its the sticker specifically mentioned as a condition in CARB executive order for 76 model 914s. advises of cat replacement requirement at less 50,000 miles. only on 76 cal cars it seems?

manufacturers had to warranty all emission equipment for 5 years or 50,000 miles.
looks like VW/Porsche could not get them to last that long and this had been established before the end of the 1975 model long term testing?

Posted by: wonkipop Mar 18 2023, 08:07 PM

re vin stickers and manufacturer's plates.

@http://www.914world.com/bbs2/index.php?showuser=104 .
you guys have picked up this?
76s have no manufacturer's plate.

75 models with man. plate shifted to bulkhead location from earlier spot on headlight bucket.




76 models. no manufacturers plate?





makes sense.
rest of the world required the manufacturer's plate and used that for registration purposes.
only USA ignored the manufacturer's plate and went off the DOT mandated VIN sticker.
if you only build cars for the USA market exclusively for the last half of 75 then you would only put the VIN sticker on and delete the man. plate.

Posted by: JeffBowlsby Mar 18 2023, 08:57 PM

The 76 plate omission is known but you highlighted the justification for it. Subtle changes like this started with the mid-1974 Porsche acquisition of the 914 project. The change of the chassis plate to the front trunk in late 74 cars and forward, etc.

Posted by: L-Jet914 Mar 18 2023, 09:00 PM

@http://www.914world.com/bbs2/index.php?showuser=24231 I see you figured out how to navigate the CARB website to get to the EO numbers for New Vehicle and Engine Certification for CARB standards lol. Not easy to find, let alone navigate the website haha. I only knew about the section when I took an Smog update course to keep my smog license up to date.

Posted by: wonkipop Mar 18 2023, 09:27 PM

i've been thinking about this problem for the sake of alleviating @http://www.914world.com/bbs2/index.php?showuser=24815 misery.

it may or may not help him.
its always very difficult dealing with bureaucrats.
(if its any comfort its getting worse down here in north antarctica too, our public service is being populated by immigrants of the subcontinent post colonial diaspora who inherited and perfected one thing left behind by the british - the fully developed final flowering of bureaucracy. they are masters of it. usually they employ the finally crafted methods they have devised to slam the door on you with their goggledegook. but sometimes when you give them the right question it sets them off in very helpful ways. not sure how your bureacracy is run and by whom. ).

its clear that something is going on in relation to the clean air act of 1970 and the strange inclusion in the CARB executive order for 1976 914s.



take the extract from the clean air act.
i've at least found that for you.
the bit i have highlighted in green is of importance too.



take the extract from the 1976 executive orders for 76 914.



and ask them the question innocently.
"are they sure they are correct in defining your 76 914 as a 76MY car,
because you want these two clauses explained to you which seem to indicate that it was never a 1976 car as defined by the clean air act".

you never know. keep asking the question up the line if you can.
with these two bits of information.

it may well be that the 914 2.0 for 1976 is the only car that was in this position and was able to be approved.

porsche/audi north america would have had to make a case to CARB and the USEPA that proved they were not seeking to circumvent the effective date for a standard. ie they were not producing a model year car in two halves. one of a lower standard up to dec 31 1975 and then one of the higher standard after that date, but rather they were only making a car up to that date. if so the clean air act makes it clear, it is to be regarded as a 75 model year car if the USEPA (at minimum) agrees to it. and it looks like CARB say that too. if they limit approval to DEC 31 1975 that means they must have agreed that it is to be regarded as a 75 model year car. its a pity they don't state it explicitely,
but thats typical of these kinds of bureaucratic approvals.

if you are patient you might open a door here.
other 76 2.0 owners in california if they read this might feel inclined to join you in these inquiries.

if it was me i would write the letters and set the chain in motion.

its at least a good question for a good congressman/woman.
if there is such a thing in california if you know what i mean.
ie one not hostile to aged polluting vehicles of merely historic amusement.

Posted by: wonkipop Mar 18 2023, 09:28 PM

you opened up a big door there mate!

i wish i could find the keys into the USEPA archives.
the same stuff will be there for the rest of the USA.
but no luck finding which room number its in prowling the corridors of the internet.

Posted by: wonkipop Mar 18 2023, 09:52 PM

except strangely they are not porsche practices. at least those little plates.
ie the production plate (or as it is termed by a lot of folk as the karmann plate) is pure VW practice. it brought the 914 into line with everything else made by VW.
those small riveted plates were on all VWs in the early 70s in the front trunk.
it might be more to do with karmann ghia production ending and the 914 assembly aisle being moved in with the beetle cabrios to take their place. to make room for the sirroccos. its kind of clear that the factory was being reorganised at that time too.

certainly the VIN sticker thing is entirely unique to USA cars.

the registration guys here were not even interested in looking at that vin sticker on my car. as far as they were concerned it could be anything. a nothing.
all they were interested in was the manufacturer's plate.

boy, its a lucky thing i never bought a 76 to try and bring back to australia.
i would have been in a world of pain worse than JORACERS californian smog test torment.

Posted by: wonkipop Mar 19 2023, 02:23 PM

@http://www.914world.com/bbs2/index.php?showuser=24815 and @http://www.914world.com/bbs2/index.php?showuser=27063

this may be of interest.

re definitions used by CARB.
apparently they use the USEPA definitions derived from the Clean Air Act.



there may have been an update to model year definition under the Act.
but it doesn't change things.
its just a more verbose wording of the original definition.
model year still = production period.



the way i read this is that the 1976 914 2.0 is defined by its production period,
not its title as given by porsche.

under the definition:

start date = Jan 2 1975 or Aug (? day of first car produced) 1975.
later = Aug (?) 1975.

end date = Dec 31 1975 (last unit produced) or Dec 31 1976.
sooner = Dec 31 1975.

therefor the model termed the 1976 914 2.0 by its manufacturer is in fact a 1975 model year car as defined by the Clean Air Act, the USEPA and CARB.

----

i am unsure how cars are being caught in the 1976 and onwards net in california in terms of smog testing. but if they have worded it that 1976 and newer MY cars are required to be smogged then i believe that the 1976 914 does not fall under the requirement.

i'm no lawyer. but i think there might be something to this.
it appears to me that porsche for the purposes of the USEPA either produced a 1975 model for 18 months, which is perfectly possible under the definitions or it produced two 1975 models one after the other within the time period defined by the act.

this applies equally to both the 48 states car and the californian car.

Posted by: wonkipop Mar 19 2023, 03:07 PM

@http://www.914world.com/bbs2/index.php?showuser=24815 and @http://www.914world.com/bbs2/index.php?showuser=27063

i looked up the DMV california.
they say model year. 1975 model year and earlier cars do not need to be smogged.

https://www.dmv.ca.gov/portal/vehicle-registration/smog-inspections/

i reckon the case of the 76 914 can be challenged.

Posted by: Dave_Darling Mar 19 2023, 08:12 PM

A bit of recent-ish California smog history:

About 30 years ago, all cars back into the 60s had to pass smog--UNLESS they were in an area that was not designated for smog enforcement. People in some areas of the state (generally less-populous more-rural areas) didn't have to bring their cars in. It was a big pain to get a 49-state car to pass smog, and the rules were often applied inconsistently.

About 20-25 years ago, the law changed. A rolling exemption for cars older than 25 years was granted. Specifically, an exemption from testing. You were still supposed to be meeting all of the standards, they just weren't checking. And I believe it was extended to the whole state.

There were shennanigans and compromises. The exemption was frozen in place, then changed to 30 years, and then eventually the law was passed saying "1975 and older are exempt". Again, only from testing. (I'm sure they said that because they could later make you start testing again and still claim that they didn't change the actual requirements, so you don't get grandfathered in...)

At the time that last change was implemented, a very few 76 914 owners were able to go to CARB or the DMV (I forget which) and successfully argued that the 1975 build date on their car meant that it also qualified. After a good bit of wrangling, that was granted, but supposedly the powers that be said something like "You few are it, nobody else gets to do this." I am not sure how accurate the information in this paragraph is; I read it on one of the 914-oriented forums and I don't remember which one.

You can challenge the 76 914 smog checks, but it will likely take a good bit of time and be a big pain in the *ss.

The general rule for CA residents is to avoid the 76 cars. There aren't that many of them anyway, and it's a lot less hassle avoiding them than trying to smog them.

--DD

Posted by: JORACER#40 Mar 19 2023, 08:29 PM

With 914 World I have access to a lot of help and parts. So I should be able to find and fix FI issue. I also want to thank 914 Rubber for their help in keeping our 914s sealed and contributing to this web site. I bought a calendar. That's not true my wife bought it for me for a stocking stuffer.

Its sad that our state government doesn't use logic to solve environmental issues.
Its ok change the engine as long as it keeps its smog equipment, but cannot put aftermarket 2020 technology on any engine. The 2020 FI and CAT would run cleaner than an 80s motor with 80s FI and smog equipment.
Example the air pump, it doesn't reduce emissions it just dilutes exhaust in the exhaust pipe instead of the atmosphere. The engine produces the seme emissions.

If I cannot fix my D-jet to pass smog I will look at an engine swap with newer FI. Maybe a 993 motor will fall from the sky and land in my yard or better yet my 914.

The old way to get around this was to register the vehicle as historical. That ended around 10 years ago. I have made the case to DMV about it being built from 75 year parts without success. I was told it doesn't mater because it was sold as a 76 (VIN).
I was also told since parts are becoming unattainable that I could ask for a variance from CARB but no guarantee.

Posted by: technicalninja Mar 19 2023, 09:00 PM

Wow!
Wonki is Sherlock Holmes...

I can give a couple of tips on emission control: The EGR system was developed solely for the reduction of NOX via introducing an inert gas (without oxygen-could have been anything) into the intake to dampen the temperatures achieved. A small amount of exhaust gas equaled a large combustion chamber temperature decrease. If you keep the combustion chamber below 2500F oxides of nitrogen are significantly reduced.

The air pump was utilized to add additional oxygen to the cat to allow the cat to burn the HC and CO out of an extremely rich mixture. (by today's standards). Without the supplementary oxygen the cat will stop functioning earlier.
Air pump keeps cat alive; it doesn't dilute the exhaust.

Damned interesting that cat cars got an automatic replacement at 30K.
Replacing a cat every 30k would get old quickly...

What I didn't know was why Nissan added EGR valves to the Z-car in 76 and then added nothing else (49 states cars) until 1979 when everyone went to cats across the board. The 75 Z FI manifold without EGR is a rarity.
Thanks Woki!

I've found getting into tangles with city and state officials is often more trouble than it is worth.

Good luck to you if you try.

Posted by: L-Jet914 Mar 19 2023, 09:24 PM

The secondary air injection pump was added to help introduce O2 into the exhaust upstream of the catalytic converter to help it light off quicker and as stated help the catalytic converter start oxidizing the HC and CO being produced by the engine earlier. The Toyota Tacomas with the 2TR-FE and 1GR-FE engines still have secondary air injection pumps and diverter valves to this day. Grant it the 1GR 4.0L was phased out on the Tacomas which is now a 2GR-FKS 3.5L no EGR valve/EGR cooler or secondary air injection system. The current 4 cylinder Tacomas still utilize it. The 2UZ-FE 3UR-FE/FBE engines also utilized the system. All in the name of emissions control and getting the catalytic converters to light off earlier. It seems manufacturers have either decided to add them or remove them over the years depending. Hell even today the new Toyota A25A-FKS/FXS and M20A-FKS/FXS engines now have EGR valves and EGR coolers tacked back on to lower combustion temperatures again. Toyota used to use there VVT systems as EGR holding the exhaust valve open longer which acted like EGR. I guess it's not enough anymore haha.

Posted by: wonkipop Mar 20 2023, 03:08 AM

brilliant dave.

there must be something in the CARB files. (and the EPA).

that condition on the executive order which states explicitely the 31 dec 1975 cut off date is the pointer to whatever is hidden in the files.

i understand the wording of the definition of model year for the clean air act.
its to facilitate the commencement of production of the next calendar year models in the year before after summer..
the definition actually dates back to the 1930s.
president hoover signed it into law.
at the request of auto makers.

but i think porsche used it in reverse.
which is unusual and unique.
i think the lads who own 76 914s in california, and are caught with the cars so to speak, need to ask the question? esp those who can prove a long ownership record in california.
it seems to me this smog law business is discriminatory. oh no. there is that word.
discrimination. its a big word that one, i understand, in do gooder california?

i agree, all others would be well advised not to take on the hassle when it comes to a 76 in california.

Posted by: wonkipop Mar 20 2023, 03:20 AM

you are a little smog genius just hiding away there laughing at us all!
but for sure mate, your insight solved the mystery of the old L jets.

Posted by: wonkipop Mar 20 2023, 03:27 AM

not sherlock holmes mate.
just an architect.

this epa stuff is chickensh%t compared to negotiating your way through disabled access regulations in north antarctica. or regs that are about to come on line. like - public dunnies.
how many sexes are we dealing with again? 4? really? how many dunnies? who is paying for that? its not briefed. its not in the cost plan. how far is a deck allowed to be above the natural ground surface again? 1 meter. ok. make it 999mm and it doesn't need a handrail.

i'm used to looking at regulations real hard and trying to figure out where the slip up is that gives me negotiating space when i am dealing with a municipal building surveyor (inspector in amera-lish).

my motivation is never to solve a crime it is to "commit one". strictly white collar.
and not really crime just a manipulation of the rules and regs -----in my favour.

Posted by: cgnj Mar 20 2023, 09:36 AM

This is my anecdotal evidence regarding non-cat MY 76 cars. Bought the black car in 2001. Drove to the NJ state inspection station and the inspector wheels a mirror under the car and tries to fail me for no cat. I explained to him that it was a 49 state car and it never had a cat. This part of my memory is hazy, but I believe that there was a 49-state emission sticker in the front trunk. He walked off the line and came back about 20 minutes later and said I was correct. He did miss the dual carbs. I went home and applied for historic plates.

Posted by: technicalninja Mar 20 2023, 09:38 AM

All car still have the function of the secondary air injection. It was first handled by an actual belt driven pump. Many cars changed over to electrically driven pumps like the mentioned Toyotas and many more.

Modern cars just use the engine itself. One cylinder doesn't get fuel or fire for one cycle and 500cc of secondary air enters the airstream. You cannot feel this when it happens, and it happens far more often than you might imagine.

The EGR function is now handled by intentional cam profile overlap. Putting more duration into a cam requires a higher static compression ratio which further helps efficiencies. It's not just VVT stuff. It's everything now. The only new cars that currently have EGR valves are all diesels and those vehicles didn't get EGRs until 2007 when the diesel emission laws went ballistic.

New cars have tailpipe emissions so clean from the combustion chamber that the cats don't have to work nearly as hard as they did in the past. They "light off" faster and can live 200K miles now.

Posted by: L-Jet914 Mar 21 2023, 07:42 PM

I will say the new M20A-FKS/FXS 2.0L and A25A-FKS/FXS 2.5L 4 cylinder Toyota gasoline/hybrid engines now have EGR valves and EGR coolers now as of 2018 to current model year equipped vehicles. As it's not just diesels these days.

Posted by: wonkipop Mar 22 2023, 05:11 PM

@http://www.914world.com/bbs2/index.php?showuser=27063

a very tidy 76 is up on BAT at moment.
calif spec. with emissions equipment removed and no california smog cert.

the removed emissions equipment is going with the car in a box.
if it sells you might be able to get the buyer to sell it if they are taking the car out of calif?

looks like its got everything except the long pipe that connected the EGR to one of the rear mufflers.

https://bringatrailer.com/listing/1976-porsche-914-51/

Posted by: gnomefabtech Mar 22 2023, 09:17 PM

Good tip. Thanks

Posted by: type47fan Mar 23 2023, 12:39 PM

He'll also need this assembly . . .

Posted by: 914werke Mar 23 2023, 04:25 PM

Oh but there is more....
There is a specific airbox top, special trip counter, special speedo cable, special footwell foam, Dash gauge bezel with indicators, multi-chamber muffler with CAT, CAT mounted sensor & relay....as well as the defacto charcoal evap components & plumbing.

Posted by: Chris914n6 Mar 23 2023, 04:38 PM

Not exactly. The air pump was added to trucks before cats were mandated. 1973 Chevy C10 for example. It was to finish burning the gas since carbs tended to run a bit rich.
Interesting side note. An air pump and EGR was used in the 2001 Chevy S10, but not used in the 2004 Blazer.

EGR isn't a mandate, it's a way to reduce emissions to pass regulations that year. For example the 2001 and 2002 Nissan Maxima didn't have EGR, but the <2000 and >2003 did. The new engine (VQ35de) introduced for those years was clean enough with just ECU tuning and design. On the other hand a 2005 VW Beetle has air injection but only runs from startup to warmed up.

Posted by: wonkipop Mar 24 2023, 02:27 AM

yeah

but our friend is just bringing a 49 state car in.

and even in the case of a calif. car.

none of that is on the CARB certification that dickhead down at the DMV uses to do his/her/they's check.
they are just looking for the bits on the CARB certification.
which i posted above earlier. thats the documentation they are using.

in the case of a actual car.

pump.
egr.
cat.

these pricks are just going through the motions.
they are signing off on a visual.
and then an insert up the tail pipe.
correct me if i am wrong?
there is nothing about counters etc in the CARB documentation.
its all lost in the mists of time.
and besides its irrelevant, its tied into the manufacturer's warranty.
50,000 mi or 5 years. long since expired. that is why the counter is there.
thats all over when the initial emissions warranty ends.

they just want to tick boxes? yep the cat is there. etc. tick.
or alternatively find reasons to put you off the road.
electric man......thats where its at?

its gonna happen here so i shouldn't joke too much. i can see it coming!
except it will be far more blunt and authoritarian in australia. pure morals. no ethical logic.

you are right about the airbox. egr hookup.
complex.

evap is universal. calif and 49 states. no difference.

Posted by: Dave_Darling Mar 24 2023, 02:40 AM

I dated a gal who had a 68 912. Every other year, it was a huge pain to try to get it smogged because it was supposed to have a smog pump. She couldn't find one, but the official sources that CARB used said they had one in stock. (I think she found out who was supposed to have it, and they listed it in inventory but you couldn't actually order it.)

Eventually she had the car converted to a 912-6, and apparently didn't have to worry about it after that due to having different requirements.

--DD

Posted by: wonkipop Mar 24 2023, 12:54 PM

68 912 is pre smog mate!
or pre serious smog. most it would have had would have been closed crankcase vent system. its even pre vapor emissions in 69.

you must mean a 76 912 E?
loaded with the same gear as 76 914 more or less.

its probably pretty farked trying to own one of those in california just like the 914.
theoretically i suppose you can find a cat for a 76?
but i bet you can't find those thermal reactor log exhaust manifolds that were on a 912E instead of a cat! ? with a bit of luck the smog inspector probably wouldn't have a clue what to look for since that bit of tech died out pretty quick. i hear the reactors used to cook the engines in BMWs. Merc liked using them too. i remember my old USA girlfriend's grandmother had a 70s merc with a reactor manifold. first time i looked in that engine bay to check the oil for her i spotted it. thought to myself what the hell is that thing.

Posted by: Chris914n6 Mar 24 2023, 01:55 PM

Sniffer test started with 1968 models in Nevada and most other states. CA has to claim leadership so they stared a year earlier. Not all Counties required a smog check -- usually just the highly populated urban ones.

Posted by: wonkipop Mar 24 2023, 05:59 PM

you guys had it hard.
there i was thinking it started with the USEPA in 69/70.

wrong again.
i guess thats why they stepped in with the EPA as a body.
otherwise it might have been all over the shop with emissions standards?
that would have been tricky for the big 3.

Posted by: Dave_Darling Mar 25 2023, 03:32 PM

Nope, not at the time. She had to have her car tested every other year, like most of us.

Short wheelbase long-hood 912, not a 912E.

--DD

Posted by: wonkipop Mar 25 2023, 04:07 PM

yeah i just got schooled in that.
i had not realised the CARB was in existence and empowered under legislation prior to the formation of the USEPA.

its interesting how influential it all was.

australia started about 5 years after the US in 1974.
basically copied US emissions standards and program beginning with the same initial moves that the EPA did in 69.
the aim was to get to USEPA 1975 standards by 1980. but it ended up stretched to 1985. problem was getting enough infrastructure in to do the shift to unleaded fuel.
can remember there were cars capable of running on unleaded from about 1980 but the shift was not done to unleaded only cars until that 85 date, thats when the cats came in as well on all cars here.

my 74 914 is pretty much the equal of any 1984 vehicle sold in aus. we remained 10 years behind all the way to the end of the century. used US 90 to implement AUS standards in 99. switched over to EURO standards in 2004. currently at EURO6.

no smog tests but. never been a program here where you have to take your car in and have it sniffed. which is pretty strange when you think about it given how much australians love bending over to rules and regulations and the pollies love inflicting it on folks. but it did get mandated in the USA, land of the free.

i guess i got to be thankful for some things.

also the 25 year rule on cars has never been overturned here. keeps on rolling forward.
after that time you can switch to historic vehicle plates and pay registration that is only 10% of full registration. log books and restrictions on use and you have to be a member of a historic car club.

in extreme cases the cops can stop you for a grossly polluting vehicle under smoke laws.
and give the car a canary (yellow unroadworthy sticker). but as far as i know no actual emissions check using any kind of real equipment.