Made mistake bought modded Terminator

[bird_dog0347]

By any chance if I didn’t have the handheld is there anything I can do? The dealer I bought it from didn’t give me anything

Wait... you bought it from a dealer in CA? If so, wouldn't they have to disclose if it wouldn't pass smog? If the dealer is out of state that's not their problem and a whole different can of worms. Your best bet is to vote for ANYONE who is not a Democrat, and convince everyone you know to do the same.

 

[vr4]

Wait... you bought it from a dealer in CA? If so, wouldn't they have to disclose if it wouldn't pass smog? If the dealer is out of state that's not their problem and a whole different can of worms. Your best bet is to vote for ANYONE who is not a Democrat, and convince everyone you know to do the same.

this.

its usually the dealers responsibility to make sure the vehicle will pass emissions.

If your gas-powered vehicle is more than 4 years old, the dealer you are buying from must get a smog certification before selling to you, unless the vehicle was smog certified within the last 90 days.

Registration for a Vehicle Purchased from a Dealer - California DMV

Buying a vehicle from a dealership

www.dmv.ca.gov

 

[13COBRA]

Wait... you bought it from a dealer in CA? If so, wouldn't they have to disclose if it wouldn't pass smog? If the dealer is out of state that's not their problem and a whole different can of worms. Your best bet is to vote for ANYONE who is not a Democrat, and convince everyone you know to do the same.

this.

its usually the dealers responsibility to make sure the vehicle will pass emissions.

Registration for a Vehicle Purchased from a Dealer - California DMV

Buying a vehicle from a dealership

www.dmv.ca.gov

His first post says he bought it from a dealer out of state.

 

[03cobra#694]

OP is screwed. Sell it at a loss and move on.

 

[TK1299]

First thing first; Op, did you vote Democrat in any election within the last 20 years? Responses to your original post greatly depend on your answer.

 

[03' White Snake]

OP is screwed. Sell it at a loss and move on.

I know CA is dumb and all, but imo for very little money and time, it can be returned close enough to stock to pass any state inspection. Looking at the engine pic, that car is mildly modded and nothing drastic would need to be changed.

 

[03Sssnake]

I know CA is dumb and all, but imo for very little money and time, it can be returned close enough to stock to pass any state inspection. Looking at the engine pic, that car is mildly modded and nothing drastic would need to be changed.

Pulley puller for the 03 eaton, stock pulley is an easy swap. Pull the passenger kick panel to get access to the ECU and check for a chip, you would really get off east of that were the case.

 

[BlckBox04]

Did you buy it offline sight unseen?

 

[01yellercobra]

There's nothing there that would be that difficult to deal with.

Obviously if you have a way to register it out of state that would be easiest. I haven't heard of anyone in my groups getting hassled for out of state plates. They don't drive the car every day and don't drive like asshats.

But there are plenty of other ways to get it done.

 

[cleon238]

would this be the chip you guys are talking about?

Pulley puller for the 03 eaton, stock pulley is an easy swap. Pull the passenger kick panel to get access to the ECU and check for a chip, you would really get off east of that were the case.

 

[03Sssnake]

would this be the chip you guys are talking about?

View attachment 1836253

That’s just ECU port cover, pull that off and there is slot where you can seat a chip.

 

[vr4]

His first post says he bought it from a dealer out of state.

Don't know how I missed that.

OP is screwed. Sell it at a loss and move on.

Agreed. Gonna have to go back to damn near stock.

 

[Corbic]

His first post says he bought it from a dealer out of state.

Probably High End lolzz

 

[03cobra#694]

I know CA is dumb and all, but imo for very little money and time, it can be returned close enough to stock to pass any state inspection. Looking at the engine pic, that car is mildly modded and nothing drastic would need to be changed.

I know, just not sure of his knowledge level on these.

 

[Saleen498]

and expensive I'm sure.

Cheaper in the long run

 

[Saleen498]

Probably High End lolzz

Does Hi End have a reputation I don't know about? I bought from him in thr mid 2000s and had a great experience.

OP, I'm not sure how KA operates but is registering the car out of state an option? Here in the commiewealth alot of people will register non primary vehicles over the border to save on taxes.

 

[CobraBob]

Did the seller include the hand held device? If so that should have the stock tune on it.

The JLT itself is CARB legal. Executive Order D-761 JLT Performance

I know there are some Cobra guys around you. Check for facebook groups if you're on there. But I'm sure one of them has a stock MAF, injectors, and pulley you can borrow. And if you don't care about the Steggy plague you could just pull it off and clean off any residue. It's not like they can see inside the blower.

Or if you have friends that live out of state you might start by offering them some beer.

@cleon238, this is good advice. Try to find someone local who would be willing to help you determine what you have and don't have. They might even help you with getting your Cobra back to factory or close enough where you'll pass the inspection. You're walking somewhat in the dark now, so finding someone to guide/help you might be big. Maybe buy them a case of their favorite beer as a thank-you. It wouldn't surprise me if you don't have a chip on your ECU, but you'll need to start there. If you don't have a tune chip (and you don't have the handheld tuner) then I'd recommend you find a local tuner (see my note below) and get a new tune along with the factory tune you can swap to for the smog test.

Follow Bob's recommendation to locate someone local with a stock MAF, injectors and upper pulley. Hopefully they might help you make the part swaps. It would be smart to also find a factory pulley cover to complete the factory appearance. Then after the smog test (assuming it passes), go back to the original MAF/injectors/upper pulley setup and switch to the new tune done with that setup.

It shouldn't be a huge deal to get this all done IF you can get some local help. If you can't find a local tuner, there are a couple of tuners here on SVTP who should be able to get you a remote tune after you buy a tuner handheld. With a factory tune, too. Take a deep breath, plot your path of least resistance, and get it done. This is NOT really a difficult thing. In the end, you'll also have a new, safe tune and peace of mind.

One last comment. Remember, too, that factory/stock Terminators are a bit rare now, so a majority of them out there for sale have modded engines. So a smog test would present the same issue for you. On the PLUS side, the mods done your your engine are minimal, making your conversion work back to stock much easier than if it had more extensive engine mods along with long tube headers and a catless exhaust setup.

 

[03cobra#694]

Does Hi End have a reputation I don't know about? I bought from him in thr mid 2000s and had a great experience.

OP, I'm not sure how KA operates but is registering the car out of state an option? Here in the commiewealth alot of people will register non primary vehicles over the border to save on taxes.

Yeah, never heard anything bad about them. Always seemed to have a bunch of 03-04's.

 

[gimmie11s]

I know CA is dumb and all, but imo for very little money and time, it can be returned close enough to stock to pass any state inspection. Looking at the engine pic, that car is mildly modded and nothing drastic would need to be changed.

On the surface I might agree.

Problem is CA is absolutely fanatical about the Terminator. They are pretty much ALL targeted in this state from a regulatory perspective. They get tagged in that state system as gross polluters and "possible tamper" targets and as such ALL have to get smogged at STAR certified centers. It's a complete and total disaster -- even if the car is stock.

 

[blwn89gt]

On the surface I might agree.

Problem is CA is absolutely fanatical about the Terminator. They are pretty much ALL targeted in this state from a regulatory perspective. They get tagged in that state system as gross polluters and "possible tamper" targets and as such ALL have to get smogged at STAR certified centers. It's a complete and total disaster -- even if the car is stock.

That’s completely insane


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