Legality of Engine Swaps in Washington - Zilvia.net Forums | Nissan 240SX (Silvia) and Z (Fairlady) Car Forum

xntsofknhrdcorx · 02-10-2006, 01:59 AM

Hey guys, so I was reading on here about different swap options and came across one from a guy down in cali who was talking about legality of swapping the engine, and was saying it was pretty much illegal to do any swap in that state. I was just curious if anyone knew, is it legal in WA state to swap out the engine in a 240 to say an RB25DET or RB20DET(as these are what I think I might want)?

dct223 · 02-10-2006, 02:32 AM

good luck with those..

iirc for CA... it CAN be legal to do a swap.. as long as its a engine that is from the same year or newer that is in a US production car. You also need to have with it all emissions stuff and then you go to a state ref.. he inspects the work, smogs if it passes its good to go... only thing is i believe that you will then have to smog your car each year instead of every 2 years..

this is what someone told me..

and no.. dont even try doing this with SR's in CA...

andrewmp6 · 02-10-2006, 03:11 AM

basicly no engine swap is legal but there ways around passing smog and things

speedjay · 02-10-2006, 01:26 PM

it is illegal in WA. but no cop is going to know the difference between a ka and sr or rb. so if you can pass emissions, youll be ok. Also they dont usually do a visual inspection when you go to pass emissions so its not a big deal.

Andrew Bohan · 02-10-2006, 01:31 PM

register it in a county with no emissions testing. i lived in island and kittitas counties and never had to test anything.

hell, i even took my truck to an exhaust shop in ellensburg and the guy was tellin me all about how he wanted to throw away the cats and have exhaust cut outs and stuff.

even mentioning that kind of shit in california would have gotten that guy fined, thrown in jail, license revoked, and hit on the head with a frying pan...

so basically, no one gives a shit about illegal engine and exhaust outside of the bigger cities.

*fliprayzin240sx* · 02-12-2006, 05:00 AM

SR20DET swap or RB swap is basically FEDERALLY Illegal since none of these were ever DOT or NHTSA approved. No car sold in the US ever came with these engines.

02-10-2006, 01:59 AM	#1
xntsofknhrdcorx Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Redmond/Kirkland, WA, USA Posts: 2 Trader Rating: (0) Feedback Score: 0 reviews	Legality of Engine Swaps in Washington Hey guys, so I was reading on here about different swap options and came across one from a guy down in cali who was talking about legality of swapping the engine, and was saying it was pretty much illegal to do any swap in that state. I was just curious if anyone knew, is it legal in WA state to swap out the engine in a 240 to say an RB25DET or RB20DET(as these are what I think I might want)?

02-10-2006, 02:32 AM	#2
dct223 Nissanaholic! Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: hella NORCAL! Age: 36 Posts: 1,662 Trader Rating: (4) Feedback Score: 4 reviews	good luck with those.. iirc for CA... it CAN be legal to do a swap.. as long as its a engine that is from the same year or newer that is in a US production car. You also need to have with it all emissions stuff and then you go to a state ref.. he inspects the work, smogs if it passes its good to go... only thing is i believe that you will then have to smog your car each year instead of every 2 years.. this is what someone told me.. and no.. dont even try doing this with SR's in CA... __________________ Sfourteen

02-10-2006, 01:26 PM	#4
speedjay Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Bellevue, WA Posts: 22 Trader Rating: (0) Feedback Score: 0 reviews	it is illegal in WA. but no cop is going to know the difference between a ka and sr or rb. so if you can pass emissions, youll be ok. Also they dont usually do a visual inspection when you go to pass emissions so its not a big deal. __________________ Team Deception

02-12-2006, 05:00 AM	#6
fliprayzin240sx Man w/ CTSV & a Car Seat Join Date: Aug 2002 Location: Tampa Posts: 17,998 Trader Rating: (19) Rides Gallery: fliprayzin240sx Feedback Score: 19 reviews	SR20DET swap or RB swap is basically FEDERALLY Illegal since none of these were ever DOT or NHTSA approved. No car sold in the US ever came with these engines. __________________ If you think Zilvia has too many assholes... CLICK HERE!!!

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02-10-2006, 03:11 AM	#3
andrewmp6 Zilvia Junkie Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: kentucky Posts: 376 Trader Rating: (0) Feedback Score: 0 reviews	basicly no engine swap is legal but there ways around passing smog and things

02-10-2006, 01:31 PM	#5
Andrew Bohan Post Whore! Join Date: Apr 2003 Location: Location: Location Posts: 8,330 Trader Rating: (2) Feedback Score: 2 reviews	register it in a county with no emissions testing. i lived in island and kittitas counties and never had to test anything. hell, i even took my truck to an exhaust shop in ellensburg and the guy was tellin me all about how he wanted to throw away the cats and have exhaust cut outs and stuff. even mentioning that kind of shit in california would have gotten that guy fined, thrown in jail, license revoked, and hit on the head with a frying pan... so basically, no one gives a shit about illegal engine and exhaust outside of the bigger cities.