# SR20 Emissions Legal?



## Guest (May 26, 2003)

I never see this question asked, so I thought I'd go ahead and do it. If I get a 240 and swap it, it'll be my daily driver. I see a lot of "dedicated race cars only" crap online, and I wanna know if I can drive an S14 SR20DET Silv in Maryland. I'm not asking people to do my research for me, but if you know, lemme know. If you know where to find out, lemme know and I'll go find out. If there's a way to go and screw with it before inspections to MAKE it legal, then change it back (yeah, I'm a shadeball), lemme know, cause I have no idea what EGR stands for or how they work. Also, if anyone knows a good place to get a swap done in the MD/DC/VA area, please tell me. It seems all this stuff centers around Cali, however DC has a pretty well-developed import scene and there's gotta be somewhere that'll at least have a go at it.

Thanks.

Chris "Not going to street race it, but needs to get to work" Davis


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## vsp3c (May 15, 2003)

there is only 1 way for your sr20 to pass emissions

bribe the mechanic with a 100bux BEFORE emissions...

there is nothing you can physically do to your engine to pass emissions. catalysts or anyother weird pipes that just slows your exhaust flow down won't help. it also depends where you live. i live in AZ, so i don't know much about Maryland's emissions... some states have less harsh standards and some sr20's actually pass emissions...

only reputable shop i know of on the west cost is heavythrottle in new york... www.heavythrottle.com visit their site for more info


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## Guest (May 26, 2003)

Well, that appears to settle it then. I have no interest in building anything that I can't use as a daily driver, and from what I can tell, there are better alternatives out there than a KA-powered 240 for the same money. I've seen a bunch of turbo kits for the KA, but from what I can tell, they require rather costly rebuilding of the engine, which I am not in the position to do. Anyone else got suggestions for other gem tuner cars (bearing in mind this'll be my first one)?


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## vsp3c (May 15, 2003)

eclipse gst or eclipse gsx. the gst is turbo but fwd. the gsx is turbo and 4wd. they are street legal, make a lot of power (200-210hp) and have tons of aftermarket parts for it. they cost a bit more than the 240sx though..


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## himilefrontier (Jan 21, 2003)

You could turbo the KA without an engine rebuild,if it is in good condition.You just can't go crazy on the boost with the stock compression ratio.If you stayed under 9lbs of boost I don't think you'd have a problem provided the fuel and spark management were set up right and you run premium fuel.Also, you are not limited to what intercooler to run, so you can run that optimized.I have heard that the stock KA shortblock can handle up to 350 hp before it needs internal mods.You may even be able to get a thick head gasket to help drop the compression ratio cheaply, or have the chambers polished to increase volume and reduce carbon buildup. Doing this may also cut down on "hot spots" in the chamber which can cause pre-ignition.The addded volume would drop the compression ratio and allow for more boost.Anyone out there know some specifics on the KA and which part numbers to use for the head gasket-or even if there are any available with a large volume? I know on a Chevy 350 you can gain/loose up to half a point of compression between a 400 gasket and a steel shim gasket.
If you just wanna go fast cheap,nothing beats a 87-93 5.0 Mustang.That's if handling , braking and build quality are not primary concerns.They can be built stupid quick for relatively little money and come with forged pistons and a supercharger friendly compression ratio from the factory(9.1:1-easily lowered with inexpensive aftermarket heads)


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## Guest (May 27, 2003)

Handling and braking are very important concerns (my primary interest in the 240 was so that I could do drift), and build quality is also a concern since the thing will be my daily driver. I was looking into Celicas, but apparently they don't allow any ECU modification whatsoever, which sorta limits one's options. I'll probably end up with something pretty standard, like a Prelude, however I haven't seen all that many tuned Accord coupes out there, and if I could successfully boost one, I think that'd be sorta cool.


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## vsp3c (May 15, 2003)

you're starting to cross over to the dark side...(hodas)

if handling and braking are important, stick to the 240sx. especially if you're into drifting. it is the ULTIMATE drifter. fixing up a KA is just as a good as fixing up a SR.. probably cheaper too =)


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## javierb14 (Jul 9, 2002)

Swap Emissions Info Here


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## vsp3c (May 15, 2003)

emission laws depend on where you live... i heard that az/nv laws are a whole lot less harsher than Cali.. good thing i live in az =) but the lack of good shops, etc.. =(


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## javierb14 (Jul 9, 2002)

*Off Topic*

off topic, but www.full-race.com 
we're in Mesa


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## Guest (May 28, 2003)

Does anyone know some of the more common problems with high mileage S14 KA 240s? I'm finding it hard as hell to find anything with under 100k miles, and although such cars are cheap, I don't wanna commit myself to having to do an assload of basic shit just to get the thing running. If anyone knows how well these things hold up or what common problems are with, it'd be greatly appreciated. Wish I lived in Cali, seems to be a bunch of em for sale out there.


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## esyip (Dec 19, 2002)

KAs are strong engines. there aren't any huge problems that they face as long as they are well kept. nothing as severe as crankwalk in the 7-bolt turbo DSMs or anything. just normal wear and tear. 

listen for rattling, that's probably a sign of the KA24DEs upper timing chain guide broken. remove the broken pieces and leave it alone, it'll run fine. 

other rattling/buzzing is more than likely due to flex pipes, heat shields, etc. 

OEM rotors warp easy under heavy driving. 

other than that, it's a strong motor.


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## lowridin23 (Jul 23, 2002)

get a SE-R and put a turbo in it.


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