Used Engines Might Not Pass Smog Inspection

The typical motorist expects a car’s engine to last well over 100,000 miles without a major overhaul. Usually, engines perform that way, but there are plenty of cases in which an engine creaks, groans and dies on the road much sooner.

Faced with a dead engine, the alternatives are never pretty.

You can scrap the car or have a garage repair the engine. Or, if you own a domestic car built by one of the Big Three, you can have a remanufactured engine installed. Hundreds of small companies remanufacture engines, and these can often be bought for less than $1,000.

If you own a Japanese car, a remanufactured engine could cost three times that much, because Japanese pistons, bearings and other engine parts cost far more than those for American engines. A cheaper--but riskier--option is a used engine imported from Japan. Prices for these start around $300. They may be reliable. But there is a big caveat: They may not pass smog inspection.

An estimated 20,000 used Japanese engines are imported into California each month. The state Bureau of Automotive Repair has received a fair number of complaints from motorists who have bought used Japanese engines and failed to pass the smog tests necessary to renew their cars’ registrations.

These motorists might encounter big repair bills because the state-mandated fixed prices at smog check facilities do not apply to smog repairs on engines that have been tampered with, which is how used engines are classified.

“A lot of times, people will purchase a used engine and not take the time to make sure all of their existing smog equipment will fit on the car,” says Chris Edwards, chief special assistant at the bureau. “We treat it as a tampered condition, and there is no cost limit that applies to repairs.”

The importation of Japanese engines has triggered an acrimonious political fight led by companies that remanufacture engines for the California market.

Joe Remoaldo, director of the California Automotive Remanufacturers Exchange, has been conducting a two-year effort to get California and the federal government to regulate the imported engines.

Remanufactured engines must comply with all U.S. and state regulations for emissions, whereas used Japanese engines can be imported without meeting the same standards. The group wants uniform rules applying to all engines.

Inspection regulations in Japan encourage motorists to trade in their cars. Few Japanese motorists operate cars older than 10 years, Edwards says, creating a glut of used engines.

Edwards says his agency does not discourage people from buying used Japanese engines, but he advises caution.

In most cases, Japanese engines do not meet California’s tough emissions standards, even when they are taken out of identical models, Edwards says.

That means a car owner must transfer all of the smog equipment--including intake and exhaust manifolds, fuel injection systems and electronic control systems--from the original engine to the second-hand replacement.

Remoaldo says that in some cases the engines can never be made to meet California standards because of differences in piston size, valve timing and cooling systems.

At a hearing in July, the Remanufacturers Exchange asked the California Air Resources Board to invoke regulations against the Japanese engines. Meanwhile, the federal Environmental Protection Agency is conducting its own investigation into the issue.

A California Air Resources Board survey last November reported that used engines are routinely tested to ensure they work properly, but also said they generally do not conform to California emissions laws. Importers of used engines contacted by The Times declined to comment on the issue.

For prospective buyers, the important thing is to carefully examine used engines to make sure they can accept all of the car’s smog equipment, Edwards says.

Two other potential problems to consider: There is no guarantee that a used engine will deliver long service. And, though the used engines are cheap, the cost of installation will be the same as for a remanufactured engine.