MOT law and engine swaps [UK]

[LawrenceSelly]

It's 2am and it's literally keeping me awake.

If my car was registered in 1988, but the engine going in it was made in 2002.
What emissions test does it have to pass?

If it has to pass the 1988 emissions test, would a 4AGE reading be more than a k20a2 reading?

It's just puzzling as I've not got much room in my exhaust system, and I might have to try and squeeze a race cat in there too!

I've read lots of opinions but no actual fact, there is nothing in the guidelines regarding it.

Anyone able to shed some light on this?

Loz.

[Paul Woods]

Relax, no Cat required, it will be tested as an 88 so 3.5% CO.

[cdwood2010]

It's 2am and it's literally keeping me awake.

If my car was registered in 1988, but the engine going in it was made in 2002.
What emissions test does it have to pass?

If it has to pass the 1988 emissions test, would a 4AGE reading be more than a k20a2 reading?

It's just puzzling as I've not got much room in my exhaust system, and I might have to try and squeeze a race cat in there too!

I've read lots of opinions but no actual fact, there is nothing in the guidelines regarding it.

Anyone able to shed some light on this?

Loz.

Ask around and find a "classic friendly" mot station. You will hear lots of people telling of stand up fights with the MOT tester, but I've never had an emissions / cat issue with any engine swapped car.

In most cases if your engine is in good running order and setup correctly you're not going to have an issue anyway.

Now if you really want to worry about something, worry about sink holes. They get you when you're driving, they get you when you're sat watching TV, they get you at work, they get you while you sleep.

Way scarier than mot's 'n' shit!!!

Chris. :)

[LawrenceSelly]

Relax, no Cat required, it will be tested as an 88 so 3.5% CO.

Thanks Paul! That's what I wanted to hear!

Chris...

I've no words XD

I'm driving to Cambridge today and I know that place is literally sinking!

[Torero]

Can I pick your brains on this as well Paul.

Does this work the other way around i.e. if you put an '93 engine in a '96 car for example.

I believe the threshold for a cat was '95 but anything before is exempt, so on which criteria would it have to be tested? I've been advised that it would be by the age of the engine, if so why would Lawrence's be tested by the registration year? Just asking out of curiosity old chap. :thumbsup:

[Paul Woods]

It works the other way as well , so a 91 engine in a post 95 Car is still non cat test, they test on which is older, car or engine, and the cut off year for engine swapped cars is 95 instead of 92.

[Torero]

It works the other way as well , so a 91 engine in a post 95 Car is still non cat test, they test on which is older, car or engine, and the cut off year for engine swapped cars is 95 instead of 92.

Cheers Paul, more than clear now :thumbsup:

[Paul Woods]

It's how I have decoded the flow chart anyway, it's complicated to say the least!

[gavsdavs]

It works the other way as well , so a 91 engine in a post 95 Car is still non cat test, they test on which is older, car or engine, and the cut off year for engine swapped cars is 95 instead of 92.

The difficulty with this swap (older engine into newer car) is proving the age of the engine. There isn't usually a definitely record of the first use of an engine like there is for a VIN/Chassis.

IMOC/MR2OC members Gareth Dawson and Mark Shinn have put (pre-1995) rev3 turbos into rev5 N/A cars and (they have found) the onus is on the presenter to convince/prove to the tester that the engine is pre-1995.

[Paul Woods]

Yes that's true, the burden of proof is very much the owners responsibility, the headed letters we supply to customers go a long way towards that.