13 replies to this topic

[biggav]

As i understand it, a vehicle will be tested on the oldest age of either the car or engine.. eg a 1959 car with a 2001 engine will be tested at 1959 requirements and a 2001 car with a 1959 engine would be ditto...

Does anyone have any information on ehat the requirements are for different ages of car and if they differ for engine size?

[Ethel]

http://www.ukmot.com/6-4.asp

[biggav]

That tells you how to do an emmisions test but it doesn't say what the pass/fail amounts are. i found that page earlier but i was hoping for a table saying what the pass/fail amounts are dependent on age and what specific dates determined how the car is tested...

[langers2k]

# First used before 1/8/1975 - Visual test only. Failure for excess idle speed, dense blue or black smoke for 5 seconds at idle or during acceleration up to 2500rpm or half engine max speed whichever lowest.
# First used between 1/8/75 and 31/7/86 - meter test CO <=4.5%, HC<=1200ppm.
# First used between 1/8/86 and 31/7/92 - meter test CO<=3.5%, HC<=1200ppm.

Not sure about later engines with cats, I think it depends on the vehicle...

[Guess-Works.com]

Also you need documentary evidence of the engine age if it is to be tested at a more relaxed emissions benchmark than the age of vehicle would normally prescribe..

Check this with the MOT station beforehand, so there are not 'arguments' when you get there

Edited by GuessWorks.co.uk, 18 February 2008 - 12:20 PM.

[haz]

im in a potentially sticky situation with this too...

my mini is a 94, but the engine im building is a much older rebore... but i have no documentation/history for it

iv recently come to the conclusion that i might have to find an MOT tester that 'forgets' to put the emmissions thing in my exhaust :\

[Ethel]

im in a potentially sticky situation with this too...

my mini is a 94, but the engine im building is a much older rebore... but i have no documentation/history for it

iv recently come to the conclusion that i might have to find an MOT tester that 'forgets' to put the emmissions thing in my exhaust :\

No problem if it's not A+, any numbers cast in that look like dates?

[biggav]

if the engine number relates to an older car.. is that documentary evidence?

[Big_Adam]

Mental note, don't mention this to my MOT guy.

0_o

[dklawson]

I can't add to the productive nature of this thread but did want to voice some comments on how different your inspection system is than ours over here.

Your MOT has always been stricter than the inspections performed over here. However, we started emission testing our cars perhaps 30+ years ago. As technology has changed so have our inspection requirements.

An interesting change occurred recently... and this varies from State to State. Originally our emissions testing was all performed with tailpipe sniffers. As of a few years ago the standards were changed and now the diagnostics are all performed based on the car's onboard computer (OBD and OBD-II). If you have an older car (without OBD), emissions testing is no longer required. This means if your car was produced sometime between say 1973 and 1995... all you have to pass is a safety inspection.

What has really shocked me is that where I live, in North Carolina, a new rolling category for antique cars has been established. If your car is 35 years or older, it is considered an antique and it is not required to be inspected at all... ever. That's no inspection for emissions... or for safety. This has made everyone in my State who owns a classic car very nervous. Of course, most 35+ year old cars you come across are lovingly cared for and driven sparingly so they are not the abused heaps that would typify a worn out modern econo-box.

Even with these changes, our safety and emissions standards have always been based on the age of the vehicle, not the engine. As such, if my car were still subject to inspection and I put a year 2000 A+ engine in it... I would still NOT be required to pass emissions testing. As I said, your inspection system is much stricter than ours.

[Ethel]

Emissions tests are still relatively new over here, but we too would get away with putting a newer engine in an older car and avoiding more stringent tests. The UK is still a bit more flexible with modified cars than mainland Europe but keeping it like that is a worry

[preston-pill]

for example, if you had a sportspack mini that runs a cat and injection and the emissions need to be bob on ( cars after 92) and that engine went booom you can replace it with a secondhand unit.
again for example if you choose to replace it with a engine which is pre 92 with a carb and no cat if you can prove that the engine is pre 72 ie it has the correct engine id and you aquire print off from the likes of british motor clubs engine id database or even better write to them and get them to confirm that the engine you have is from that certain time and you produce this to the mot'r they have to test the engine accordingly to its age however you will also prior to this have to change it on the logbook with the dvla because if you dont it will miss match on the system.. there are definatly grey areas when it comes to moting!!

[The Matt]

The other thing to consider is the MOT tester's database on their computerised emissions tester.

EG: If a '94 mini had an engine with an engine number that wasn't recognised in their database, they would have to do a default emissions test, rather than a model specific one. Now, this could help a few people out that have bigger bore engines, with new manufacturers engine numbers on them. If you take your 1275 MPi out to 1380 for example, the engine builder will asign a number to it that will not be recognised on the emissions database, therefore rather than having to pass emission regs of a '94 MPi, (probably something like a CO level of 0.3% and a HC of let's say 100ppm, it would have to pass a CO level of 3.5% and a HC of 1200ppm (part per million).. That's IIRC and if the regs haven't changed since I was a tester (which is admittedly a loooong time ago now).

[biggav]

Thanks eveyone, thats answered pretty much all my questions!!!!

Could this be moved to FAQ's so i can find it in the future?