6.0 catalytic converter and Texas law

[Metalhead]

I'm seriously considering going with a new 4" turbo-back exhaust on my truck, and I've heard that law here in Texas doesn't require that my '05 have a converter. I'm just wondering if anyone knows this for sure, or can't point me to the legalities of something like this.

Thanks

 

[groundhawg]

Well, it is actually FEDERAL law that says you are not to remove any part of the emissions systems---which includes the cat.

Now, with that said, the feds are probably not going to be knocking on doors looking for missing cats either.

BUT, if you have...or will have...smog testing in your area, this could give you trouble. The inspectors will check to see if the equipment is there.

A few ways around it...
You could gut the cat and reinstall it...looks like it's there doing it's job.
You could buy the cat test pipe from MBRP. When you need to get it looked at, put the cat back in place.
Of course, if you don't have to worry about getting it checked, pull the cat and forget it.

It depends on what you need for your area.

 

[WD40]

Where are the Texas guys tonight? I think it has to do with what County you live it more than anything. Go ask a Insp. station guy, before you take it off.

Doug Ex Texan.

 

[commtrd]

This whole issue has bothered the crap out of me ever since I decided to get another diesel truck to pull a trailer. I have found a number of super-clean and low-mileage 2005 to 2007 fords with the 6 litre engine. I came close to buying one but held off because I am just not too sure one day soon the feds (and by extension the state and local authorities) won't start really looking for and testing for emissions and emissions equipment. I live in south Texas and for now I don't think there is stringent adherence to the letter of the law. I suspect that is going to change very soon based on what I have been reading and hearing about the future plans form the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality. [TCEQ] Also note the Bill White who is a democrat and is running for governor, is actively agitating for much stricter compliance with the EPA rulings on automotive (and manufacturing plant) emissions. Word has it the enviro-nazis are getting ready to start cracking down on offenders.

Well I could have picked up a super-clean 2006 truck for about half what my new truck is going to cost me (just got it ordered). Unfortunately, when the authorities come after an [offender], they can make life extremely unpleasant. I have seen personally when they came into a refinery and levied fines of $10000 per day per occurrence RETROACTIVE to the last proven state of being in compliance. Needless to say, this added up to many millions of dollars in fines very quickly. Now would these same authorities come after joe diesel for running his '07 superduty 6 litre engine with the EGR delete, cat delete, and tuner codes available to be read? If they do (when actually) how much is it going to cost joe diesel?

In the end I chose to purchase a 2011 with the 6.7 TD. It is costing me severely much more than buying a low-miles 2007 with a 6 litre engine. Am I going to modify my truck to remove / incapacitate any of the emissions equipment? Much as I would like to, the answer is no. I have seen firsthand what those radical environmentalists can and will do to force their ideology on others. This really is serious business and again unfortunately many who have chosen to do so will regret that decision. Things are going to change a lot in the future in regards to environmental monitoring and enforcement. First in industrial and power generation, then in mass transit, but certainly in personal conveyance as well.

I really do wish that I knew exactly when this would occur. I don't know exactly; only that in all the plants I have worked in that the cost of compliance is extreme and only getting worse every day. For those who live in rural areas, it may take a long time to happen. If live in a metro area, could be way sooner than anyone suspects. So I buy a truck that is encumbered with this stuff that I don't want and certainly don't want to pay for, and for damned sure it will stay box-stock. I wish it wasn't this way; but it is and it isn't going to get better.

If anyone has any better information on this please share it. I only know how intrusive the regulators are in refineries and petrochemical plants, as analyzer tech who daily works on maintaining environmental monitoring equipment.

Remember to vote in November.

 

[powerboatr]

Well, it is actually FEDERAL law that says you are not to remove any part of the emissions systems---which includes the cat.

Now, with that said, the feds are probably not going to be knocking on doors looking for missing cats either.

BUT, if you have...or will have...smog testing in your area, this could give you trouble. The inspectors will check to see if the equipment is there.

A few ways around it...
You could gut the cat and reinstall it...looks like it's there doing it's job.
You could buy the cat test pipe from MBRP. When you need to get it looked at, put the cat back in place.
Of course, if you don't have to worry about getting it checked, pull the cat and forget it.

It depends on what you need for your area.

thats really the only half legal way to go
use a tect pipe except when its test time
some counties in texas have required emissions INSPECTIONS and computer downloads
mine is not one of them
however the cat is supposed to be there
but if you have ever looked inside a 6.0 cat its simply a large screen that you can see right through, wouldnt take a genius 3 minutes to make the mesh go away then rehang the cat like its been there all along
my 06 ran cat less, i did keep the cat and gave it to the dealer when i sold the truck...

 

[Metalhead]

This whole issue has bothered the crap out of me ever since I decided to get another diesel truck to pull a trailer. I have found a number of super-clean and low-mileage 2005 to 2007 fords with the 6 litre engine. I came close to buying one but held off because I am just not too sure one day soon the feds (and by extension the state and local authorities) won't start really looking for and testing for emissions and emissions equipment. I live in south Texas and for now I don't think there is stringent adherence to the letter of the law. I suspect that is going to change very soon based on what I have been reading and hearing about the future plans form the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality. [TCEQ] Also note the Bill White who is a democrat and is running for governor, is actively agitating for much stricter compliance with the EPA rulings on automotive (and manufacturing plant) emissions. Word has it the enviro-nazis are getting ready to start cracking down on offenders.

Well I could have picked up a super-clean 2006 truck for about half what my new truck is going to cost me (just got it ordered). Unfortunately, when the authorities come after an [offender], they can make life extremely unpleasant. I have seen personally when they came into a refinery and levied fines of $10000 per day per occurrence RETROACTIVE to the last proven state of being in compliance. Needless to say, this added up to many millions of dollars in fines very quickly. Now would these same authorities come after joe diesel for running his '07 superduty 6 litre engine with the EGR delete, cat delete, and tuner codes available to be read? If they do (when actually) how much is it going to cost joe diesel?

In the end I chose to purchase a 2011 with the 6.7 TD. It is costing me severely much more than buying a low-miles 2007 with a 6 litre engine. Am I going to modify my truck to remove / incapacitate any of the emissions equipment? Much as I would like to, the answer is no. I have seen firsthand what those radical environmentalists can and will do to force their ideology on others. This really is serious business and again unfortunately many who have chosen to do so will regret that decision. Things are going to change a lot in the future in regards to environmental monitoring and enforcement. First in industrial and power generation, then in mass transit, but certainly in personal conveyance as well.

I really do wish that I knew exactly when this would occur. I don't know exactly; only that in all the plants I have worked in that the cost of compliance is extreme and only getting worse every day. For those who live in rural areas, it may take a long time to happen. If live in a metro area, could be way sooner than anyone suspects. So I buy a truck that is encumbered with this stuff that I don't want and certainly don't want to pay for, and for damned sure it will stay box-stock. I wish it wasn't this way; but it is and it isn't going to get better.

If anyone has any better information on this please share it. I only know how intrusive the regulators are in refineries and petrochemical plants, as analyzer tech who daily works on maintaining environmental monitoring equipment.

Remember to vote in November.

Wow, I'll bet you've seen some stories in your line of work! I'm probably just going to keep the converter on, since taking it off would likely void my extended warranty. It would probably definitely be frowned upon at the dealership service department to say the least. Only thing i wonder though, why were you reserved about buying a used 06 or 07? As long as you left it stock, it would be grandfathered-in, right? Just wondering...

 

[commtrd]

Well I have done a fair bit of research on all the problems experienced with the 6 litre engine and a large number of the issues have their origin with the anti-pollution measures, most notably the EGR. To me it is just a total no-brainer that putting exhaust gases back into the engine to dilute the new air-fuel mixture is a stupid idea. That just puts carbon and soot into the intake, it robs the engine of cooled and fresh burnable mixture which eliminates power, and the means of cooling the spent exhaust gases creates problems with the EGR cooler and the valve needs frequent maintenance to keep it clean and functional. Not to mention that guys will put systems on to increase power to try to reclaim lost power due to EGR, which then lifts the heads due to cheesy head bolts they used. This blows out coolant and leads to blown head gaskets which is not a cheap problem to fix.

OK so there are the main problems and I didn't even get into the high pressure oil pump issues. There are a bunch of 2006 - 2007 superduties out there and many of them have less than 30000 miles on them. Plus they are asking under 25000 for those trucks which is a LOT LESS than what my newly ordered 2011 is going to cost. IF I could guarantee that doing a EGR delete would not be a punishable offense in the near future, I would already have a 2007 superduty with a 6 litre sitting in my driveway right now. From a cost standpoint there is really no comparison.

Now I could be totally wrong about how soon the crackdown will be on emissions-defeated vehicles. I hope I am mis-informed but unfortunately the authorities are only getting more intrusive in their mission to impose these onerous regulations on everyone. So I get to pay 100% more for a 2011 superduty and it is not even because I just have to have the latest and greatest! It is because of compliance with ridiculous emissions regulations.

 

[Scarlet_Nape]

I don't know all the "legalize" regarding emmisions, but I've never had any problems with inspections here (I know I have a 2000). Once they know its a diesel, the inspection lasts about 5 mins. Once, they didn't even drive it....just slapped the sticker on it.

 

[NDsuperduty]

I dont really think the inspection places even look to see if there is a cat. Like Scarlet said, they really dont do anything for my truck. Test the lights, the wipers, and brakes....thats about it.

 

[DaveBen]

I just had my Calif inspection and the guy looked at everything, using a manual to make sure it was all there and proper. The whole smog deal took 1 thirty minutes. They hooked up a scanner and looked at that, for codes.

Dave