Texas "Safety" Inspection

[northshore]

Seems to be plenty of Texas guys here, I want to ask;
I see Texas vehicles with Texas insp stickers in the window, are these inspections "safety" inspections or do they do a smog test also?
Does it depend on what county you are living as to what kind of inspection you must have?
For example if you live in the Dallas FT Worth area ,Austin area, or any bigger city area do you have to get a smog test?
Another example... if you had a F-250 and you cut the cat out and muffler out, could you still pass the Texas Inspections and get your vehicle registered?
Thanks in advance

 

[lifted_up]

HEY NORTH SHORE,I'm a minneapolis(Burnsville) native myself but I now live in the great state of TX. I live outside of Austin and the insp. sticker is just for safety. They just started to do smog inspections in the county that Austin is in(not mine) but I have no idea if it involves trucks. you could go to texas.gov and find out i think.

 

[Tx_Atty]

Diesel is explicitly exempt from any emissions testing cities may initiate on their own so you can pass inspection regardless of whether or not you have a cat.

The other side of that coin though, Texas has a Clean Air Act that provides for a $25,000 fine if you remove a factory installed emission "device". Currently noone I have heard of is inspecting trucks to see if it is there. Liability only attaches to the person that removed it and not if you "bought it that way". Someone trying to issue you a citation would be hard pressed to prove you were the one that removed it.

I seem to be "missing" my cat and had the truck inspected last month with no issues. I called ahead and there was no hesitation to the answer - "its not required".

So yes it is "required" but No, it wont cause you to fail inspection.

 

[Fire1]

Directly from the Texas DPS website:
"Motorists driving in Texas may not be aware that the state is host to a dual inspection program. Since 1996, four (4) counties in the state have had an emissions based test in addition to their annual safety inspection. Those counties include Dallas, *El Paso, Tarrant and Harris. (*El Paso is currently performing the emissions test using the two speed idle testing standards.)

In May 1, 2002, the counties affected by the emissions based test expanded to include Denton and Collin county.

May 1, 2003 the program again expanded out to the counties of Rockwall, Kaufman, Ellis, Johnson, Parker, Montgomery, Galveston, Brazoria, and Ft Bend. In addition to expanding the testing areas the test itself changed to consist of an OBDII test, for vehicles 1996 & newer, and an ASM2 test, for vehicles 1995 & older.

Beginning September 1, 2005 OBDII and TSI testing will be implemented in Travis and Williamson counties.

Remember, even though your vehicle may not be subject to the emissions based testing program, your vehicle does receive an emissions component check and a gas cap test, during the annual safety inspection. Air quality is a concern for all Texans, so do your part in keeping Texas' air clean."

NOTE: Diesels are currently still exempt for emissions testing, but all vehicles techinically get a visual inspection of the emissions components. So you are required to have the Cat and any other components there regardless of location within the state. Now you might stilll "pass" if they fail to notice or check.

 

[Tx_Atty]

I have heard but never confirmed that Ford installed cats on some years and not others. If that is true I doubt any inspection station is going to know when they were there and when they weren't. Is that little factoid correct?

 

[Fire1]

Lifted up,
I was in your area a week ago, went to the Salt Lick in Driftwood for lunch while in the area for the Freescale Marathon.

 

[powerboatr]

I have heard but never confirmed that Ford installed cats on some years and not others. If that is true I doubt any inspection station is going to know when they were there and when they weren't. Is that little factoid correct?

thats true
some 2002 7.3 with autos had em some didnt
the same was for some sticks some had kitty cats and others didnt, it had to do with the shift mid/late year 02 to bump up the tq/hp rating to 525 if memory serves. those built in 2001 as 02 models prety much didnt have em. those built I believe jan-mar time frame when they bumped the tq/hp
all 03 7.3 had em
cant remember if itwas 500 flb of tq or 525
confusing isnt it
so i guess if you got an 02 or 01 you could plead at the inspec station
back in the late 90's in nort florida we had diesels going through the opacity (with no opacity meter) inspection. but you couldnt fail.... if you challenged the failure, the state had to back off...... they were testing diesel engines the same way gassers were on the little dyno, and it was not in compliance with federal epa guidelines.and they didnt set up an opacity meter, it was just a way for the state to get ten extra dollars from the road using public that drove diesels, they even tried to probe my tailpipe once like the gas cars.

 

[bartman]

... they even tried to probe my tailpipe...

Yowzaa!!!! That's never good!!!

 

[northshore]

I got an early '99 it had a cat on it, the diesel mech at ford suggested to accidently lose it, across the street at the muffler place. If there is no other way .... then I supose a cat could be found.

 

[whatabudro]

I have heard but never confirmed that Ford installed cats on some years and not others. If that is true I doubt any inspection station is going to know when they were there and when they weren't. Is that little factoid correct?

I can confirm that my 2000 I purchased with less than 50 miles new had no cat what so ever. Bryan