so its illegal to swap in an engine thats older because they are not the same obd. for example i have a 97 civic. legally i cant swap in an the 2nd gen obd1 b16. so lets say i swap in the gen 3 obd2 b16. im legal. but then i hear about tuning ecu's. you cant chip the obd2 ecu. so most people say the p28 ecu is the ideal ecu to chip. but thats an obd1 ecu. would it not pass inspection andbe illegal to be driving w/ it?

 

Were do you live? I have never heard of it being illegal to go from obd2 to obd1.

 

i thought you couldnt pass inspections if you swap to an older obd.. anywhere

 

i dont know why that would be.....as long as the ECU is stock and your exhaust is still legal (still have a catalytic converter, which the obd has no effect on), it seems like you could pass.

Anyway, you could swap in the OBD2 b16, then just get a p28 ECU off ebay or something and use a conversion harness for it if you really wanted to? That way youd still have a chippable ECU, but the motor you want(dont know if thatd be legal, but just an idea)

 

lol.
im not saying i want a b16, was just using it as an example.

 

im gonna try and get this out better, might be confusing

ok, so does it matter if you switch an older ecu in your car? to tune. because cant chip an obd2 ecu.
i ask because ofthat theory, you cant switch in an older engine w/ older obdin your car legally.

 

i live in ca, and if you want to swap a motor into your car it has to be newer. or the ref will fail it. trust me ive been there. i have a 91 hb with an 93 ls, and its all legal. what state r u in?

 

i tink that is more a state law thing. There are websties out there where you can go through a whole library of laws. Seems like it wouldnt matter though, its not affecting the emissions or anything. Just Google it