I was wondering if anyone had done one of these swaps in Colorado and how they managed to work out the emissions. Obviously if you converted a gas vehicle you can't take it to the same emissions center. Will they let you register it as diesel? Or do you just take it to Diesel emissions and they never know? Just wondering if this is an emissions legal swap. I googled this but all i found was in Cali you could if the engine was newer than the chassis and the engine was registered for road use in the USA, but they said this was still sketchy.
Emissions...
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No one can give you an exact answer. If you follow the letter of the law, for the most part, the swap is not within regulations. The 4BT is a medium-heavy duty engine; as such you can not put it in a light duty application and still be within the regs.
Fuel swaps are possible in some states, and most regulators don't know the engine is not a light duty application. Some people have been able to swap to the 4BT and get it certified but it can be problematic as it is not clear under the federal law. It seems the feds don't expect people to be doing a modification as extreme as we are doing so it is not explicitly regulated.
Fuel swaps are possible in some states, and most regulators don't know the engine is not a light duty application. Some people have been able to swap to the 4BT and get it certified but it can be problematic as it is not clear under the federal law. It seems the feds don't expect people to be doing a modification as extreme as we are doing so it is not explicitly regulated.
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I did a 6BT Dodge Ramcharger almost 2 years ago. No troubles at all. I'm in Colorado.. PM me your # and I can talk to you more about it.
Andrew
Andrew
EPA E-mail
I e-mailed the EPA about the matter about a week ago and they just got back to me. I havent really looked at it all yet but I figured I would post it.
Thank you for your inquiry to the EPA Web site. Your request has been received by the Headquarters Public Access Service, a contractor operated reference and referral service.
You asked if it is legal to convert your gasoline engine to a diesel engine.
The Public Access Service is a library reference and referral service and cannot provide regulatory guidance or applicability determinations. We are providing the information and referrals/contacts listed below so that you can seek that support directly from Agency program staff or other information services that can provide that assistance.
We suggest you contact the Office of Transportation and Air Quality (OTAQ) directly. Contact information for OTAQ is online at http://epa.gov/otaq/oms-cmt.htm
You can find OTAQ contacts listed by topic here: http://www.epa.gov/otaq/oms-cont.htm
Because you indicated that you would be switching engines in order to convert a gasoline powered vehicle to a diesel one, please see the fact sheet on Engine Switching from the Office of Compliance.
Engine Switching Fact Sheet:
"For light-duty vehicles, installation of a light-duty engine into a different light-duty vehicle by any person would be considered tampering unless the resulting vehicle is identical (with regard to all emission related parts, engine design parameters, and engine calibrations) to a certified configuration of the same or newer model year as the vehicle chassis, or if there is a reasonable basis for knowing that emissions are not adversely affected as described in Memo 1A. The appropriate source for technical information regarding the certified configuration of a vehicle of a particular model year is the vehicle manufacturer...
Many states also have statutes or regulations prohibiting tampering in general. Most of these laws specifically prohibit tampering by individuals. A few specifically prohibit engine switching, using provisions similar to those stated in EPA's policy."
http://www.epa.gov/compliance/resources/policies/civil/caa/mobile/engswitch.pdf (PDF, 3 pp).
You may also be interested in the Office of Transportation and Air Quality (OTAQ) web page on alternative fuels and converting vehicles to alternative fuels (sometimes called "aftermarket conversion").
Alternative Fuels
http://www.epa.gov/otaq/consumer/fuels/altfuels/altfuels.htm
For information on fuel economy, including tips to improve gas mileage, please see:
Fuel Economy > What You Can Do
http://www.epa.gov/fueleconomy/whatyoucando.htm
*****************
Public Access Service, operated by ASRC Management Services
EPA Headquarters
Ariel Rios Building
1200 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W. (3404T)
Washington, DC 20460
Fax: (202) 566-0574
I e-mailed the EPA about the matter about a week ago and they just got back to me. I havent really looked at it all yet but I figured I would post it.
Thank you for your inquiry to the EPA Web site. Your request has been received by the Headquarters Public Access Service, a contractor operated reference and referral service.
You asked if it is legal to convert your gasoline engine to a diesel engine.
The Public Access Service is a library reference and referral service and cannot provide regulatory guidance or applicability determinations. We are providing the information and referrals/contacts listed below so that you can seek that support directly from Agency program staff or other information services that can provide that assistance.
We suggest you contact the Office of Transportation and Air Quality (OTAQ) directly. Contact information for OTAQ is online at http://epa.gov/otaq/oms-cmt.htm
You can find OTAQ contacts listed by topic here: http://www.epa.gov/otaq/oms-cont.htm
Because you indicated that you would be switching engines in order to convert a gasoline powered vehicle to a diesel one, please see the fact sheet on Engine Switching from the Office of Compliance.
Engine Switching Fact Sheet:
"For light-duty vehicles, installation of a light-duty engine into a different light-duty vehicle by any person would be considered tampering unless the resulting vehicle is identical (with regard to all emission related parts, engine design parameters, and engine calibrations) to a certified configuration of the same or newer model year as the vehicle chassis, or if there is a reasonable basis for knowing that emissions are not adversely affected as described in Memo 1A. The appropriate source for technical information regarding the certified configuration of a vehicle of a particular model year is the vehicle manufacturer...
Many states also have statutes or regulations prohibiting tampering in general. Most of these laws specifically prohibit tampering by individuals. A few specifically prohibit engine switching, using provisions similar to those stated in EPA's policy."
http://www.epa.gov/compliance/resources/policies/civil/caa/mobile/engswitch.pdf (PDF, 3 pp).
You may also be interested in the Office of Transportation and Air Quality (OTAQ) web page on alternative fuels and converting vehicles to alternative fuels (sometimes called "aftermarket conversion").
Alternative Fuels
http://www.epa.gov/otaq/consumer/fuels/altfuels/altfuels.htm
For information on fuel economy, including tips to improve gas mileage, please see:
Fuel Economy > What You Can Do
http://www.epa.gov/fueleconomy/whatyoucando.htm
*****************
Public Access Service, operated by ASRC Management Services
EPA Headquarters
Ariel Rios Building
1200 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W. (3404T)
Washington, DC 20460
Fax: (202) 566-0574
aspoonhour Thanks will do! And as far as yzeffer's post, i do plan to run an alternative fuel. I have already made plenty of bio-diesel and perfected the process. I am a cook and could easily gain access to plenty of used veggie oil. This is one of the reasons i want to do this swap. I can get 6bt and ISB engines in for that same or a little more than 4bt engines but i was doing the swap for economy. I was planning to do this swap on an 80ish ramcharger. I want the extra room, but also want the durability that i am used to in old trucks. This truck will also be used for part-time off road abuse and i want an engine that will survive and get me to work on Monday. I am not going to be taking this truck to Moab, just fishing and hunting. 35" tires and other than that a daily driver. Just want decent mileage without giving up my outdoors trips. My Dakota 3.9l only gets 12mpg!! yikes!. This would really improve my budget and the environment so its win win as far as i am concerned.
Well it appears from reading on another forum that all you have to do is get a temp tag, diesel emissions test, write a letter out stating what and who did what to the truck to covert it then you have an official diesel vehicle. However the person that did this i believe was aspoonhour, he posted it on another forum. The swap was a 6BT into a ramcharger. I don't know if this same method would work with the 4bt. I could easily get a decent 6bt complete for $2000. My main reason for doing the 4bt is fuel economy, and engine weight.
Move out of the Denver area, hehe. Here in Larimer County we have no emissions testing on gasoline powered vehicles only on diesels. So while converting your vehicle to diesel would technically make your vehicle back into an emissions tested vehicle, the DMV doesn't require any vehicle with a title listing it as gasoline powered to get an emissions inspection done.
Interestingly enough, the no emissions on gassers is new as of 2007. We used to have to get testing done for certain areas like the Fort Collins/Loveland area, but no more. For once the gov regs moved in a less regulatory way.
Ken
Interestingly enough, the no emissions on gassers is new as of 2007. We used to have to get testing done for certain areas like the Fort Collins/Loveland area, but no more. For once the gov regs moved in a less regulatory way.
Ken
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