CA SMOG Fuel Cell/Tank

**I asked this question in Tacoma World and I'm asking the same question here, maybe someone has the answer**

"Hey Guys,
I'm gathering parts for a back half and I'm running into the issue about how to legally SMOG my truck with a fuel cell. I'm getting conflicting information about fuel cells in CA from post on different forums, saying it won't pass the visual. Some say if I install the stock sending unit and it passes the evap test, I should be good.

So my question is to the guys with fuel cells in CALIFORNIA. How do I LEGALLY pass SMOG with fuel cell?"

Thanks

 

Unfortunately, I don't think a fuel cell will legally pass smog in Ca. I wish it were a possibility and maybe/hopefully I'm wrong. I think Keith Carty at Dirty Deeds would be able to tell you definitively.

 

Welcome to California, known to the State of California to cause cancer.

Sorry 2006Tundra, just another Californian here who feels your pain. Doing anything in this state "by the book" has become an exercise in frustration. All I can say is there is typically at least one smog shop/station in every town that tends to be more... flexible *cough* than others.

 

@831Tun and @Gravy
I know I wont pass the visual but what if I formed a box out of sheet metal to hide the cell? I mean, whenever I get a smog, I never see the SMOG guy look under the truck at my fuel tank.

 

You'd need to find the special "flexible" tech mentioned above.

 

Yeah, I might need to but I heard they're getting hard to find. I might link it but with a pan hard bar.

 

The fuel cell issue is my guess as to why the LSK link kit utilizes the pan hard.

 

The only concern about the panhard bar is the side to side action you get when cycling. I heard its very little and not that noticeable. I just never seen one in action before or been in a truck with one.

 

I'd go with the cover. I've never seen a tech look that hard either. Most times just checks the exhaust and the dash for codes. Good place to look for "those" inspectors, edge of town at a place that will smog rvs. Go late in the day, when they're hot and tired...

 

If you have the readiness monitors completed successfully, you have the cell obscured(without looking intentionally obscured) and its a post 1996 truck you should be able to get by if you are lucky. Are you going to run glass bedsides? That would help.

If you dont get by, they will flag you and you will be going to specific BAR referee smog station. Or at least thats what they used to do.

https://asktheref.org/

 

Yeah, going with fiber glass bedsides and I want to have the fuel cell behind the cab. The plan for the Tacoma is to stretch it to fit a 6' bedside. With all the tube work involved, I want to Sheetmetal the "bones" of the back half and have a trunk made. Something very similar to Tommy's truck from TT motorsports. So hiding the cell wouldn't be an issue. I'll install the factory sending unit and make everything work as it should.

Start the video at 2:44

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HF29TXQC2Z8&t=503s

 

We used to do this back in the day by installing the stock sending unit into the top of fuel cell and use a modified filler neck w/ gas cap. Granted this was the late 90s but a few people did get it to pass a ref station after engine swaps. I wish I still had pictures do the setup but that before everyone had a smartphone

 

I know a guy. Just goto the sketchiest area with numbered streets and slip about 5 bills to the “amigo” doing the smog.


This gets very expensive if you have to do it annually.

 

I think you have to go through ref and get a carb sticker, like those air intake.

 

I spoke with my regular STAR cert. SMOG guy yesterday. I told him what I was doing for suspension and I need to replace my gas tank with a different GAS TANK to accommodate the 4 link. I showed him pictures of other prerunners that had similar set ups. I made it clear that I was going to either buy or have a GAS TANK made. I didn't even say fuel cell because that's not what I'm going to be installing. He said that if all the evap stuff and charcoal canister is installed just how it would be stock, he doesn't care and that he doesn't even look at the gas tank.

 

Thanks for the update.