Thanks, think I'll stick with either the wasserbox or a smog legal audi 5
cylinder via Detlev. I'd rather pay than pray.

>From: Frank Grunthaner <FrankGRUN@AOL.COM>

>
>Mark,
>
>Without the O2 sensor connected the Tiico conversion will never be legal in
>CA. With the O2 connection it probably won't be legal unless the imported
>is
>willing to spend the money on a CARB (California Air Resources Board)
>exemption or certification. The latter is possible but will take time
>perseverance and testing. In the CA inspector demands documentation about
>the
>ECU, it won't be certified without help from Bosch and VW. Now If you
>bought
>the Tiico kit and purchased the Motronics package from a 2000 VW  Golf or
>Jetta, with the rest of the OBDII sensors and outputs, it could be done on
>an
>individual basis. As I said before, the problem is that the engine is new
>and
>therefore has to meet VW 2000 standards.
>
>A particular problem is the non-crossflow head in that it was never
>delivered
>in the US for the VW 2000 model year. Also one of the most important
>differences in the Tiico kit is the special intake manifold. Strictly
>speaking for a commercial exemption or certification the engine/electronic
>management/exhaust package would have to undergo EPA emissions
>certification.
>This says that the importer must have deep pockets, or Bill Gates must
>badly
>want one, or the importer has a good relationship with one or more US
>senators who want to see increased trade with SA.
>
>To summarize, if I were to buy the Tiico kit, I would buy all but the ECU,
>then I would buy a junkyard ECU (Motronic) with the full wiring harness. I
>would then graft the two harnesses to support the used ECU. I would then
>install the exhaust with the largest CAT I could mount. Then I would begin
>the beg and weep cycle with CARB and the inspectors until I got a personal
>exemption. Of course I would have data from the smog inspection station
>showing just how clean the system was. I would also argue that I got
>replacement parts from Tiico, not a complete warranted engine package.
>
>The point is that personal exemptions are individual possibilities and a
>retail license is a full bureaucratic commitment. Importation of parts is a
>major loophole which an individual could walk through. A CARB licensed
>mechanic could be prosecuted if he represented an imported engine as a sum
>of
>parts.
>
>As to future parts availability, this is a difficult call. No critical
>internal parts should ever cause a problem, and exhausts are routinely
>fabricated. The intake manifold, its connecting rubber/plastic tubing, the
>ECU and the motor mounts are probably all unique. Someone better stock some
>spares (importer, or the Loyal Order of Tiico-Vanagoneers). Having said
>that,
>a good mechanic could solve a problem with any of these components.
>
>Hope this is not done in my typically confusing style.
>
>Frank Grunthaner

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