now that you mention it, I haven't seen those either since I left virginia. maybe they're illegal here? or maybe nobody know about them here

 

Now thats what I'm talking about! You know were probably close to having the tech to put one of those in a real watch! That would be pretty cool.

 

The thing about car lighting is that for the most part the federal laws are about "minimum" requirements, not add-ons. Other than headlight candlepower and "emergency/ law enforcement" theres really not much thats against the law in the US.

 

Viva la USA!

 

and thanks strantor thats the first thanks I've gotten in 700+ post's! I'm incredibly useful.

 

lol there's another; a thanks for a thanks for a thanks.
The mutual thanks thread.

 

I do find it odd it violates the TOS messing with the ECU to your car. Many racers do this, and many car enthusiest do this. Its actually pretty mainstream. Whats the purpose of it being against the TOS? Is it to prevent people from killing their cars and blaming the site? Is it illegal? Or is it just a general TOS thing? I'm just curious. Seems like some good work could be done for older cars here.

WARNING: Federal law makes it illegal for ANYONE to tamper with, disconnect, remove or otherwise render inoperative ANY emissions-related control device. The Environmental Protection Agency and most states have actually been rather lax about enforcing this rule on motorists, but they haven't hesitated to nail professional service facilities that have been guilty of tampering. Even so, the fines can be hefty. A violation may make you liable for up to a $2,500 fine!

No Tampering
The federal anti-tampering law does not, however, apply to race cars that are not operated on the street, other full-time off-road vehicles, show cars that are not street driven, or vehicles not factory equipped with emission controls (most 1965 and earlier vehicles). So that exempts all antique cars, and most classic cars and muscle cars.

Revisions to the Clean Air Act in 1990 further broadened the definition of emissions tampering to include virtually ANY type of engine or exhaust system modification that alters what comes out the tailpipe. That means any nonstock aftermarket part that is installed on your engine must be EPA-approved and emissions legal (except on the exempt vehicles previously noted).

Before the law was revised in 1990, it was only illegal for professional mechanics to remove or disconnect emission control devices. There was nothing to prevent a motorist from tampering with their own vehicles. That loophole has since been plugged.

What Is Emissions-legal?
Any of the following may be considered emissions tampering and get you into trouble:

• Removing the EGR valve or plugging its vacuum lines
• Removing or disconnecting the PCV valve
• Removing the stock air cleaner and heat riser duct plumbing
• Removing the catalytic converter
• Removing or disconnecting the air pump
• Removing or modifying the stock distributor vacuum advance/retard
• Altering the stock ignition advance mechanism or timing curve
• Replacing the stock distributor with an aftermarket unit that is not emissions certified
• Modifying, removing or replacing the stock computer or PROM chip with a non-certified component
• Blocking the heat riser duct under the intake manifold
• Knocking out the filler restrictor on the fuel tank inlet pipe
• Replacing the stock non-vented gas cap with a vented cap
• Removing or disconnecting the fuel vapor recovery canister
• Changing the idle mixture or stock carburetor jetting
• Removing or modifying the carburetor choke
• Modifying or replacing the carburetor accelerator pump with non-certified components
• Installing an intake manifold or racing manifold that lacks provisions for the stock EGR valve and/or a heat riser duct
• Installing a carburetor that lacks the stock emission hookups
• Installing non-certified fuel injectors
• Installing a long duration "racing" cam that is not emissions-certified
• Installing exhaust headers that lack provisions for a heat riser valve, an air cleaner preheat stove or fittings for an oxygen sensor (if required)
• Installing valve covers with open breathers or no fittings for a PCV valve
• Installing any induction, fuel or ignition system component that is NOT emissions legal

But rather than have people try to "dance around the rules", it was a whole lot easier to simply prohibit those types of discussions entirely.

I don't buy the "It's only a show car" or "I only race it on the track on weekends" stories.

If it's a show car, why aren't you on a show car site asking for help?
If it's a race car, why aren't you on a race car site asking for help?

This site is for beginning to intermediate level hobbyists.

If you want to work on automobiles, you should at least be trained to maintain them as they were equipped at the factory.

If you want to modify automobiles, you need to keep company with professional and experienced automotive electrical engineers that will peer over your shoulder constantly to tell you when you're doing something wrong. I only know of ONE member on here who is or was an automotive electrical engineer.

This isn't the place to talk about it.

 

<blaaap> Driver distraction. We already do that with modern cell phones with predictable results.

i must say though, iv seen one double din dvd player, where the driver gets all the sat nav boring stuff, and the passenger can view a dvd.. at the same time i guess using a prism of some sort, but how nifty!


anyway, thanks for clearing that up! like i said a while back, i didnt want to post it up and get someones back up!
we shall see, its at about 10 a3 pages of schematic currently.. hope to reduce it, but looking unlikely!

 

• Removing the EGR valve or plugging its vacuum lines
• Removing or disconnecting the PCV valve
• guilty Removing the stock air cleaner and heat riser duct plumbing
• guilty Removing the catalytic converter
• Removing or disconnecting the air pump
• guilty Removing or modifying the stock distributor vacuum advance/retard
• guilty Altering the stock ignition advance mechanism or timing curve
• guilty Replacing the stock distributor with an aftermarket unit that is not emissions certified
• guilty Modifying, removing or replacing the stock computer or PROM chip with a non-certified component
• guilty Blocking the heat riser duct under the intake manifold
• Knocking out the filler restrictor on the fuel tank inlet pipe
• Replacing the stock non-vented gas cap with a vented cap
• Removing or disconnecting the fuel vapor recovery canister
• guilty Changing the idle mixture or stock carburetor jetting
• Removing or modifying the carburetor choke
• guilty Modifying or replacing the carburetor accelerator pump with non-certified components
• guilty Installing an intake manifold or racing manifold that lacks provisions for the stock EGR valve and/or a heat riser duct
• Installing a carburetor that lacks the stock emission hookups
• guilty Installing non-certified fuel injectors
• guilty Installing a long duration "racing" cam that is not emissions-certified
• guilty Installing exhaust headers that lack provisions for a heat riser valve, an air cleaner preheat stove or fittings for an oxygen sensor (if required)
• Installing valve covers with open breathers or no fittings for a PCV valve
• guilty Installing any induction, fuel or ignition system component that is NOT emissions legal

I guess the last 2 cars I owned completely illegal

 

not sure you should publicise that

 

Strantor I do not think SgtWookie is very concern about what you do with your car or not. For all we know you may be an excellent and skilled mechanic. And if you do modifications that is not legal. So will it be your problem the day you eventuality get caught doing it. What the forum/site owners do not want. Is for other to find recipes for these kind of jobs on this forum. The site owners think it is outside the scope of this forum. For several reasons. And we as forum members has to respect this. And that is the bottom line. We have discussed this over and over again. And it always end in ranting, and ranting about the ranters. Before the thread dies out or get closed.

 

I not ranting, debating the forum rules, or trying to flame SGT. I don't have any beef with the forum rules; I used to, but I got over it. I have another forum for automotive questions. I was simply making conversation. I had no idea that half of the things SGT posted were illegal, I was making light of that fact.

 

i think at the end of the day, there is a lot of legislation to sift through in order to make anything for the automotive market.. and id know.. stupid british standards!!!

 

If you'll notice, I started out this thread informing and supporting the rules

 

absolutely! and if you notice.. i started this thread not wanting to infringe any rules

 

• Removing the EGR valve or plugging its vacuum lines
• Removing or disconnecting the PCV valve
• guilty Removing the stock air cleaner and heat riser duct plumbing
• guilty Removing the catalytic converter
• Removing or disconnecting the air pump
• guilty Removing or modifying the stock distributor vacuum advance/retard
• guilty Altering the stock ignition advance mechanism or timing curve
• guilty Replacing the stock distributor with an aftermarket unit that is not emissions certified
• guilty Modifying, removing or replacing the stock computer or PROM chip with a non-certified component
• guilty Blocking the heat riser duct under the intake manifold
• Knocking out the filler restrictor on the fuel tank inlet pipe
• Replacing the stock non-vented gas cap with a vented cap
• Removing or disconnecting the fuel vapor recovery canister
• guilty Changing the idle mixture or stock carburetor jetting
• Removing or modifying the carburetor choke
• guilty Modifying or replacing the carburetor accelerator pump with non-certified components
• guilty Installing an intake manifold or racing manifold that lacks provisions for the stock EGR valve and/or a heat riser duct
• Installing a carburetor that lacks the stock emission hookups
• guilty Installing non-certified fuel injectors
• guilty Installing a long duration "racing" cam that is not emissions-certified
• guilty Installing exhaust headers that lack provisions for a heat riser valve, an air cleaner preheat stove or fittings for an oxygen sensor (if required)
• Installing valve covers with open breathers or no fittings for a PCV valve
• guilty Installing any induction, fuel or ignition system component that is NOT emissions legal

I guess the last 2 cars I owned completely illegal

LOL I'm with you Strantor. I guess my cars not so legal. lol Whoops the car police might get me.

 

I fear many of you guys take these conversations way too seriously. This is off topic. Were just talking jibber jabber. I was curious about the rules and what was AAC rules and what was State / Fed rules. No ones ranting, no ones berating anyone else. Were just BSing in the off topic section. As to my knowledge thats what were supposed to do in off topic.

 

One of my theories is that if we all got treated to the full weight and power of The Law for everything we ever did, right down to not exactly stopping at every stop sign or dropping a gum wrapper, we'd all be doing life without the chance of parole. I've done lots of stuff I never got caught for, but I'm not going to list them in public. No point in mentioning those cars I modified in the 1960's and 1970's. They have surely gone to car heaven by now.

 

I was curious about the rules and what was AAC rules and what was State / Fed rules.

You can find the federal rules in the Code of Federal Regulations ... happy hunting. Then there's the fifty states. Next is the other countries and political entities that regulate such things, all over the globe ... as this is a global resource.

All in all, no one here should have to know all the regulations from all over the world, just to help someone.

It's far easier to have the no discussion rule to limit whatever liability when someone seeks judicial relief for a circuit discussed here. I know it really jerks the chain of someone who is knowledgable about vehicles, but that may be a very small percentage of those asking the questions in this forum.

I know it's easy to say "there are forums dedicated to vehicle modifications."

 

TV screens cannot be visible to the driver.

FYI I just took a short ride in an Audi where the dash board nav screen will also play DVD's inserted into the dash board console.

It's legal as it will only play when the car is in park.