Any MOT guys on here?

[Duncodin]

I didn't want to hijack @Marquisz3 's most excellent v8 thread to ask a question that doesn't affect him. But I'm interested to know what UK MOT testers think about such V8 engine swaps.

I'm mainly interested in emissions in that a 1999 car with an 1980's rover V8, with carbs, is unlikely to pass regs that apply to a 1999 car.

But AI tells me that the MOT tester looks (or can look if documented) at the age of the engine (ie not age of the car) when deciding what emissions regs to test against.

So, a 1999 car with a 1980 engine?

What do you MOT guys reckon?

 

[Smudgemanuk]

I’ve got a MOT guy I am friendly with so can ask tomorrow

 

[Mint]

@Stevo7682 is a current MOT tester. He'll be along later

 

[Pond]

When I was researching building a Cobra rep, this question came up a lot.
It seems to be the case that the age of the engine is important, not the car.
So emissions shouldn't be tested on a pre-emission test engine. I think you would require cast-iron (no pun intended) proof of the age of the engine, though.

I remember people having problems with imported yank V8s which had been re-built from old blocks, as there was no proof of the age. So the DVLA presume it is a new crate engine and want emissions tests done, which they all fail, especially as they won't take a cat.

 

[Guinn]

YT negotiating California emissions testing. There are 2 separate departments involved, one sets the regulations, the other enforces them, and neither always agree what's legal. In the late 80s, my Porsche 911S never failed an emissions test, but my wife's ( then) 2 yr old Plymouth failed and had to be repaired before being registered. A TV news reporyer took a brand new Chevrolet off the showroom floor, with about 25 miles on the odometer to an emission test site and it failed miserably, which made me question how valid the testing was. I also had my Datsun 280 Z fail because a rubber plug was missing from a connector that meant for a carburetor line, while the 280 had fuel injection, and the connector went to nothing. The actual tailpipe test passed easily. I left California shortly after...