New RMS info for Modified Cars

[Charlescrown]

Looks like the RMS has decided to concentrate emission testing on cars made after 1997 so my question is do the older cars still have to meet the regs to get registered in NSW. My guess is no.

[antus]

In SA, legally, the car must meet the ADRs of the engine or chassis year, whichever is newer. They might do something like that? Just a thought.

[vlad01]

From my research during covid and talking to an engineer that was in my car club a number of years ago, the emissions specs from I think the late 70s to current were updated at certain years. So your car falls into a certain year bracket, it only has to comply to that, nothing newer.

Iirc, 1973? 1986, then 1997, and I can't recall the rest as it wasn't relevant to my cars. So, it will be for 97 and onward.

At least here in Vic, the mod regs have some poorly defined grey area statements in regards to emissions and how they should be satisfied. The main criteria is that all emission control and equipment must remain, modded engines it was not so clear but went something like it needs to be tested to ensure it works but no specs or ADR numbers are provided. There is the IM240 test her in Vic but the VACC is trying to refute that so that a simple 5 gas analysis alternative can be much more easily accessed and affordable for the vehicle owner/builder. The IM240 test was muscled out by a privet company from the Tafe or Uni that was running it as non profit and has monopolized it, charging some 3K + per test and not allowing you to know the results until it's mailed to you. The VACC hinting at this blatant scam company making it impossible for modders of vehicles to comply and hence pushing for a simpler test.

Anyway, that's my 2c.

Gareth might know more about the latest in Vic regarding how this all went with the VACC's involvement, it has been some time since I last looked into it.


The great thing about NSW is, last I checked, it has free IM240 testing provided by the government and you are encouraged to test as many times as required to get your car compliant.

[Charlescrown]

In NSW metro areas if you did certain mods to your car it had to pass the IM240 emission test done by the RMS which stopped being done some time back. All cars that were produced after July 1976 had to pass the emission test for the year of production which was done on all cars from ADR27A on. From what I read it now concetrates on ADR37 vehicles. In the past a cop could require you to get an emission test (IM240) done of they suspected the car dodn't meet the emission standard but since they dropped their test facility operation they have now concentrated on ADR37 on not from ADR27A. They do state that all cars need to comply to their design ADR's meaning eralier cars must still comply but it looks like they have dropped the test requirements and gone to this 2 stage idle test for ADR37 onwards.

[vlad01]

FYI.

I found these.

The frame work for ADR37, not so much the specs but I eventually found them.

https://www.infrastructure.gov.au/sites ... les/37.pdf

[Charlescrown]

I have the ADR's on CD up till abt 10 years ago and the testing is very difficult for anyone without a big investment in the equipment. I'm surprised to read in that doc they mention emission testing (Lambda testing) vaguely for cars from 1972. That was ADR26 and there were no dyno testing done then. They only had a PCV system and a CO of no more than 4.5% @ idle. In that doc they mention closed loop testing. Cars didn't have that here till 1986 so theres a big gap in the doc relating to older cars.

[vlad01]

Yeah, all that in the doc looks like the framework used in California from what I can tell. Aus never had anything close to be able to test like this for the public. Also, the ADR is meant for manufactures so this would have been used for vehicle development by the manufactures.