2005 cold air intake California Emissions

[Ron W.]

I was speaking to my mechanic and he said if I have a cold air intake installed
I would have to have it taken off when it comes time to have my car smogged.
Is this true everywhere or just here in bunny hugging CA.?

This page contains affiliate links for which I may be compensated. As an eBay Partner, and Amazon Associate I may be compensated if you make a purchase at no cost to you.

 

[The Flash]

The car now has a cold air intake. if you want to hear the engine with more intake noise, take out the air filter assy and snap off the snorkel. then reinstall the filter assy. now you have unrestricted air intake and have more power and it sounds better.

 

[Gypsy_Davy]

I was speaking to my mechanic and he said if I have a cold air intake installed
I would have to have it taken off when it comes time to have my car smogged.
Is this true everywhere or just here in bunny hugging CA.?

@Ron W. - I'm in California as well. Yes the California Air Resource Board makes modding cars a bit more difficult here as you have to find parts that are C.A.R.B. exempt. These parts will come with a sticker you put on said parts so when it comes time to smog it, they'll see that sticker and know that it's okay and will smog your car as normal. K&N does make a performance air intake for the Thunderbird that is 50 state compliant and C.A.R.B. exempt. I got mine from Amazon and they had a note on the page that said it was carb exempt. So you just want to make sure you get that one and have the mechanic or yourself put those stickers on when it's installed and you'll have no hassle. I've included a screenshot of the Amazon listing for the performance air intake that is legal here in California as well as my air intake with the stickers on it.

 

[biddle]

@Ron W. -Subject updated to summarize your post.

@Gypsy_Davy I inserted your photos into your post using this method:

 

[Ron W.]

The car now has a cold air intake. if you want to hear the engine with more intake noise, take out the air filter assy and snap off the snorkel. then reinstall the filter assy. now you have unrestricted air intake and have more power and it sounds better.

forgive my lack of mechanics knowledge but when you say snap off the snorkel does the mean the actual air filter itself? And if altered will it affect it from passing being smoked? and does it improve HP and mileage like the K&N cold air intake? thanks.

 

[04tbirdjerry]

I was speaking to my mechanic and he said if I have a cold air intake installed
I would have to have it taken off when it comes time to have my car smogged.
Is this true everywhere or just here in bunny hugging CA.?

Unfortunately for you, it's always California that has stupid laws. According to what i know, your cold air intake will come with a special sticker, that is just for CA inspections. According to the instructions, you do not have to remove the system, this sticker proves it's legit, and actually better than the original.

I put one on my 2004 Tbird, and it really improved performance and sound. I just bought one for my 2020 F150 and am waiting for slightly warmer weather before i install it. It's freaking cold here in Virginia.

 

[The Flash]

forgive my lack of mechanics knowledge but when you say snap off the snorkel does the mean the actual air filter itself? And if altered will it affect it from passing being smoked? and does it improve HP and mileage like the K&N cold air intake? thanks.

see pictures of Tbird air filter assy. the snorkel just snaps out or snaps in. No, it will not affect CA smog law.
don't believe all the hipe about K&N and you will have to wash their filter every so often plus you can buy a lot of gas for $350.