??? Smog tests in CA ???

Yep. The air intake assembly is part of the engine emission control system, and all factory stock emissions-related equipment MUST be in place, untampered and functional or the car fails CA smog regardless of measurements made at the tailpipe. They do NOT f*ck around on this!

No, he saw the non-stock air cleaner and that's all it took.

But these aftermarket exposed cone filters (K&N etc.) aren't better than the stock air cleaner. Especially now that you need the stock filter to pass smog.

Oh, that's easy. Cars made before '74 don't have to pass smog. Race cars that aren't licensed for on-road use don't have to pass smog. There're all kinds of exemptions, none of which your '94 Chrysler qualifies for.

Go hit

and find yourself a replacement stock airbox. Results are listed in descending-price order and only interchangeable years, makes and models are shown. You can remove the restrictor cone from the stock air intake and get all the "improvement" you need, and since it's *inside* the stock airbox, the smog tech won't see it.

As it stands, you managed to disable at least two critical elements of the original emission control system by replacing the factory airbox with an exposed-element filter, so...go put it back the way it was and try again.

Also, yours is a 1994, not a 1974. It can easily still run smoothly and with no apparent symptoms and be out of emissions compliance.

DS

Yep, they do several visual inspections, looking for a variety of aftermarket parts that do not come with an Executive Order number to certify its acceptability, and also for certain missing items. And, of course, the air-cleaner housing and other aspects of the stock intake system can definitely be part of the emissions-related equipment. This is one of the things an inspector is supposed to explicitly look at:

More generally, see

He was actually doing you a favor by conducting a "pre-inspection" that didn't cause a plainly noncompliant vehicle to be entered into The System, whereupon things would start getting bureaucratic and expensive for you:

There *does* exist aftermarket equipment, including some that is directly smog related, whose manufacturers submitted it successfully for approval and got EO numbers.

Besides that, I would be shocked -- shocked! -- to find that some of the kids were running illegal mods on the street and temporarily bolting the original equipment back on when it was time for their smog check. Of course, this might also sometimes backfire (no pun intended) after their car, driving style, or attitude inspires a cop to nose around the car and make a laundry list of additional sorts of trouble to get 'em into.

--Joe

Stern's right, a California smog tech can fail your car if it doesn't pass VISUAL inspection. (Meaning everything has to be either the way the factory set it, or it has to have a CARB EO decal.)

If your car failed the actual tailpipe test, you'll have to post your emissions results numbers for anyone to be able to help you. (And don't post them unless everything under the hood is connected.)