Emissions Issues In Arizona

Can you try another dealer?

 

try the mini cvi code reader

 

What were the codes that his scanner read?

Over the border we have someone that can sometimes help with problems like this : Referee Program

 

The dealer was correct to advise you to install a model year 2007 ECM.

In general, to satisfy state inspection/maintenance (I/M) program requirements, a vehicle needs emission-related parts—including the engine, ECM, and ECM software (calibration)—from the same model year or newer. Installing an older engine in a newer vehicle is considered tampering, and it means the vehicle must fail inspection. See the U.S. EPA’s Engine Switching Fact Sheet (PDF), adopted as policy by the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality (21 A.A.R. 90 (PDF)). Arizona’s I/M rules are in 18 A.A.C. 2, Article 10 (PDF), which adopts EPA420-R-01-015 (PDF) for OBD II testing. That document defines tampering as “any modification of the vehicle that deviates from the certified configuration of the vehicle.”

Toyota’s New Car Features book (more info) mentions several emission control changes that were made for model year 2006. More importantly, the Prius cars for model years 2005 and 2007 were part of different test groups (5TYXV01.5MC1 (PDF) and 7TYXV01.5HC1 (PDF, respectively), certified to different configurations.

Setting aside the legalities, I wish I knew of an easy fix for this problem, but I’m not sure there is one, especially if a dealer has already tried reprogramming the VIN, which at least according to Toyota’s manuals, may actually be stored in the hybrid vehicle control ECU, not in the ECM itself.

The dealer’s price seems high, but it probably includes a new ECM. Used model year 2007 ECMs, Toyota part number 89661-47162, are offered on eBay at modest prices, and the installation isn’t difficult. I’m not sure what problems, if any, might arise when using a model year 2007 ECM with an older engine, however. Did the dealer offer to replace any other parts, or just the ECM itself?

That’s a fair suggestion, but I’m afraid that for this car, a California referee would just point out item IV.1 in the Engine Change Guidelines (PDF; also Appendix E of the Smog Check Reference Guide), which requires that the engine be “of the same model year or newer than the model year of the recipient vehicle.”

 

I expect when they cobbled this car together and put the 05 engine in, they tried using the 07 computer. It didn't work or worked but put a bunch of lights on.

So then they used the computer from the donor 05 car as well.

You are seeking out an 07 computer, that, sadly, I don't think will work well. Wish I had better news. Since the car runs well I'd sell it out-of-state.

Even if you could flash a new VIN into a used computer (IDK why they'd allow that through techstream-- you would need a HEX editor for the base code if you could do anything), there's a model year digit in the VIN that would flake out.

Since it's assumed the 05 and 07 computers are different, one would refuse the "preamble" to the VIN that includes the model year. If you needed a replacement computer, a "virgin" one can be flashed with the VIN, but I bet the dealer has to order it this way from corporate.