How can I tell if my car is Federal or California spec. and what are the performance differences if any? thanks.
This might be one for you, Daniel B.

 

There should be a sticker on the underside of the hood that will say it complies with either Federal emissions or California emissions...

 

What if the hood is from another car? How else can someone tell?

 

Look right above the front exhaust manifold and infront the the front valve cover. If you have 4 connectors, it's a 99 cali-spec. If you have 3, it's a fed spec.

 

The Vin# also will tell you if it is a CA/NLEV model...
But I am unsure what to look for call 1-800-nissan-1 and ask...

Yours is a 95 correct?

 

This information comes from the '99 Maxima factory service manual.

Raise your hood. Look for a shiny metal identification tag fastened to the
passenger side of firewall. The top row is the Vehicle Identification
Number, starting with J. The second row is model information. The first
five characters are BLHUL. The next-to-last character is the destination designator.
U = USA, not California
V = California
N = Canada

The published horsepower and torque specifications are the same for all destinations.

 

the VIN does not show if it's Cali or Fed Spec. Daniel's post has the info needed.

 

Yeah, it's a 95 and Daniel's info. from the 99 manual still applied. Mine's Fed. thanks guys!