"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 12th character is the destination:

N = Canada
V = California
U = US, not California "

I did this and the 12th character is V in my Max.
But I bought my car in NJ. Is this normal?
This maybe a stupid Q, but is the Cali spec maxes sold only in cali?

 

yeah, but people might sell them on e-bay & ship or someone moves from cali and the car is in jersey from that day on. . .

run a carfax on it & you'll see when & where it was first registered...

Sam

 

i have a cali spec 99 maxima as well. it comes with extra emissions equipment desined to pass the rigorous NLEV CA emissions. your max is real good for the environment. so you should be happy, if you race and/(or) want more HP that's not that good. do a swirl Valve disable mod on 99's to get more horsepower at the bottom end. it can cost you between $.50 and $2.00 mine cost $.68

another way to see if you have a cali spec is to count how many oxygen sensors you have. (o2 connectors are mounted in front of the valve cover side by side) if you only have 3 then you're not a cali spec but if you have 4 then you can be sure you have a 99 cali spec model.

i'm in the process of converting a fed y-pipe to be used with a cali spec. hopefully we can get the full potential of our max.

 

Would you guys be willing to install a new front 02 sensor for some $$? I live near you guys and i am willing to drive.
I posted a thread about offering $$ to people who can install an 02 sensor and a knocksensor.

HELP is needed. I don't want my wallet to get raped by the dealer.

 

Is the emissions package the same for a 97 as a 99 if so I have a cali spec 97 but I live in mass. is there a write up on the swirl mod and what does the swirl do. Thanks

PS how much HP does it take away.

 

Only 99's can do the swirl vavle mod. It only owrks when the engine is cold and you should not be driving your car hard when it is cold anyways.