Removing Cat.

   CSCC Mobile
   CSCC Website
   FaceBook
   www.speedracer.ca
   RSS Feed

[Lazagna]

I am attempting to do some repairs to my 1993 Cavalier, and have found that it appears the Catalytic Converter is corrupted.  It backfires from that area of the car, there is no power to the vehicle above 60kps (can't even get it to go above that once warmed up).

so I am thinking I need to replace it.  What are the consequences to replacing it with a straight pipe instead of another Cat.?

Is this a good idea?

Does this sound like it might be my problem (I just replaced the plugs and wires 20 minutes before all this seems to have happened.  There was already a leak from around this area of the exhaust in the past few months.

Oh, and Yes! this is my beater car, so I'm not looking for super peak performance, just enough to get back and forth to work.

[ausdave555]

NASA would be impressed with your 60 Km/s Cavalier

I would recommend swapping it for a justy or 93 impreza

[Talonman]

It is a 93 so should be an ODBI car, rock on and get it off there.

[Lazagna]

NASA would be impressed with your 60 Km/s Cavalier

I would recommend swapping it for a justy or 93 impreza

Wow, I'd be impressed too.... guess I meant km/h... why  I put an "s" there  don't know.

Does anyone know what the fine would be for not having a catalytic converter installed?

Also, I would buy a new car but that would defeat the purposes of this being a beater and an attempt in saving money...

[Lazagna]

It is a 93 so should be an ODBI car, rock on and get it off there.

What is ODBI?

[Talonman]

oops, OBDI

On Board Diagnostics one

Only has one O2 sensor pre cat so it does not care about post cat stuff.

[Lazagna]

Ah, that makes sense.

Ok, so if the fine is not to big for not having one, I won't worry about it.

thanks.

[Medivh1984]

Aye, when I was in University in 2006, my old '86 Firebird (V6) suddenly could not outrun a truck from "The Brick", and that was the same cause. I believe for the temporary solution until the straight pipe arrived (it had lots of holes, so we did a whole new pipe from the header) was to take a Hammer to the Catalytic Converter. A few good smacks and you could hear something inside of it fall out, and instantly the power was back

To the best of my knowledge, 60,000k later (AT) about 320,000k, that old Firebird is still running just fine!

[lophilip1980]

I think a plugged cat symptom of a more serious problem elsewhere - usually something that causes the engine to run too rich.

[Lazagna]

That is exactly why I replaced the plugs and wires, I had been running on probably only 1/2 of my 6.  It was pretty rough for the past two months, but I was too busy to deal with it. (yeah I know nothing should have made me not deal with it, but that is life for this beater)

The fact that I could still smell unburnt fuel in the exhaust, leads me to believe that was my cause, and that taking out the cat now, would be best, knowing this vehicle might not even last the summer with the rust, and lack of engine attention.

[randedge]

I thought this was going to be a bad Garfield Joke. lol

[rx7racerca]

I don't know that there's any penalty in Alberta for cat removal. I have no cat on the and haveY't for several years now, and removed one from 80's vintage 200SX I had before the 7 when it became clogged. If you could smell gas in your exhaust, it's likely your cat's substrate melted - rich exhaust will cause the cat to run hot as it attempts to burn the excess fuel coming through it.

Go see Cam or Rick at Calgary Muffler on 33St NE, they can probably have the work done for you while you wait for a quite reasonable price.

[82rocco]

I think you mean Carline muffler, and I second this.  I've replaced many cats, and they will fail for many different reasons.  on a OBD1 car you can replace with a straight pipe.  For that matter, you can straight pipe most OBD2 cars as well, you just need to trick the second O2.  Use a longer bung to pull the second sensor out of the exhaust stream, resulting in cleaner readings....

[rx7racerca]

Oops, yes, you're right, I meant Carline.

[Lazagna]

I'm going to do the work myself.  I've got access to space in the warehouse where I work (no garage or even parking space at home to do it), so i can just put the car on blocks and undo the bolts holding the cat on, then put in the straight piece and rebolt it.