My converter is making noise. Sounds like loose stuff inside. I know replacing it is the best option but at $200 or more for a new one, I need some other options.
I have been looking for another used one but I am not finding any around.
Does anyone have any ideas?
FYI…it’s a 92 ls.
Thanks.
probably hollow it out until you find a decent used one/need to get smogged.
leaving it could cause it to clog the exhaust
Stupid question…how do you hollow it out without breaking it apart?
If I do hollow it out, are there any benefits or disadvantages? It’s a stock motor and exhaust.
Here’s something I snagged from some Honda forum re: hollowing out cat
“Take a peice of steel or solid pipe, and get yourself a good sledge and pound it through the cat, it will take sometime, but it works!”
Hope that helps…
Benefits:
-Better flowing exhaust system, basically meaning more power (though the difference is pretty negligible on most 4-cyl NA motors)
-You won’t hear the rattling sound anymore
Drawbacks:
-You will need a new cat before you next get emissioned/smogged.
-Your exhaust will smell stronger and more ‘raw’, it can get annoying sometimes.
-IF you were obd2, it would trip your Check Engine Light for Catalyst System Below Threshold. (Just so you know)
-Your exhaust my be more raspy and/or annoying.
Perfect. Thanks for the tips.
I guess I could use a long chisel and hammer to remove all the inside of the cat?
Defnately going to hollow it put until I can afford a replacement and need a smog check.
I have a stock exhaust so I am not concerned about power. I’d like to get better MPG since this is my daily driver. I also don’t want to pollute for very long.
I am gong to run a stell pipe through thecat.
Does anyone know the inside diameter of the cat?
It doesnt have to be a pipe of the exact diameter of the cat… just ram something through it a few times, the honeycomb will fall out. Easy.
I want to run a straight pipe through the cat and leave it like a test pipe.
You said yourself that it is a virtually stock motor and a stock exhaust and that you’re more concerned with MPG… The gain/difference in MPG would be non existant between running a gutted cat, or doing what you’re thinking and ‘straight piping’ it. If anything, you would be hurting the exhaust flow.
Think about it… to get a straight piece of pipe to run all the way through the center, it has to be slightly smaller than the piping on the cat… you’re going to a smaller diameter pipe, therefore cutting down on exhaust flow. This is not a test pipe.
A true test pipe is indeed a straight-through piece of pipe… but the idea is that if your exhaust is a 2.5" exhaust, you get a 2.5" straight pipe, making an even flowing system. You wouldn’t get a 2.5" cat and shove a 2in 3/8ths pipe through it. Get what I’m saying?
The short version: Gut your cat, re-install it. Buy a new one when you need to get smogged.
would be a good idea as well to find out why the cat failed
^ and that too.
Cat failed because it is the original on the car. Time for a replacement.
You can kill a cat by using raw fuel on the cat it will melt and breaks in chunks. if your car is not running at its best efficiency good air fuel ratio. Cat will last atleast 10-15 years or even longer depending on how you take good care of your car.
I hollowed it out today. The insides were all sandy like the honeycomb had started to come apart. I used a chisel and a hammer. It took me about 15 mins.
Surprise, surprise…the noise is gone!
Time to start saving for a new one.
I don’t really like the idea of driving around without one.
Thanks everyone.