Bad Catalytic Converters - CA emmissions

[roverz]

History: about three months ago i started to get a idle metal vibration noise and thought i might have a loose exhaust flange or heat shield. My local exhaust shop said i had a bad driver side Cat but i have held of replacing.

the noise has come and gone over the last few months and just recently reappeared and somewhat seems to be with warmer weather.

I had a shop look at it today and they said both cats are bad and the entire exhaust system should be replaced including muffler and resonator and O2 sensors. The quoted me $2700 which almost made me laugh.

Any recommendations on ways to truly test the cats being bad or not?

Also any recommendations for where to purchase Cats that are legal in CA as the replacements from Magnaflow on Summits web site say 49 state legal which i assume excludes CA emissions standards.

Also since i might have to do this i am considering going with a Series 50 or 70 and doing side exit so that i don't have the exhaust hanging over the rear diff and rear end. Any thoughts on that setup?

 

[rhauf]

Sometimes the heat shield comes loose on the cat and rattles around a little bit.. i would probably just rip the heat shield off and fix the problem that way.. but you could also have a shop tack-weld it back in place.. all the heat shield does is help keep the cat warm so it works better (think of it like a jacket)...but no, that doesn't mean the cat is bad internally.. the shop you went to probably just wants to sell you a new one.

and yes that price is ridiculous. dont ever go back to that shop again.

FYI if the cat isn't doing its job, you're check engine light will come on (there is a downstream sensor to measure the output from the cat) also if any of the O2 sensors fail it'll bring on the o2 sensor light.. if the mufflers fail you'll know it because they'll be rusted through or literally falling apart. same goes for the rest of the pipe and the resonator.

should cost no more than $300 for an exhaust system to be built (manifold back with custom bent pipe, single exhaust) for all parts and labor not including the cat's themselves (Which range in price so i cant make an estimate there)

the california legal thing (which is total BS) states that cats have to be "approved" for you're vehicle... this went into effect about a year ago (but is not retro-active towards old work) it just means that any NEW cats you install have to be the approved ones.. however most shops around where i life (southern california) will install you're parts for you if you buy them and they dont have a problem with it at all. keep in mind that inside, all cats are exactly the same, so they all do the same thing. the regulation is just a way to gather a little more tax dollars and add government where it doesn't belong

buy the summit cats (or whatever) and have them installed... when you get it smogged, if they happen to ask (which they wont), just tell them they were there when you bought it, or that you had them changed years ago.. or in another state.. or whatever. personally, i've been using junk cats and had good luck with that (cats people have pulled off to replace with "high flow" cats)

if you do side exhaust, expect soot buildup on the side of you're car.

 

[IZwack]

If the catalytic converters are going bad, then you would probably get a Check Engine Light (CEL), and/or horrible gas mileage. But assuming you are getting neither of these symptoms, then they are probably fine and the shop is just trying to lighten that wallet of yours. As for the heat shield, the most obvious ones that loosen over time are the ones that go in between the cats and the transmission - which are actually critical to keep heat away from the transmission's housing and components. But these are usually just held in by simple screws or easily re-bent clips. So my suggestion would be to slide under the vehicle (when its cooled down) and look for something loose around the cats.

 

[Joe Dirt]

If the cats are leaking, there is no reason that the entire thing would need to be replaced, but I'm not certain about CA law...

I just had mine worked on, and if I had not known the guy and had he not owed me a favor, he would have charged me about $400 to cut the cats out of my V8 (4 of them) replace the 2 fronts, and eliminate the 2 rears with some pipe welded in. I did have a new muffler though, but no way is it that much money. His price included the 2 cats, the pipe, and labor to install...

 

[Tbars4]

...I did a quick search after looking at the link on Smog which has the New Calif. Cat Law found here...
http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=219411

...Since the new Calif. Cat Law took effect Jan. 1st 2009...
http://www.car-sound.com/04basics/04california.asp

...I checked on the 2000 model X and the new cat's run about $520 @...
http://www.car-sound.com/02product/shopdisplayproducts.asp

 

[Joe Dirt]

I think my buddy paid $90 something for each cat for my '97 V8, but they weren't Magnaflows, just the standard re-issue cat...

 

[Tbars4]

...It's a new Calif. Emissions thing regulated by C.A.R.B....

...The link has the laws and info (towards the bottom of the page) with more links and is not restricted to just Magnaflow, but for all cats sold in California...

 

[roverz]

So i followed up and took it to my trustworthy mechanic in town today and he confirmed that only one of the cats is needing to be replaced and quoted $270 for install and CA legal Cat.

I think if i am going to replace that one CAT that i would like to swap out the exchaust south of it and put in a new muffler while i am at it. Just got to wait 10 days until the cc cut off date.

 

[Tbars4]

...Can you get and post the part numbers when you do it, just for future reference to help others???