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Catalytic converter
- Thread starter Brad123
- Start date
94Eddie
Elite Explorer
- Joined
- September 18, 2003
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- 3,142
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- 2,062
- Year, Model & Trim Level
- 2010 Mountaineer Premier
Legal and cheap usually are incompatible regarding catalytic convertors. If you are in an area that has no emissions tests the you have options. One is buying the convertors and splicing them into the existing exhaust. Or maybe getting good used ones from a salvage yard. If there are no tests then the risk of buying used ones is minimized as long as they flow.
J_C
Explorer Addict
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- 1998 XLT 4WD 4.0L SOHC
It is illegal for salvage yards to sell used converters (besides for precious metal scrap), a federal law. If you *happened* to come across one used, and it's the factory assembly, can't see how anyone would be the wiser after it's put on.
If I understand WV law correctly, there is no smog test but there is an annual safety inspection, does this seem correct? If so they would notice lack of a cat but if they're there (appears to use 4 of them) you should be good.
Do you know which are clogged or are you planning to replace them all, since the same residue is going through all of them unless you have an engine bank problem only fouling one of the two on the assembly off the exhaust manifold? That assembly is pretty tightly bent, do you have the means to bend tubing and weld or are looking for the complete assembly if it's needed? You could contact some exhaust shops to see what they can fab, but I'd expect they would want to install it in order to make sure it fits, and I could be wrong about that, as I seem to vaguely recall some law about shops not being allowed to alter the factory setup, BUT if they encounter one that is already altered, they can service that?
The next two downstream cats in series look like a fairly straight pipe, from the assembly of the upstream two joined at a flange, back to the muffler so should be much easier to get universal cats to fit with a straight pipe on it, and an O2 sensor bung welded on, but fabricated would easier reuse the flange on your existing downstream cat assembly (welded onto the new pipe) to bolt onto the upstream assembly, unless the diagram I'm seeing on Rock Auto is wrong.
Here is a fairly good price for the upstream assembly, ~$360 delivered on ebay:
Here's one of the lower cost sellers of the downstream assembly:
I assume you realize that the problem causing the clog should be fixed first. There are videos on youtube where people try various solvents to clean cats, with various results... if it's soot you might have a chance but if unburnt fuel melted them, I doubt it.
If I understand WV law correctly, there is no smog test but there is an annual safety inspection, does this seem correct? If so they would notice lack of a cat but if they're there (appears to use 4 of them) you should be good.
Do you know which are clogged or are you planning to replace them all, since the same residue is going through all of them unless you have an engine bank problem only fouling one of the two on the assembly off the exhaust manifold? That assembly is pretty tightly bent, do you have the means to bend tubing and weld or are looking for the complete assembly if it's needed? You could contact some exhaust shops to see what they can fab, but I'd expect they would want to install it in order to make sure it fits, and I could be wrong about that, as I seem to vaguely recall some law about shops not being allowed to alter the factory setup, BUT if they encounter one that is already altered, they can service that?
The next two downstream cats in series look like a fairly straight pipe, from the assembly of the upstream two joined at a flange, back to the muffler so should be much easier to get universal cats to fit with a straight pipe on it, and an O2 sensor bung welded on, but fabricated would easier reuse the flange on your existing downstream cat assembly (welded onto the new pipe) to bolt onto the upstream assembly, unless the diagram I'm seeing on Rock Auto is wrong.
Here is a fairly good price for the upstream assembly, ~$360 delivered on ebay:
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Here's one of the lower cost sellers of the downstream assembly:
I assume you realize that the problem causing the clog should be fixed first. There are videos on youtube where people try various solvents to clean cats, with various results... if it's soot you might have a chance but if unburnt fuel melted them, I doubt it.
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