can i remove the catalytic converters

[peeko22]

as the title says i got a rodeo 3.5 petrol 04 model and pretty sure i blew the cats....it sounds terrible.

can i just remove them and replace them with a bit of strait cos it would be heaps cheaper for me that way .... im in qld

thanks

[barnsy]

hey mate
dont know about qld but in nsw even if u hit the centre out and leave the cat in there its highly illegal and comes with a fairly hefty fine well over $1000 if im not mistaken. ide definatley be putting a new one in..

[chunderlicious]

go for it. the fine is only 10G last time this thread came around. youll find you have most likely just broken a weld joining the cat/s to the exhaust pipe which is very common.

im no expert but how the hell do you blow a cat convertor?

[bludnut]

go for it. the fine is only 10G last time this thread came around. youll find you have most likely just broken a weld joining the cat/s to the exhaust pipe which is very common.

im no expert but how the hell do you blow a cat convertor?

cold........ burns ya lips otherwise

[alien]

theres also been research done that proved the cat acutally did a lot of good for the performance of the engine etc... providing it was a hi-flow cat...

as for destroying it - i've killed one which had the ceramic centre - too many knocks on rocks and just general 4x4 vibrations made it fail... since replaced with the other type (platinum coated steel i think it is???) and no issues.

theyre also not really that expensive - and if the guy who's putting it in doesnt mind - you can ask him to weld it up so the cat is a clamp/bolt in replacement... not sure if its worth the hassle though - although one end of mine is like this to make removing the back end of the exhaust an easier job.

[superslowlux]

Sorry for the hijack, but my 2wd 05 3.5 rodeo has always seemed to be gutless for a v6, about to do 100k service, new plugs and valve adjustment should do the trick but was wondering if replacing the standard muffler/cat gives much improvement to around town performance?

[fester2au]

Qld is the same if you car comes with one it's illegal to not have one or to gut them. Probably illegal to run around with damaged one too the way they are these days. You would only have one I would expect as the factories generally only put twins in high performance twin systems like V8's. Check the price of performance aftermarket cats they have come dowm considerably in price over recent years and flow well. Don't put a factory one back in you will most likely remortgage your house to afford one.

[DamTriton]

Probably throw engine codes too. This will lead the engine to run in "open loop" mode ("limp home") causing poor fuel consumption and poor performance.

The ceramic types can turn to dust from vibration and knocks, and be blown by exhaust gasses to block the remaining ceramic honeycomb near the outlet causing loss of performance (strangling the exhaust flow).

Regardless of the legalities, it just doesn't work to try to remove them permanently.

[ISUZUROVER]

A commodore/walker cat is only ~$100 new. You can buy a lot of them for the cost of the fine. You can also see straight through them. As mentioned they have little or no resistance to flow.

[1TUFFGQ]

Hi flow cats are a waste of money. Just buy/fit one that is standard for your exhaust system. All the hi flows do is allow more sound through. So unless you run a turbo and need to open the system right up, don't waste your money.
And yes the EPA fine is huge for removing the Catalytic Converter.

[peeko22]

no worris thanks for the help ..... i do have 2 but if they arent that expensive i'll get new ones .... my mate got 2 for his xr8 and said they were 300 bucks each andi thought stuff that i'll just put a pipe in ....looks like he got ripped off hehe
new ones it is


and to superslowlux i got a 2.5inch with a strait threw mufler and it made a bit of difference in power mainly more responsive than actual power i'll se what happens with these new cats i get too

[ISUZUROVER]

no worris thanks for the help ..... i do have 2 but if they arent that expensive i'll get new ones .... my mate got 2 for his xr8 and said they were 300 bucks each andi thought stuff that i'll just put a pipe in ....looks like he got ripped off hehe
new ones it is


and to superslowlux i got a 2.5inch with a strait threw mufler and it made a bit of difference in power mainly more responsive than actual power i'll se what happens with these new cats i get too

When I priced cats for a research project that was about the price $100ish for a commodore, $300+ for a falcon of the same vintage.

If cats for your car are expensive, just find a cheaper one of the same size.

If the exhaust places want too much, you can buy them from repco or similar. The commo ones bolt in - so easy to DIY.