I installed a catco converter 6 months ago along with new TES headers and a Hooker Cat back. Now the cat rattles like crazy, and have concluded that it is bad and is the reason i am not passing smog. What could be the cause of this in such a short period of time and how can i prevent it from happening again. This weekend i will be installing a new converter (same one, CTO-2607) so that i can hopefully get this smog crap out of the way. THANKS for any replies.

 

I installed two new cats when I installed my headers, I didn't reinstall the a.i.r tubes for two months, with no air being pumped into the cats, I think the extream heat cooked them both. I guess?

 

anybody else????

 

You probably already checked this, but it's not the heat shield rattling is it?
If your engine burns enough oil, I'd think this could clog a cat???? Don't know for sure, but just a thought.

 

I dont think not having the air would make them run hotter... The air input is to reduce NOx emmisions. If anything, it runs hotter with the air injection.

 

rattles when yer just ideling...kinda on and off...reall anying high pitched rattle?

its the shield...on the cat...mines doing the same thing...just get some jb weld and fix it...thats what im doing.

 

same here heat sheilding rots out and the whole exaust rattles.

 

Same thing happened to one of my cats in only 3 months. I had them done at a shop so I took it back and they deemed it defective. My car isn't exactly running its best so i dunno if it was defective or my car made them bad.

 

a clogged cat usually really hinders performance, especially when the honey combs broken up inside the converter.

a good way to check to see if theres something broken inside it is to rev the motor up and if it kicks down real quick to lower RPMs you probly got a busted up cat.

it could also just be a loose heat shield. they tend to rust out or loosen mighty quick. take a rubber mallet and hit the converter gently and if its a metal-on-metal noise, its the shields, if you can hear stuff rattling around inside the converter, its the honey comb, and should be replaced.

 

Its not the heat shield, i had the muffler shop guys look at it when they have the car on a lift right before install my SFCs. They said it was the cat, and thats what i thought. It is not a tingy sound that a rattling heat shield would make. The sound is more like rocks rattling around inside the cat. The guy that owned the shop said that burning oil could be the cause of it.
But i think i have a plan, my new Catco cat will be here tomorrow, ill have it installed this weekend and hopefully finally pass smog. Then im going to gut the old cat, run a 3" pipe through it and have it welded on, i just hope i can find a muffler shop that wont bitch about it being illegal. I can just have the new cat put on right before emissions testing, this way i dont have to worry about destroying cat after cat.

 

thats a good idea, btw you'd hafta be burning a heck of a lot of oil to ruin a cat that fast........