Whenever I accelerate, the exhaust makes this weird noise, like a piece of plastic was placed over the pipes, but it's coming from the cat area. It only happens for a few seconds when starting from idle. Kinda like a loose piece of metal.

 

Mine did that too, it was the heat shield on top of the cat, it came off one side and was rattling against the cat. i just tore the thing off.

 

Bang your fist on the cat (when it's NOT hot ). If you can feel or hear anything rattle inside it needs to be replaced.

 

Yep rattling inside the cat when its banged... haha that didn't sound right...
How hard is it to replace a cat? Same degree of difficulty as a tranny mount?? Estimated length of time?
Thanx

 

depends, if it was me i would just remove it. but your in CA and you gotta love that emmsion check.

It can be easy or hard, depends on how you want it. might be worth a few buck to show up at a non-name brand cornor muffler shop, with a cat in one hand and some keys in the other.

50-70 buck and let them deal with it.

Long as the only charge will be labor and some pipe and a few clamps it wont be too much. [they would rob you on a cat]

what i did last time, showed up with a cherry bomb and a loud *** wagon. said will you please put this in the stock position and run a pipe out the back. 70 bucks, runs great, and is quiet as ever.

cherry bombs sound great when you add a tail pipe.

 

do it your self. If i can remember correctly
its a clamped to the Y pipe a hanger and a 3 bolt
flange on the I pipe side. Shouldnt take long
if you use your rust release.

 

I sent ya the solution & ya won't even get your hands dirty!

 

Well Karl, I don't think I'll have enough money to get someone to do the job for me. It probably wouldn't be too hard to do it myself. Should I get it kinda warm and then get some of that rust release stuff?

Is this what I should get?
Vendor: CATCO
Product Line: CATCO Direct Fit Catalytic Converters
Material: Stainless Steel
Finish: Natural
Length: 20-1/2 in.
Diameter: 2-1/4 in.
CTO-4019

Does PAW carry this? PAW's local so I could just take a trip down there, I just don't want to waste any gas money.

 

I seem to recall posting this, a lonnng time ago:

 

You're right Tom, as always, except for the price. Its gone up to $95. I guess its stock replacement for me. Autozone selling it for $69.99. Anything else I need to buy? Hangers and clamps? What is that miracle anti-seize stuff you put on exhaust manifold bolts so you can get them out? I'm sure I'll need that.

 

The guy will charge ya like $49 (that's what the ad says & I've seen the product)
Give a shout, we'll make it easy!
You'll be done in like 20 minutes or less.
When do you want to do this?
I'll go over with ya.

 

Anyone ever seen a direct bolt y-pipe and catalitic converter for our cars??

I gutted the cat this weekend thinking it was my problem, it helped. But I know its the orginal 12yo piping and its rusted/scales inside. Would be nice to bolt that on, along with the 3.4l manifolds

 

It will pay off PERFORMANCE BETTER
to have a new "Y" pipe created by a decent muffler shop.
It'll cost about the same, either way.
And that "Y" pipe is a BIG ODD SIZED one piece item, think of the shipping charge!
I am discovering that it is paying off to have new pipes made, some times.

 

True, didn't think of that

Wonder how much a whole new y-pipe will cost me

 

Hey now, I just posted a direct bolt-in catalytic convertor's part #!! Or are you asking for somethign else?

I replaced my y-pipe a long time ago with a $180 piece (back in 1996) made by AP pipes. Any "real" parts store should carry this piece. The nice part about it is that it's mandrel bent. My original y-pipe was crushed flat behind the oxy sensor; I guess the previous owner/moron either landed the car on a curb or tried jacking the car up by the pipe. Anyway, that was $180 back in '96, so prices probably changed, just like they did for that cat!

 

Oh and if you get bored, you could always check out http://www.eastwoodcompany.com for their welding setups. They sell a little package for I think $250 that isn't a big-boy MIG setup, it's a little arc welder, and you can buy a stitch tool and spot weld tool for it, they come separately or in a packaged kit. Just checked the website, it's $229, go there and search for item # 19266 . (If you walk thru the website, it's on the left, under welding, then on that screen, on the left, go under stick welding.) You could buy this welder, then buy the pre-bent pipes from a place like Summit Racing or JC Whitney, and make your own y-pipe.

You might come out even with price of a custom one, and then you'd be able to weld forever.

My welding setup is the Mig-Pak 100. Welded some junk with it set up for FCAW (flux core), and eventually, I added the FCAW-to-GMAW conversion kit, and bought a 60 cu/ft CO2/Argon bottle. Total cost was around $700 (if you exclude the $200 auto-dim welding helmet)! So the Firepower kit is a much more economical way to do occasional welding. I bought my welder with the intention of doing bodywork; if I just planned on welding exhaust piping, I would've gone with the Firepower system. 'Fact I think you can even get a big 'ol AC-225 by Lincoln Electric, in Home Depot, for under $200- but it's too high-powered for bodywork. (That's the nice part about this little Firepower system, it's low power.)

And if you do want a MIG setup, keep this in mind; the WeldPak 100 with the conversion kit costs as much as the MIG-PAK 15, which comes set up directly for MIG. Only difference is that you can add a stitch timer to the MIG PAK 15, you can't add any timers to the Weld Pak. So if you don't think you'll ever do flux-core welding (more for farm/industrial work anyway), and can afford the extra $150 of the MIG PAK 15 right away, go for the MIG PAK. (There's a MIG PAK 20 but I think it needs 220 volts.) Here's a pic of my system...

 

Tom, I was talking y-pipe AND cat all in one huge kit, like you were talking I think that AP thingie


Since your mr all :hail: can you find a place that has that

 

What I have discovered about welding & exhausts.
"I am "renting" a car lift, welding stuff & pipes & bender, plus the knowledge of "how to do this project"
For cost of the "custom" exhaust work on my car.
AND I DON'T GET MY HANDS DIRTY!
Then the final price is a bit easier to swallow.
STILL doesn't make it le$$ painful, tho.