Catalytic converter question

[whiterubicon]

If the converter was plugged up would it not make the check engine light come on? I do know that It wll build up alot of heat and maby even glow red if it is bad enough. I have seen this happen. If the sensor is at the converter makes sense to me that it would set a code in the computer. But then again I am A body man, not a mechanic.

 

[Snitty]

I'm speaking only for sound/performance here.... not for environmental reasons... I have mine gutted, and a cherrybomb turboII muffler... i liked the sound, and good power... the cat did me nothing at all for sound... i had a catback straight pipe before my transmission job... and while i had the pipe out, i gutted the cat... the sound changed about none afterward... and... a cat, and straightpipe gave me no power whatsoever... there was absolutely way too little backpressure... then i added the muffler.... it is the perfect combo for backpressure on a 4.0... and after the muffler died a bit, i'm liking the sound. but.... if i could do it all again... i would have AT MOST drilled a 1" hole through the element in my cat... I would not have gutted it.. that way, it still has its catalyst properties and will allow more flow

 

[PASmokeater]

The only thing on a TJ that you need to do, is after removing the cat, drop the scab piece of exhaust pipe by a quarter of an inch....this will allow the engine to sence little cahnge in back pressure, while increasing your horse power.

 

[Bounty__Hunter]

Just take it out and replace it with a piece of straight pipe. Our kids will figure out a way to deal with the environment in 30 years. Necessity is the mother of invention. They will learn to deal with it.

C

Truly a sad, irresponsible statement. This just gives greenies ammunition to win thier fight to close off public land to OHV use, showing how irresponsible a bunch of jeepers can be about the environment. Do the right thing and show that you want the environment to remain clean enough for future generations to enjoy as much as you do now.

Most newer catalytic converters made after '95 do little to restrict exhaust flow, so very little power improvements will be seen by removing them, unless they are shot.

Federal Law mandates an 8yr/80K mile emissions warranty that will replace a converter if it is bad. If you're outside the warranty, www.jcw.com has a hiflow Catco replacement converter for about $60. That's cheap enough for most.

 

[avyoung]

I would also say that it is not the cat. I had a fuel pump going bad that acted just like a cat. I would check everything else 1st. Then take the cat off and see if it is plugged. If you have no other option take a pipe and make a hole all the way through. Then when you get some more money have it replaced. My brother had to do that on my mom's car and it still did very good on emmisions, but took care of the clog. How is it acting? Loss of power noises, Maybe we can help diagnose the problem a little better. Again I would bet on it being something other than a cat.

 

[graewulf]

I would have to agree Twisted. In my opinion, catalitic converters are pointless, and should not ever be put on vehicles. It's not like the cat and the muffler are actually keeping corbon monoxide from coming out of your vehicle and into the air. All that they really do is lower the sound levels.

true, the muffler just deadens the sound.. but the CAT DOES lower the emissions.. the honeycomb inside gets cherry red from the heat of the exhaust, and it does not do much for CO, you are right.. what it does is break down the unburnt hydrocarbons in the exhaust - these hydrocarbons are what was destroying the ozone layer, among other things (granted, changing spray paint, refrigerants, etc was a part of that too). by removing the CAT you are contributin gquite a bit to atmospheric pollution. True, factories are a big culprit - but what gases is that factory exhausting - its not just the visible stuff that you have to worry about... you can't see what the CAT is eliminating from the exhaust. there are different kinds of pollution. the emissions of the average vehicle is lowered something like 300% by adding the CAT, and they do not restrict flow much at all. I suggest that those who think they are pointless actually do some real reading on the subject.. you will be surprised. I suppose next you're gonna say remove the power brakes, because all they do is increase the braking power, rob power from the engine, and aren't really necessary, right?

 

[hi_c]

Don't you guys realize that if we were into saving the planet, we'd all be on "Hybrid-lovers.com" or some crap like that!? If you're worried that we're killing the environment, sell your jeep (yes, even your WJ, ZJ, XJ) and go buy a 50 mpg Honda Hybrid.

My statement, which has been quoted 3 times, is true. Let's draw a parallel... what about all the garbage we humans create. Do you think we can just keep putting it in the ground?! No! One day, our children or our children's children will create the cheaper rocket and pack it full of garbage and fire it right into the sun so that the rocket and all those tons of compacted trash are burned up and there's no ill effects.

Same is true of dead bodies. Do you think we can keep burying the 6 billion inhabitants of this planet in the ground (beside the landfill)? No! Therefore we have cremation. I know people have been cremating the dead for centuries, but soon it will be a mandate if we keep filling the ground. Don't you see? Every problem has a solution. And our children will figure that problem out. Do you really think 1 cat-converter is gonna save the planet? Gimme a break.

Sorry if I speak bluntly, but it's the truth. We needed a way to get from place to place more efficiently, hence we rode a horse. Then we learned that wood floats and could make a boat. Then we hooked up the horse to a wheeled wagon. Then we created the internal combustion engine and created trains, then automobiles. (may not be in order). But you see how necessity leads to invention.

If you're so worried about the ill-effects of the environment, go to a drag strip and hold up your protest sign. Not here.

Corey

 

[Bounty__Hunter]

Justifying your lack of care for the environment by pointing out the other harms humans have done to the planet is faulty logic. Why not do what you can now to make it easier on future generations, rather than living carefree and putting the burden on them.

 

[hi_c]

So the dead (ie, our loved ones) are "other harms... to the planet"? I was pointing out that future generations will learn to solve the problems placed before them. The same way we have solved problems placed on us by our predessors. I'm not an advocate for pollution by any means, but neither do I think that the catalytic converter is gonna save the planet when we have nascar races with 40 cars going in a circle 400-500 times every sunday afternoon during the summer. Or the thousands of factories like the one mentioned by TwistedCopper. I'm sure they'll destroy the environment before our cat-verters will. Just pointing it out... again.... that...

OUR CHILDREN WILL FIND A SOLUTION.

And again, my idea of fun is not destroying the environment, but it's dying anyway... and OUR CHILDREN WILL FIND A SOLUTION. So gut or remove your cat or go buy a new one. Either way, is fine with me.

Also, just for the record, my catalytic converter IS in tact and IS extracting harmful CO from the air.

Corey

 

[Green97TJ]

Ok guys, just forget it.... I just asked a question i didnt want to start an arguement and get a bunch of people all pissed off. Can we just drop this thread now?

Nathan

 

[graewulf]

97 Wrangler bucks and jerks in 1st gear.

who's pissed off? we're having a very healthy discussion... :wink: that's what makes this place so great, we can argue a point and not get pissed off at each other. we're all stubborn and pig-headed... but it works...

 

[BrucePorter]

Brush with a Buick

I have the post right after yours in the TJ forum and I too have wondered about the Catalytic converter. I haven't had the jeep long enough to test the MPG but it jerks and bucks in first gear and never really seems to get full power although the head is recently rebuilt and there is no blowby or smoke. Does your vehicle jerk back and forth in first gear? The Catalytic converter is supposedly $60 at JC Whitney for a CatCo version. Does this version have a spot to insert the downstream O2 sensor? By the way, a miss in the engine can burn up, maybe plug up, the Catalytic converter. My vehicle has 78K miles and is a 97. Hummmmm.........

 

[Snitty]

Ok guys, just forget it.... I just asked a question i didnt want to start an arguement and get a bunch of people all pissed off. Can we just drop this thread now?

i don't see anything out of hand here.. just a simple debate.. we won't learn from each other if we can't understand that we all have different points to make... i can see both sides... just because others harm the air doesn't make it right for us to do so... though.. yeah, it is likely that there will be a solution somewhere down the road... I enjoy reading the debates here.

 

[K_K_PSI_GUY]

hi_c, You are right about one thing, one Cat converter being removed will not harm the enviorment. BUT, if the hundreds of people that read this forum start doing this to get a few more ponies out of their Jeep, then we have a problem. I think your comment came across as , "let somebody else worry about it" . I'm sure you did not simply mean it like that, but that is what we got from it. Regardless of future advances, it is everybodies responsibility to do their part to conserve and help out the enviorment. Yes, we do drive "cars" that use up a lot of fuel, but that does not give us the right to ignore caring for the enviorment. We do not have to drive hybrids to be allowed to care for the enviorment. Simply do your part to add as little pollution to the enviorment. This will help future generations maintain the way of life we have today. -al

 

[Bounty__Hunter]

Ok guys, just forget it.... I just asked a question i didnt want to start an arguement and get a bunch of people all pissed off. Can we just drop this thread now?

Nathan

I don't see an argument, and I don't think anybody is pissed off, at least I'm not. Just good healthy debate.

Think of all the cars in the world, and imagine each one without a catalytic converter. They do make a difference, and can easily be compared to the emissions of large factories and powerplants when you total all the vehicles out there.

 

[hi_c]

You guys are right. Every car without a verter would be bad. Which is why most states have annual inspections that require them. Fortunately, my state doesn't. And I don't think everybody on here is gonna read this and go remove their perfectly working cat-verter. If it's working, then definitely keep it. But if it's plugged and hurting, remove it.

My motor is 165K miles old and the rings in the 3rd cylinder are shot. So about 15 months after I get a new verter, it gets plugged. My current verter is 4 months old. When it goes, I'm not spending another $60 to replace it. But that's why we are all different. It would suck if we all had the same mentality and thought alike. This world would be boooooorrrrring.

Corey

ps. still luv you guys. :wink:

 

[derff96963]

The one problem I have with the current enviromental laws is they stick it to the people that can't afford a newer car. With the current Emmision Laws in PA any car over 75 must have emmisions(that is in the certian counties right now) However my point is for the most part the people that drive an older car unless its the fun car drive it because they can't afford a newer car. They are the ones that get stuck with having to get thier cars repared with money they don't have just so the emmisions are lower. My jeep for example will never be able to pass emmion without spending a good bit. The previous owner of the engine put headers on it which gets ride of the air pump and the air injection into the exhaust and the EGR valve. I could repair all that but it would almost cost more than my jeep is worth right now. It did cost me almost $200 to get it inspected after I spend the $150 on emmissions related parts for the waiver and if anything it runns worse now not better. My other major problem is the smell of rotten eggs from the cat. Since it doesn't have the air pump unburnt fuel is making to the cat and it it trying to convert it. Everytime I stop at a red light me and those other cars around me get blasted with Roten Egg smell.

The other issue I have is the new gas they are forcing us to use. In the summer they switch to a gasohol that is supposed to be cleaner burning. However my 91 dynasty specifically says in the owner manual not to ever use any kind of Gasohol or other varieties of gas. It is in good shape. I keep up on maintainance and tune ups and durring the summer I get about 5 MPG less than I do in the winter. It happens excatly when they switch gas. If anything in the summer my MPG should go up since you don't have the extra time for the engine to warm up but it goes down. SO my point is in what way can it be cleaner burning if my car has to use more of it to go? Not to mention is is more expensive.

I am not for destroying the environment but there are limits to all praticality.

 

[graewulf]

location

unfortunately, maintaining a vehicle is part of the responsibility of owning it. If you can't afford to keep the emission system in good shape, then the car should be sold to someone who can. Take a bus to work or carpool if you can't afford to maintain your car. It sucks, but that is life. Most emission repairs do not cost that much if the vehicle is maintained as you go and dont let it get so bad that you need to replace everything at once. Keeping clean plugs in a vehicle does alot for maintaining the rest of the system. Just my .02 worth

 

[pushead]

Well here in FL they did away with emmisons testing. The state felt the polution level was not effected enough by emmisons to maintain the sites to check your vehicles.

 

[hi_c]

Move to a state that doesn't have emmissions control on vehicles...

:mrgreen:

ironically, the name of that smiley is "mrgreen"... lol