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I need help with my Catalytic Converters and California Regulations....
Hello All,
2005 GT, convertible, previously stored in a barn in Ohio for the last 5 years. I recently got it out and running again and also I moved to California.
I was driving it from Ohio to California the check engine light came on. I took it into a shop and they said both my catalytic converters are bad. I thought I might be able to just swap out cats- but the cats themselves are not "removable". I think I'd have to remove/replace part of the exhaust manifold as well. They shop is estimating 1700 to fix.
I wouldn't mind trying to fix this myself if I can. But have never replaced cats before.
Anyone have any good solutions?• I just need it to pass the emissions check and then I can register the car here in California.
• I saw a good replacement option here, anyone have any thoughts on this... https://www.hottexhaust.com/httx_1155461001
• I was also wondering if I could hit a salvage yard and ask if they had any used parts there that might work?
• I jacked up my front end, threw the car on jack stands and took a look at the cats... I'm not sure how to get to all the bolts around the cats. It's really tight.
Anyway- Any thoughts or help is greatly appreciated.
You can check the database on that item. Fill the form out for your car, and see what aftermarkets are legal.
I went ahead and checked, and in this case It's actually the Car Sound Exhaust System 5461001. CSES DBAs as Magnaflow. And that's the system you've picked.
Since it's a bolt in, should just go in and tada. However, you *will* want those CARB EO numbers *showing face down* when you go to get it smogged.
I would not trust a junkyard. I'd only do new.
Taking them out is... relatively... easy. You may can do it all at the middle, but the easiest way is to start from the mufflers and work your way back to the engine. Mufflers off, over-axle tubes off, then the cats and midpipes as a unit. something like 16 bolts/nuts and the o2 sensors? You can maybe just loosen up the muflers/midpipes though, but I'd just take it all out. Wrestling with that stuff is just maddening, get it outta there.
You will want to get Liquid Wrench Penetrant Fluid. Accept no substitutes, go look at Project Farm on Youtube regarding penetrating oils/fluids. LWPF beat out *all* the other stuff, except a torch to heat the bolts. You'll need it on the exhaust nuts so that they come off. You'll want a couple of 1/2" impact extensions. Yes, impact. Do not use the chrome ones, they'll torque up. And then you'll want a big breaker bar. Soak those nuts with LWPF, wait 30 minutes. Get a brass hammer, and bang on 'em a little bit. Then grunt and groan and spin them off a little bit. Then use your impact gun once they're loosened up a little bit, unless you don't have an impact gun, in which case a 1/2" ratchet, and have fun with that.
It is important to note: It's *entirely possible* that even though you did all what I said, you wind up breaking the stud off the manifold. That's going to then require you to take the manifold off and deal with that. And hey, maybe it's an excuse to get CARB legal headers... But anyway, that's why you do all what I said, to hopefully avoid breaking of one of those studs. That's going to put a crimp on your process for sure.
Other than those exhaust nuts, the system's pretty easy, just bulky and unwieldy, but if I can do it, you can do it, as Eric O.of South Main Auto Youtube Channel says. You have to take all that out to get the transmission out to do the clutch, and there's where I learnt about that LWPF. Nothing else worked, and I wasn't gonna get a torch up in there, I'd set the car on fire, my luck.
Installation is reverse of removal, easy peasy. Oh, I'd put Nickel anti-seize, same as used on the spark plugs, on that exhaust stud/nut setup. Just in case, y'know? It'll help. Aligning the tips against the bumper is fun, but once you figure it out it's fine.
Thanks for the reply Houtex. Loads of sage wisdom going on there. I'll definitely get some LWPF. I jacked the car up yesterday and looked at all the bolts. They don't look terribly corroded . So hopefully the LWPF will work a little magic.
hmmmm . . . I'm wondering if the cats are really bad, or if that was just the easy answer that also has potential to make that shop a lot of money. I assume you don't know them very well and don't know if they can be trusted.
Does anyone know, do cats really "go bad" while they are sitting in a barn? Maybe they just need to get good and hot to clean them out -- maybe try some high RPM driving?
Could be that the rear O2 sensors are actually bad, or some kind of wiring problem from the rear O2's . . . if the car was sitting in a barn for a long time, there could have been rodents or bugs or all manner of things that might have affected those wires . . . I think the first thing I would do, is get under the car and follow the wires and make sure they are intact. Then I might replace the O2 sensors, before I did the cats.
PS -- love that photo, not sure if I like the car or the barn/corn/sunrise better!
Thanks for chiming in, I appreciate it. You are correct. I do not know or trust the shop, first time I've been that as I pretty much just got here to L.A.
As I was driving my car from Ohio to Cali, I had it moving pretty quick when I got passed the Mississippi. I would think the cats would get hot enough then to clean them out? I didn't know that was a "thing".
I'll definitely try the O2 sensor and checking the wiring first. Good call.
. . . As I was driving my car from Ohio to Cali, I had it moving pretty quick when I got passed the Mississippi. I would think the cats would get hot enough then to clean them out? . . . .
yeah that probably would be enough and that was a bit of a stretch anyway, good luck and let us know . . .
All stock. No tune. 160,000ish. I was looking at trying to figure out if I can just turn off the sensors and remove the error code. The car won't pass the emissions check not because of anything coming out the exhaust, but because my check engine light is on. The car is registering a p0430 error code. I thought if I had a tuner I could cancel the code? Regardless, I don't have a tuner/programmer. So I thought I'd replace the O2 sensor today and see if that fixes things...fingers crossed.
The only way the rear 02 sensors can be turned off, is having a custom tuning shop vendor shut them off in the calibration tune itself. They also cannot be turned off by a hand held tuning device. However you can erase error codes, but they'll more than likely pop right back up until either the rear 02 sensors are turned off in the calibration tune or replace the rear 02 sensors, if you suspect they're causing the p0430 error code
if you turn off the rear O2's, that will kill the light on the dash; but generally the car still won't pass emissions because they check to make sure the rear O2's are functioning / not turned off
interested to hear if the O2 wiring or sensor(s) turns out to be the issue
As previously stated, the end user cannot turn off the rear 02 sensors with a hand-held tuning device. Only a custom tuning shop can turn them off within the calibration tune itself via tuning software. However thanks to the EPA cracking down with their stricter regulation policies, it's becoming more and more difficult to locate a custom tuning shop that would be willing to take the risk when it comes to violating federal EPA laws.
Last edited by m05fastbackGT; 1/29/20 at 05:02 PM.
Drew as a Kommyfornia resident I can tell you that California smog tests are tougher than you think. I put a cold air intake on my 09 V6 and although it passed the emissions it failed because the cold air intake was not on the "approved" list so I had to replace it.
Now if you talk to your smog guy or go to AAA they can tell you what cat's are approved for this state then go from there. If you install cat's that are not on the list you will end up changing them again.
1/22/20, 05:20 PM
But anyway, that's why you do all what I said, to hopefully avoid breaking of one of those studs. That's going to put a crimp on your process for sure.
