!Cat question

[pugmire]

Technically, isn't it illegal to remove catalytic converters from a car (at least a street driven car) regardless of whether you are subject to emissions testing or not? Just curious.

[Joe 1320]

Yep.

[Benm109]

Yes. You know, I was reading an old car book not to long ago and it says that it is illegal to replace a catalytic converter until the car has 100,000 miles on it. The book is old though (probably around 91-92). I am not sure if that is still true but it that sounds real stupid to me. What if it fails at 25,000 miles?

[AmericanZ28]

Here in california, the cat can only be replaced if the vehicle has 50K + miles, or is approved by a certified smog station (I think). No one will know if you change it anyways, so I dont think it will be a big issue.

[Benm109]

I didn't think anyone would really care, either. There are plenty of cars without cats around here (no emissions testing) and I never here about people getting in trouble. Why? Because no one cares enough to worry about it.

[Jeff_in_Atl]

There is a federal regulation that says it is against the law to remove any working catalytic converter. That includes upgrading. It does not matter whether a state has inspections or not. It is illegal.

I got pulled over one time by a small town cop who said my 85 Mustang GT was too loud and he wanted to see if I had converters on it. It was all BS. He wanted to hassle me. I let him crawl under and look. My car had 3 chamber flowmasters and were not very loud.

Yea I'm full of stories so here's one for ya'll.

Here is what happened. I pulled up to a traffic light in the left hand turn lane. There was no one else around. The road I was turning on had 4 lanes plus a center turn lane plus a right turn lane so that is 6 lanes wide. Across the 6 lane road from me the cop pulls up in the straight lane. Right before the light turned green, the cop turns right (the same direction I was going to go) out of the center lane. That's one illegal lane change. Now he turns into the left lane on the other road. That's the second illegal lane change. The light turned and I turned into the correct left lane behind him. He proceeded at 25 mphs on a 45 mph road. There was no one around. I waited back there knowing he just wanted me to pass him. After about a half a mile of that, I said the heck with it and changed lanes and pasted him. He then pulled right in behind me and sped up. He turned on his lights and pulled me over. He said he could hear my car at the light which is absolutely impossible seeing how it was idling, pointing away from him and across 6 lanes and his windows were rolled up. No offense to the police officers on this board but I have been hassled like this dozens of times. You can imagine my opinions about cops. That cop made the decision to pull me over at that light purely because I drove a Mustang GT. He was profiling. Well it was funny to watch him get down on all 4 to look under my car. He couldn't do anything at that point. See ya jerk.

[FORMULA FANATIC]

The cat conv has a honeycomb ceramic type material in it that is easily broken up and removed. That's what I do because we don't have emissions inspection. Makes it open and free.

Phil

[Jay 02 TA ws6]

Originally posted by FORMULA FANATIC
The cat conv has a honeycomb ceramic type material in it that is easily broken up and removed. That's what I do because we don't have emissions inspection. Makes it open and free.

Phil

Actually... just busting out the innerds of a cat often cause horsepower losses... and wicked raspiness.

There is no way you can bust out the insides of a cat smoothly so that the exhaust flow is improved, unless you put a pipe through the inside of the cat.

Back me up Fred or Joe.

[wako29]

Around here we just take a torch and cut the two small welds on the top of the cat, gut it, and weld it back together. We do all the work on the top of the cat so that nobody can see it, even with mirrors and all.

Oh, and for hurting performance, I really don't see how. Its more of a PITA than anything, and after so many miles, it gets so clogged up that it actually chokes down exhausts. I've seen it many times before.



So, is it illegal? Yes.
Does anybody but Cali really care? No. Well, unless you get Barney Feif (spl?) who want to harass you because you drive a nice car.

[grimy]

I just bought some Random Tech cats. They came with some paperwork that stated under section 203(a) (3) of the Clean Air Act, the converter can only be replaced:
1. If the vehicle is missing a converter
2. If a state or local inspection program has determined the existing converter has been lead-poisoned or damaged or otherwise needs replaced
3. If the vehicle is more than 5 years old or has more than 50,000 miles and a legitimate need for replacement has been established and documented.