Another cat bites the dust

[sdpatt]

The second of the two catalytic converters on my Performance Plus Y-pipe has turned to dust and ceramic rocks. Only three years and 44,000 miles have passed since I first installed the pipe on my car on 10/30/99. The rear bank cat was replaced this February, but there was an indication of damage to the case from striking a piece of road debris that could have been a contributing factor in that cat's failure.

The front bank cat that is being replaced today, did not have any such impact. I have to say that I am sincerely disappointed in the quality of the cats that the Performance Plus product was originally equipped with. I have already stated my disappointment in the cats of the SHO Shop pipe that didn't even last this long.

This was not a repair that I was planning before heading South tomorrow to the Lone Star SHO Club's Fall Run around Kerrville and Bandera, Texas. The repair should be complete by the time I am finished with work this afternoon with the much appreciated efforts of my favorite Midas shop. The moral of this story: maintain your car well, replace what wears out and fix what breaks. This just goes to show you that to keep a car running properly, sometimes you just have to "pay the freight."

<small>[ October 31, 2002, 01:45 PM: Message edited by: sdpatt ]</small>

 

[AutoSHO]

On a slightly different note, I have been considering a new exhaust setup, but am not completely sure as to its feasibility. What I am considering doing is getting a catless Y-pipe, and wrapping it with the header-tape that holds heat in the pipe, then placing a cat just after the Y-pipe joins into a single pipe. Do you think this will hold enough heat in the pipe to light-off the catalytic convertor, and keep it from experiencing too much rich-mixture? I think it should work, but I do not have too much experience in this area. Thanks for your advice!

 

[fricker66]

Scott, hate to hear of the problems with the cats. Hope mine last a tad longer than 44k!! I can't recall anyone else posting problems with their PP Y-pipes. I guess we'll see how far I get with mine. I assume Midas is able to install a high-flow unit of their own??

Have fun on the fall run!! Hope you guys post plenty of pics from the event.

 

[luigisho]

Just thinking Scott, do you think the superchip may have had it running a little too rich for the cats to hold up? It's really odd that you have had that many cat failures especially considering how meticulous you are with maint.

<small>[ October 31, 2002, 02:45 PM: Message edited by: luigisho ]</small>

 

[sdpatt]

The Superchip enrichment effect may have been a contributing factor, but that source of mixture error has been removed from my EEC. My problem with the chip was excessive pinging in the low and middle rpm ranges. The spark advance was just too aggressive for my engine and its control system. I now would just like to preserve the parts and performance that I now have and not stress them any more than necessary. That chip in combination with my engine was a known source of preignition. I don't want to risk the health of my senior citizen engine THAT much.

 

[shojuan]

Boy am I glad that I ordered a catless SHO-Shop y-pipe! No cats for me to worry about.

Rick