Death Rattle

[Mike Spataro]

I have been listening to a rattle as I go through the gears on my 92. Mtx, recently rebuilt and on the road. Got underneath to change oil and a general inspection of the exhaust and found one catalytic converter with a definite rattle when I give it a hit with the palm of my hand. The second converter is not rattling.
Looks like a new Y pipe is on my list OR has Anyone had success with just changing the damaged converter in a muffler shop?
I checked with Summit Racing and was quoted $ 299. for a replacement Y pipe with converters. Has anyone had luck with Summit??
Thanks for the response. Mike

 

[pjtoledo]

Mike Spataro:
I have been listening to a rattle as I go through the gears on my 92. Mtx, recently rebuilt and on the road. Got underneath to change oil and a general inspection of the exhaust and found one catalytic converter with a definite rattle when I give it a hit with the palm of my hand. The second converter is not rattling.
Looks like a new Y pipe is on my list OR has Anyone had success with just changing the damaged converter in a muffler shop?
I checked with Summit Racing and was quoted $ 299. for a replacement Y pipe with converters. Has anyone had luck with Summit??
Thanks for the response. Mike

Was it just the heat shields that rattled? If so, no big deal, just harmless noise. A couple of stainless steel hose clamps would fix that.

Perry Toledo,Ohio

 

[luigisho]

Depends on what the shop feels like doing actually. I agree with Perry though, loose heat shields are often the culprit which are no big deal to fix.
Summit is a reputable company. Is the y-pipe a higher flow design? If indeed you need to replace the y-pipe I would look into the sho shop or performance plus ones for replacement.

<small>[ July 22, 2002, 09:13 PM: Message edited by: luigisho ]</small>

 

[Mike Spataro]

Thanks for the responses. The heat sheilds (on the outside of the cat)are still intact and welded. The rattle is coming from the internal part of one convertor. Seems to me that the ceramic element could be loose and broken. When I checked with Summit customer service rep. he said the convertor pipe is made by CATCO. It takes 2 weeks to special order the convertor pipe. I assume it will be a stock replacement for $ 299.- and not a high flow type but I will call again and let you all know. Thanks for the help. Mike

 

[sdpatt]

Been there, done that, with pictures.

http://www.shoforum.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=17;t=000930#000000

 

[luigisho]

I'm not too sure about those catco pipes but my intuition says look around some before you order and take delivery. It's been a while since they've been brought up. I would run a search in all the sections to see what the feedback was concerning these.

 

[Mike Spataro]

Thanks for the input. I will definitly search out the CATCO information and replace the cats ASAP. SPATT pics were very informative. I will keep you posted.

 

[Mike Spataro]

Here is an update for direct replacement cats. Sho Shop, no stock for 3-4 weeks delivery, hi flow cats with aluminized pipes @ $ 379.- plus shipping......Performance plus, in stock, $ 525.- plus $ 15.- shipping, hi flow cats and I think all S.Steel pipes..... Summit Racing, Part # 4525, 2 weeks delivery, 10% higher flow over stock, aluminized pipes with ss cats, 50K or 5 year warranty on the cats $ 299.- with $ 8.- shipping. Discount converters LTD same description and part number from Summit, claims to have higher flow over stock cats as the honeycomb is larger, price after negociating is $ 309.- with $ 20.- shipping, in stock.
Local Meineke dealer will cut out the one broken cat and weld in a new replacement for $ 150.-
My pocket says $299.- My gut says $ 525.-

Your comments will be appreciated if anyone has experience with Discount Converters or Summit. Thanks, Mike