punching out cats...

[Evil5oh]

So I took off the y-pipe, and I cut the pipe to gut the first cat and there was nothing in it. Does that mean the catalyst is plugging my exhaust up somewhere else, or would it have all blown out?

 

[loosenut]

If you can feel good pressure on your hand from both mufflers at the tips I would not think it is clogging anywhere. Having seen the inside of Ford cats before, I don't think there is anyway that the pieces could have broken down small for it all enough to exit the pipe much less the mufflers. Ford uses square passages in theirs as opposed to those that use little balls. I could be wrong though but I don't think I am. Are you the only owner the car ever had? Pehaps another owner already gutted it for you.

 

[Evil5oh]

Well this is the deal. In order to gut the cats on this pipe, at least the cat that was empty, you have to cut the y-pipe off at the end of the cat because of the bend in the pipe, and the lenght of pipe before and after the cats. This pipe was never cut, and knowing the guy I bought it from (first owner), he didn't even know what a spark plug is, or what the cams were when I asked him if they were welded. The cat definately "emptied" itself.

I thought I had a plugged up cat, but now I am thinking the system is plugged further back, maybe in front of the third cat.

 

[loosenut]

Measure to where you think it is plugged, then run a fish tape down it and see if it goes past there or measure the tape to see. You could always put something a little larger on the tape if you are worried that it might slide by the stopage. Just a thought.

 

[Evil5oh]

Well all the catalyst that came out of one of the front cats was plugged up against the 3rd cat. I have the front 2 punched out, and the pipe welded back togethe, but the car is still a little down on power, and I know the 3rd cat has some crap in it yet -- I can feel the car still doesn't have all its power back yet. I am just gonna take that one off and punch it out as well.

 

[SASHO91]

I REALLY wouldnt drive it at all, if your saying that there is still loose catalyst in the exhaust. As the moment you let off the throttle, that stuff will get sucked back into the engine..... not good.

Gut that third cat, or better yet, put in a straight pipe. Then try your best to get all the catalyst you can out of the system.

 

[Evil5oh]

There isn't loose catalyst in the exhaust, I cleaned it all out -- all the catalyst was up against the front of the third cat, the rest of the system was clean. The third cat is plugged up. It just needs to be punched out or replaced.

 

[SASHO91]

Well all the catalyst that came out of one of the front cats was plugged up against the 3rd cat. and I know the 3rd cat has some crap in it yet --

I thought you meant that there was still crap in it...


gotcha.

 

[Evil5oh]

Yeah, there was a bunch of crap in the front of the 3rd cat, but I hooked up the shop vac to the front of it, plugged off the tailpipes, and got it all out. What a mess by the way, lol.
I can still see that there is some crap plugging up the catalyst in the third cat, so I am going out right now to punch it out.

 

[SASHO91]

once you get done....
you need to put a sound clip up!!!!!

 

[luigisho]

Just cut the third cat off and replace with some straight pipe.

 

[2 4shofast]

I had some sound clip of mine posted a while back without any cats....I have the cutout on there too where the 3rd cat use to be/// Its almost unbareable with it open....and it is a little kackaly with out cats and just flowmasters...but too late now...lol

 

[Evil5oh]

I'll try to post a clip when I get back to WI. I am actually suprised at how quiet it is with the front 2 gutted, and only the 3rd one still in.