(help) catalytic converter woes

[bowerss2]

hey all, i had a code saying that bank 2 cat was below nominal. so i change the downstream o2 sensor hoping that that will help. i pull the old one out, and immediately know that i am going to be returning the new one. The old one looks like it has been hit with a hammer, it is bent about 20 degrees from straight. i shake the exhaust and it rattles.

So it seems that the #2 cat let go, and is now working on plugging up my muffler.

three questions...

1) has anyone ever made a "test pipe" for their jeep

and

2) do they make O2 simulators that would work on a KJ?

3) as i am sure that my stock muffler is packed up with what used to be my cat, what is a good replacement that wont make my jeep sound like a ricer (kind of a hard one for a 6 cylinder)


if anyone has ever needed a new cat for their kj can tell you, a replacement is 2700 bucks, and that isnt going to happen. They dont do emission testing i MI, and a few of my other cars dont have one, so i dont need a lecture from Al Gore.


Cheers all

Steve

 

[ridenby]

WALKER Part # 15037 More Info {***No Longer Legal for Use in California***; Universal (Adapters may be needed) - Inlet/Outlet I.D. 2 1/4" - O.A.L.13 1/4"}
Modifications and/or additional parts required; Fed. & Calif. Emiss. Models. Not legal for use on OBDII vehicles licensed in the state of California

Part Image
$65.79 $0.00 $65.79
Add to Cart
WALKER Part # 16118 More Info {***No Longer Legal for Use in California***; Direct Fit}
LH; Fed. & Calif. Emiss. Models. Not legal for use on OBDII vehicles licensed in the state of California.

Part Image
$193.79 $0.00 $193.79
Add to Cart
WALKER Part # 16119 More Info {***No Longer Legal for Use in California***; Direct Fit}
RH; Fed. & Calif. Emiss. Models. Not legal for use on OBDII vehicles licensed in the state of California.

Part Image
$193.79 $0.00 $193.79
Add to Cart
WALKER Part # 50431 More Info {***No Longer Legal for Use in California***; Direct Fit}
If Welded Assembly, Replace All Required Parts; Fed. & Calif. Emiss. Models. Not legal for use on OBDII vehicles licensed in the state of California.

Part Image
$293.79 $0.00 $293.79
Add to Cart
EASTERN CATALYTIC CONVERTERS Part # 83425 More Info {Part is for non-California emissions and cannot be shipped to CA}
LEFT FRONT; UNIVERSAL-LEFT FRONT
* Non-stock item--shipping delayed up to 2 business days

Part Image
$76.99 $0.00 $76.99
Add to Cart
EASTERN CATALYTIC CONVERTERS Part # 10158 More Info {Part is for non-California emissions and cannot be shipped to CA}
LEFT FRONT; DIRECT FIT-LEFT FRONT
* Non-stock item--shipping delayed up to 2 business days

Part Image
$212.79 $0.00 $212.79
Add to Cart

This is from http://www.rockauto.com/catalog/raframecatalog.php

Hope it helps

 

[bowerss2]

thanks, but honestly not really interested in replacing the cats, the last time i used the universal cats on a car, i never got the check engine light to turn off. The only solution was to put a o2 simulator on the downstream. i am more concerned with the cat that is falling appart plugging my muffler.

 

[tjkj2002]

If you have a '02 KJ with the 3.7 you can get direct fit cats from Summit,includes all the piping also for less the $600 for all 3.

 

[kb0nly]

I would replace it all... Yeah i know your not interested... But an 02 simulator downstream on the KJ is going to make it run like a ****. There was a post over on another auto forum that i visit about a month ago from a guy in the same situation. I pointed him to this forum by the way, don't know if he joined yet.. (Rich if your lurking make your debut now... LMAO)

Anyway, he bought an o2 simulator and tried it, i used to have one on the downstream connector on the Neon we had because i didn't want to dump any more money into that pit. It worked for me in that case because the Neon only uses the downstream sensor to monitor the CAT condition.

Well on the KJ after he installed it he had all types of issues, decreased fuel mileage was the biggest, and then after a couple weeks he had other driveability issues come up, sluggish acceleration, and even stalling eventually. Well long story short he replaced everything, bought it all from Summit i think, and then it came back to life but still had a weird rough idle. Pulled the plugs and they were fouled. Replaced the plugs and the problem never come back. Here is the thing though, he said he replaced the plugs about a month before the exhaust problems...

So did the o2 simulator cause the computer to use too much fuel?? That's my guess, it was running too rich causing all his problems.

 

[Randal02]

Steve,

Any chance this work is covered under the federal emissions warranty?

Fairly new KJ owner here and I had catalytic converter problems just a month ago. (I bought used with 60,000 miles.) The check engine light came on so I had AutoZone scan and they said it was a catalytic problem. It ran fine, but two days later I was stranded on the side of the road with no warning.

All that being said, the dealer said both catalytic converters were plugged and needed replaced. Both were replaced under warranty, since I have less than 80,000 miles. The receipt said it cost them $1,200.

Are you less than 80,000 miles? I wonder if your troubles are "warranty-able".

 

[Warren.fischbeck]

The way the computers are programed makes making any change like that difficult. The only way I can see to run catalytic converter free is to find someone who can crack the computers coding, rewrite the algorithms so that the performance remains the same. Not a tall order if you've got contacts... It may be easier to replace the cats.

 

[bowerss2]

unfortunately my jeep has 81,000 (1000 miles out of warranty) miles on it, so the dealership told me to go pound sand when it came to the warranty.

would it be possible to replace it with a universal unit? i just can not justify spending almost three grand for the factory replacement, which is most of the exhaust system if you haven't ever seen it.

This is the first car i have ever owned with a cat on it. My truck had the cats pulled by the previous owner, and my corvette never had them to begin with.