Installed - New Catalytic Converter

[paulo57509]

I spent a few hours this morning installing a new converter in my old Legend. I think it took longer gathering up new nuts and bolts than actually doing the R&R.

As corroded as the self-locking nuts were, a little PB Blaster and a breaker bar prevented a groin strain.

Looks like the factory installed converter was made in the same place they made Japanese battleships in WW2. Might have been a left over torpedo body?

Installed. It looks like it should be installed with the attached heat shield facing the ground. But this is the only way it would bolt up. I re-used the old lock nuts; I decided not to use the new flange nuts I bought. I was unable to locate new 10mm lock nuts. Lock nuts with the nylon inserts were a dime-a-dozen, but nylon is NOT good for this application. No provision for re-installing the OEM lower heat shield.

CARB Exemption Number (Top Line). This is what we pay extra for in CA.

Emission re-test will be next Saturday. Hopefully, this will bring the HC numbers back in spec.

 

[beast3300]

Looks great! A job well done.

 

[Turk]

Does it run better...?

 

[eljefino]

Awesome! Shop around to sell your old cat; that would get >$65 here and probably more than $100.

I read Chris142 saying Cali won't let you sell old ones for more than a few cents so consider "smuggling" it out of state on your next road trip.

PS nice thick flanges'.

 

[Propflux01]

Where did you get it, and how much?

 

[Chris142]

The heat shield goes up. If you could put it down you would have a shovel that would fill up with brush and start a fire.

 

[paulo57509]

Originally Posted By: Tim H.
Where did you get it, and how much?


$214 shipped. I purchased from this ebay seller:

http://stores.ebay.com/Maximus-Speedicus

 

[paulo57509]

Originally Posted By: Chris142
The heat shield goes up. If you could put it down you would have a shovel that would fill up with brush and start a fire.


I thought about that before I bolted it in, but the OEM setup has a heat shield that bolts to the bottom of the OEM cat.

The cat would bolt up with the heat shield down if I had turned the cat end-for-end and rotated it 180-degrees so the heat shield was facing down, but the cat wouldn't seal because of the way Honda designed the gasketing.

Honda used these metallic, crush, o-ring gaskets. The o-ring groove is in the pipe on the engine side; the cat flange is flat on that end. The o-ring groove is in the cat flange on the muffler side; the exhaust pipe flange is flat. This essentially makes the cat a one-way-only fit even though the markings on the cat show flow in either direction.

 

[wiswind]

I ran into the exact same thing with the Walker Direct Fit dual catalytic converter "Y" pipe that I bought for my '96 Ford Windstar.
Only had heat shield on the top.
There would be no way for me to install the unit any other way.
Reduces the heat radiated UP into the vehicle.

One thing that did happen, the heat shields are tack welded in place.
I notice that yours are also.
Mine broke after a couple years, and the heat shields were loose.....rattling.
Solution, I used big hose clamp type fasteners that I bought in the plumbing department of the local big box home improvement center.
That kept the heat shields in place with no rattles.

 

[Merkava_4]

Originally Posted By: paulo57509

$214 shipped. I purchased from this ebay seller:

http://stores.ebay.com/Maximus-Speedicus


$408.28 + $9.59 shipping is what the same seller has mine priced at.

 

[paulo57509]

I brought the Legend down to the test place for the re-test this morning. Here are the numbers for comparison.

October 2010

Today!

The new converter dramatically improved the numbers across the board.

The re-test cost $8.25

 

[dailydriver]

Originally Posted By: Merkava_4
Originally Posted By: paulo57509

$214 shipped. I purchased from this ebay seller:

http://stores.ebay.com/Maximus-Speedicus


$408.28 + $9.59 shipping is what the same seller has mine priced at.


They are a few bucks cheaper than Summit Racing on the Magnaflows for mine.