Just installed my new catalytic converter
02-10-10, 03:02 PM
#1
Just installed my new catalytic converter
So I just installed my new magnaflow 2"in/out converter. It was easier than I thought. I worry that it will get beaten to death by the hot pulsey rotary fury, but it only cost me 48 shipped, and the car is my daily driver, and I was sick of smelling like rotary goodness at work. It was causing problems at my job, ha ha!
I can't tell if I've lost any horsepower, but it feels like it accelerates about the same, and it sounds TONS better! Smoother, less metallic, raspy. It sounds pretty good now. It sounded terrible before, probably due to the muffler the PO put on. It had a rb 12a header, pre-silencer, stock pipe, into a pacesetter lame-o muffler. Not super loud, but annoying and terrible sounding. I just hacked up the stock midpipe, and welded up the converter. Now it sounds much better. I love it, and best of all, no stink! I hope it lasts... Time will tell... I'm hopeful, since I don't accelerate hard often, mostly mellow driving.
I can't tell if I've lost any horsepower, but it feels like it accelerates about the same, and it sounds TONS better! Smoother, less metallic, raspy. It sounds pretty good now. It sounded terrible before, probably due to the muffler the PO put on. It had a rb 12a header, pre-silencer, stock pipe, into a pacesetter lame-o muffler. Not super loud, but annoying and terrible sounding. I just hacked up the stock midpipe, and welded up the converter. Now it sounds much better. I love it, and best of all, no stink! I hope it lasts... Time will tell... I'm hopeful, since I don't accelerate hard often, mostly mellow driving.
02-10-10, 04:38 PM
#3
Carparts.com I almost went with the walker superconverter. 55 shipped from jegs. I'm not sure if I made the right choice or not. I was dissappointed in how thin the SS metal in the magnaflow tuned out to be. I don't know if the walker would be any better. Don't get me wrong, I've only seen pros and no cons from this mod.
02-11-10, 12:04 AM
#6
No, no air inlet hooked up. I'm not sure if it will be an issue or not. I'm already getting a little rotten egg smell on occasion, which may be because I have no air inlet, I think. It might be running too rich for the cat's liking. If it causes probs, I might rejet the carb, and/or get an air pump and hook one up (although i'd need to buy a different converter or cut a hole in this one).
Yeah, I get the impression that walker/dynomax stuff is top notch (at least for piston applications) If the magnaflow can't hack it I'm gonna try a walker.
I placed the cat as far from the engine as I could. Even so, I think it gets hotter than it needs to be. After 10 seconds of idling, it is warm enough to work it's magic... which is great, but under acceleration I worry its too much heat. My wife's saturn takes a good 5 minutes before the cat's magic begins. I don't know if that's an indication of how the converter is handling the heats or not, it's just my assumption.
Maybe if it gets cooked I'll put a cat at the end right where the main muffler should be, then a stubby main muffler afterward...
After all the trial and error I will probably have spent more than what a good rotary specific bonez cat would have, but I'm hoping to find something inexpensive for us cheapo's to use reliably, and I don't mind spending a bit to be a guinea pig.
Yeah, I get the impression that walker/dynomax stuff is top notch (at least for piston applications) If the magnaflow can't hack it I'm gonna try a walker.
I placed the cat as far from the engine as I could. Even so, I think it gets hotter than it needs to be. After 10 seconds of idling, it is warm enough to work it's magic... which is great, but under acceleration I worry its too much heat. My wife's saturn takes a good 5 minutes before the cat's magic begins. I don't know if that's an indication of how the converter is handling the heats or not, it's just my assumption.
Maybe if it gets cooked I'll put a cat at the end right where the main muffler should be, then a stubby main muffler afterward...
After all the trial and error I will probably have spent more than what a good rotary specific bonez cat would have, but I'm hoping to find something inexpensive for us cheapo's to use reliably, and I don't mind spending a bit to be a guinea pig.
02-24-10, 04:54 PM
#7
Update. So far so good. The converter is working great, and its not robbing any noticeable power. The car still sounds tons better, in loudness and quality of sound. It seems to be holding up to the heat very well, probably cause I placed it further back.
I highly recommend trying a basic catalytic converter if you are having trouble getting your car quiet and/or non-raspy sounding, despite trying different mufflers. Or if you are getting sick of the smell of toxic rotary goodness.
I am very happy with the result.
Also, I can now drive and have fun without the paranoia. It really keeps the cops off my back. Full throttle is fairly quiet.
The cops in my town seem to equate mph with sound level. I got pulled over once, (I wasn't speeding, or accelerating hard) and the cop said, "you were going pretty fast there." I told him I wasn't speeding, I hadn't even reached the speed limit. And the cop actually said, "no I heard you going fast" I didn't end up with a ticket, I don't think his radar was even on, but, yeah... that's how the cops here roll. Ha ha!
I highly recommend trying a basic catalytic converter if you are having trouble getting your car quiet and/or non-raspy sounding, despite trying different mufflers. Or if you are getting sick of the smell of toxic rotary goodness.
I am very happy with the result.
Also, I can now drive and have fun without the paranoia. It really keeps the cops off my back. Full throttle is fairly quiet.
The cops in my town seem to equate mph with sound level. I got pulled over once, (I wasn't speeding, or accelerating hard) and the cop said, "you were going pretty fast there." I told him I wasn't speeding, I hadn't even reached the speed limit. And the cop actually said, "no I heard you going fast" I didn't end up with a ticket, I don't think his radar was even on, but, yeah... that's how the cops here roll. Ha ha!
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02-25-10, 10:12 AM
#8
i would reccomend installing the split air tube onto the converter. make sure your air pump is working properly and you have full function of the air control valve. the air pump will help to supply fresh air to the converter to not only help clean up the emisions but to cool the converter. the rotary engine's exhaust temps can melt an aftermarket converter rather quickly.
02-26-10, 12:20 AM
#9
Ok sounds good. I was hoping to avoid that, since the previous owner removed he air pump and all smog gear, (of both my FB's, ha ha) so I'll have to find some smog gear, i guess.
Do you think that since I got a 3 way converter that supposedly works on less O2 than the old style converters, I can get away with the system as is, or will I need to set up the air pump system? And the converter is far from the motor to stay a bit cooler?
By the way, my town doesn't have smog testing.
Do you think that since I got a 3 way converter that supposedly works on less O2 than the old style converters, I can get away with the system as is, or will I need to set up the air pump system? And the converter is far from the motor to stay a bit cooler?
By the way, my town doesn't have smog testing.
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