Today i cut off those damn cats and they didn't look too bad, i put my fingers around the neck, and tried to blow into it, and holy moses, it was hard to blow through, there was some serious restriction, that lil cat is gonna cost me 1500 for a new rebuild. My advice, if you have had the same cats on for more than 10 years, cut them off right away, and replace with a straight pipe, or just hollow those little SOB's out.
The ironic thing is that i planned on getting rid of them the weekend before my engine went, but i never got around to it. Ah well, street port here i come.

~Matt

 

Mine still seem alright (85 GSL-SE, never winter driven, 230,000 kms) The engine runs great and I seem to have plenty of power.

Recently though I have 2 small leaks in the main cat. Just on the seam at the front corners. I'm thinking it might be starting to get clogged but I am not sure. It seems to me that at idle I don't have much pressure coming out of the exhaust pipe. One thing I did notice though is that the woman who owned the car before me ad the air pipe to the cat blocked off and so my auxiliary ports were not working. I've wired them open temporarily until I can hook them up to the ACV or the air pump.

Do you know how much pressure should be coming out back there? At idle? When reving the engine?

I was thinking of going to see the guys at Mazdees in Pickering this spring to have them remove the cats (I'll keep them of course in case Quebec ever brings in mandatory emissions testing) and put in a pipe with a silencer. He said he could do it quite inexpensively compared to installing an RB pipe and silencer.

Have you ever had any work done at Mazdees?

 

[offtopic]
Guackman come and sign up on http://www.clubrx7quebec.com
[/offtopic]

 

you know your cat is clogged when,,,[QUOTE]

you loose power.

 

clogged when..................your car is slow, overheat exhaust light is on, excessive gas consumption, or all of the above!!!

 

when your mani or cat is cherry hot red and you can fry eggs on it

 

LOL!!!!! i forgot that one!!!

 

Usually its the precats that melt and clog up the main cat.

 

OK, so I guess I just have a small leak in the main cat then. An annoying noise (not too loud) just a phtt, phtt, phtt kind of air leak sound, no real power loss or damage to the engine impending. I'ved looked at the engine at night and it never glows red. That's a relief.

Guess I'll just get them off and replaced with a more free flowing pipe and silencer to get a few more HP. Maybe the leaks at the seams can be welded closed for those times when I will need to reinstall the cats for inspections.

Thanks guys.

 

Just to give you an idea on cats,If im remebering right,MOST car manufactures reccomend replacing them after 60 or 70k,I think its 60k though

 

Guackman, I have a GSL-SE RB cat replacement pipe
for sale. $50 or make offer.

 

did you blow throught the mouth or ***? this can make all the difference in the world.

 

when the cats stuffs melts down. it turns into a brick of death.

 

Mark!

I been looking for you,I lost your info (addy) for the head lamp covers,

Do you have time?
What do you think shipping from Tampa to you for a couple will be, e mail me plz..Its been months!

 

you know you cat is clogged when you lift it up to your mouth to blow through it and die of heavy metal poisoning ... theres some nasty **** in catalytic converters BE CAREFULL!