Catalytic Converter

Just a quick question. Whats the diffrent between a reg. Catalytic Converter and a california emmisions Catalytic Converter? I know the price is huge but is the inside of the cat diffrent as well? My girlfriend needs one (2000 impala 3.4)and its like 700.00 from auto zone but if I got the regular one that is not california emission is like half the price. I did find some cheaper ones on line but the price between the two is still huge. Just wondering what would happen if I put A regular one on. I will need a direct fit becouse theres not much room to work with if I use a univeral one plus the inlet is way bigger then the outlet. I havn't been able to find one that (universal) is not the same size on bot ends. Just woundering. Thanks guys

If you have a California emissions car you have to get a compatable cat otherwise the car won't run right and you'll never clear the CEL or pass inspection, especially if you have a smog check where you live.

Check for a universal cat, see if you can find one. They can be more expensive to put on than a full bolt-on kit, but the difference in the installation costs is much smaller than the cost of the unit. Just make sure that the cat isn't covered by a warantee first because the emissions system is warranted differently than the rest of the car.

I know Parts America sells universals through their website -- check them out, you might be surprised. Just make sure you get a California one if you need it!

I'm thinking a lot of the emission components are covered for 8 years, mandated by the feds??? Am I close??

Yes, they are, but under very strict conditions. If the maintenance schedule was not followed meticulously, they federal warranty doesn't apply. If there was another issue that lead to the failure of an emissions component, the warranty is void, etc.

After reading the federal emission warranty, it makes it sound like it would be very difficulty to ever be able to apply the warranty to a normal user.

-Rod

Would help if I read this a bit better. Okay, so I goofed a bit -- but this site claims to have a direct-fit replacement with no mention of "except California" on the one I looked at. So, maybe you can pick one up for a couple hundred isntead of the $700. I don't have the time right now to contact them to ask about whether it's compatable or not for your application. Since my computer isn't letting me copy/paste right now, you can check out their site and search for a cat there. Good luck!

www.autopartswarehouse.com (http://www.autopartswarehouse.com)

Ah, got it working -- here's the link right to the section you want. The ones not approved for CA emissions are clearly labled and are about $40 cheaper on averge.
http://www.autopartswarehouse.com/search/?D=chevy+catalytic+converter+impala&Ntt=chevy+catalytic+converter+impala&Dx=mode+matchallpartial&Ntk=Main&Ntx=mode+matchallpartial&N=4294967022+2268&Nty=1