Catalytic Converter Removal

How does the cat come out? Clamp or weld?

I'm replacing it with a "special" cat, and don't even know how to do this. All I remember was, when I did my muffler, I needed a torch.

The cat should be clamped in place.

That's it? It wouldn't budge. Hmm.

Main reason for doing this, is the driver side cat is smoking badly, and at the tailpipe, has a nasty crunching sound.. Obviously that cat is bad..

Try heating the bolts with a propane torch.
That will get them loose.

You actually want to heat the part of the flange that the bolt goes into.
Get it good and hot and try to break the bolt loose, do not apply to much force, when it is ready to go, it will not take much force to move the bolt, apply to much force and you risk breaking the bolt off and will require you to make another post on how to remove a broken bolt.

When reinstalling the new bolts, apply some anti seize so when you go to remove it in the future, the bolts will come right out without applying heat

That's it? It wouldn't budge. Hmm.

Main reason for doing this, is the driver side cat is smoking badly, and at the tailpipe, has a nasty crunching sound.. Obviously that cat is bad..

you will need a propane turbo torch at the least..get the flange to glow red then place your socket on the bolt and gradually apply rotating force...as the socket cools the bolt, the bolt will shink slightly, then you will get some rotation...if it locks up stop ! then repeat with more heat...

normally when I expect to do these jobs giving a few hours of soaking with a high quality penetrating oil ...helps..

up in the rust belt this would be impossible because the bolt would be so rusted not much left to un screw...most always here its got to be drilled out ...

Hmm, surely a muffler shop around here will be willing to help getting the cat off, and ahem, making it "special" if i tell them it'll be an off road car?

Hmm, surely a muffler shop around here will be willing to help getting the cat off, and ahem, making it "special" if i tell them it'll be an off road car?

Depending on local emission laws, some shops wouldn't touch it.

I usually cut off all clamps with an air grinder and buy new ones. You can also over tighten them and break them off. Then you have to separate the converter from the header pipe. Some have a flange, some are tube to tube slip fits, which are no longer slip fits on a car that age. If you are working on your back on the driveway with just hand tools, lots of luck.

You may also have to deal with a tube that goes upstream to the AIR system. They have universal kits for these at NAPA and other places.

Bob

The money saved buying a OEM, or aftermarket catalytic converter online, is worth having a muffler shop do the welding.