running no cat

[BlitzKeg]

yea. my cat is clogged....I'm assuming its due to a bad thermostat which might be stuck open.....anyways its been clogged for about 2 weeks now.

It's driving me nuts every time I have to drive it. I'm toping out at 60mph if I'm lucky and it takes aprox 1 min to reach that speed,.lol I've got to drive it for the next few days to work. I work 30mins away.

I know a shop that will do a universal cat and weld for $180. but I can't get that till next week.

anyways my question is, would it be bad if I just took the cat off and ran it without it?



I drive a 2000 chevy blazer 4dr 4x4... its a damn good truck. I realize it will set a dtc off but I'm only gonna have the cat off for about a week.

I figure it would be louder and maybe even sound like shit but the rattling cat already sounds like shit....., but I'm curious if it would cause any more mechanical problems?

any input or past experiences would be great thanks.

[old_master]

It will not cause any damage to the vehicle running without the catalytic converter. The PCM will turn the SES light on and flag a P0420, and possibly others also. After the new converter is installed, the SES light will go out by itself once the PCM runs the catalyst monitor and it passes. You can also clear the codes manually.

[TheBrettster]

Ehh but its illegal.

[blazes9395]

Originally Posted by TheBrettster

Ehh but its illegal.

It is illegal, but if its only for a short time, its better than running the risk of damaging the engine, specifically the exhaust valves. This depends on how bad the clog is though, if its really bad it could damage, but if its partially clogged, most likley not. At any rate, I would pop it off if it was for about a week and live with the Service Light, as old_master mentioned.

[BlazerLT]

The post cat sensor will detect a richer than usual misture seeing there is no cat in place and will lean the fuel misture a little more than desired as well.

If you are going to be removing the cat, unplug the post cat sensor altogether for the time it is out.

Also, you are getting hosed on a universal cat install of US$180.

The cats can be purchased off of ebay really cheap and the install is not that hard.

I suggest buying the cat yourself and having them install it.

You will save some big money.

[TheBrettster]

BlazerLT,

Are high flow cats illegal? I know my cat is getting bad and i'm just wondering. Not trying to steal topic :0

[BlazerLT]

Nope. completely legal everywhere other than maybe California.

[TheBrettster]

Dang Cali LOL