chunk of catalyst broken off in catalytic converter

[theshadows]

My cat has a chunk of catalyst that broke off and rattles when at low rpm's and the engine is cold. After the engine warms up it's not quite as bad but still there. I crawled under the blazer and beat on the cat and I can hear it rattling inside. If I take the cat off would it be possible to shake the broken piece out?

If that won't work has anyone had any luck with any of the cheaper after market cats that you can buy on the internet? Do they match up with out having to do any mods?

Thanks

[ZL1power69]

you may be able to pull the cat and just dump the broken pieces out. as for aftermarket cats, there are ones that are a direct replacement and others that are universal and would need to be welded in. universals would be about $50 and direct fits will be about $100-$200.

[DelCoch]

If you have state emissions to pass it's best to get an OEM replacement. Some of the ones sold on eBay won't get you through emission.

[vtmecheng]

I had that happen two years ago and if you have to pass emissions then you need to replace the catalytic converter. If yours is like mine there is a flange that connects it to the muffler with three bolts. This flange is a known problem because the bolts thread into it and tend to break off when being removed (all three of mine did). Trust me that it is worth just buying a direct fit catalytic converter, it will save you a lot of time and even more aggravation. You can buy direct fit catalytic converters from Summit Racing, I got the Catco brand and passed emissions with no problem.