Can I replace the CATALYTIC CONVERTER?
 

hi all....

i have a 1992 SL1. No idea how many miles because the odometer stopped working about 16 yrs ago. I've managed to keep it running good all this time with the help of many of you on this forum...and the repair manual.

theres something rattling around inside the catalytic converter. its making an awful (and embarrassing) noise when i start the car and at low idle. I'm sure its the converter because when i bang on it, whatever is inside rattles around. Something in there broke off and is just floating around.

can i replace the converter myself or will i need to take it to a shop for cutting/welding?

Thanks
cadman

95 percent of the time this requires cutting and welding wich i believe to be the case on your car. But check this first. In my 97 there is a heat shield that runs the entire legnth of the exhaust. Its tucked up in between the floor boards and exhaust piping. I had a similar noise which i tracked to be the heat sheild was loose. This is more of a DYI fix if it is the problem. Also if the cat is going bad you would more then likely notice the car being down on power and the cat may have a red glow after driving a distance.

Might even have to weld the heat shield itself ....

the external head shields rust off like nothing here in the northeast winters,
if you only do the cc it's a cut and weld, but parts are available that start with the downpipe from the exhaust manifold which include the flex pipe and the converter. This part has the exhaust flanges on both sides so thee is no cutting or welding.

Not sure how much I'd want to mess with the studs at the downpipe on a 20 yr old ride,

Just throwing the info out there

I'll double check the heat shield...but it felt pretty snug to me.

I'll post what i find

thanks guys.

Yeah - that northeast salt will play havoc with the undercarriage.

If its still the OEM cat on there then it should be a mater of cutting off the
rusted bolts, disconnecting 02 sensores and fitting in an aftermarket to oem exact size fit,
and new hardware and screwing back the 02sensores, and being done.

I got back under there this weekend...def not the heat shield. that thing is nice and tight from front to back. its clear that something in the cat converter broke off and is rattling around in there. I didn't have time to attempt to remove it, like brags suggested....but it looks like hes right. i can see a couple of bolts. i'm just afraid that after i try to get them off i find that i can't do it and i wind up making things worse. But i guess all i can do is try and see what happens.

thanks

Good luck getting it is fixed. Little noises like that drive me crazy lol.

Yes that noise is the catalytic converter. The material on the inside has deteriorated and come loose. The noise is the stuff rattling around in there. While it may not be causing anything other than an embarrassing noise, it is also partially plugging the muffler or exhaust pipe while running and this can and probably is causing an engine over heating problem. It might be minor but I would be willing to bet on long drives the heat gauge slowly creeps up into the Red. You may have driven it a long time that way or you may yet drive it quite a while and do more than experience noise and some minor overheating symptoms.
But it is a problem that needs a solution and the solution is a new catalytic converter so to answer your question yes you can.
It will need welding, so if you are a welder the problem should be solved easily and if you are a welder, you know that.
However if you are like most of the rest of us you can't weld so take it to a muffler shop and have a new catalytic converter installed.
The going price should be around $150.00 to $200.00 and there is nothing special about the catalytic converter. It should be a no brainer. Around here the one used most often is a generic High Flow unit, one size fits most everything. I have used one on two different cars. It works fine and lasts a long time. That price assumes your exhaust system does not look like a piece of Swiss cheese. If it does, all bets are off as to the price quoted.
Mine did that, a new cat solved the noise and also solved a minor overheating situation. That is solved, the interior is fixed, the radio speakers installed play my country music, the hankook tires drive like new and except for the paint-----SWEET!