To Californians. Catyletic Converters...

[kronus]

yeah, a friend just installed a "direct fit" one. It's a 2-into-1 design, which is wrong, and it still requires a bunch of welding and generally isn't great.

I got a magnaflow dual in/out universal (for an e34) and passed just fine.

[bmwstephen]

bump thread revival!

anyone ever tried the magnaflow direct fit versions instead of the universale ones?

for us californians, aftermarket is the only way to go because they don't even allow brand new OEM ones in your car anymore. DEC brand has crappy fitment despite claims of it being a direct fit.

[tjts1]

Check the MAX HC and NO numbers for your specific car (model year, engine, trans) before going in to smog it. The MAX limits change every year for each specific combination based on a super secret BS formula CARB uses to decided if too many or too few cars are failing smog.

http://www.smogcheck.ca.gov/pubwebquery/cutpoints/ShowMake.aspx

This will give you an idea of how strict the smog check for your car will be. If you MAX HC at 15mph is down to 80PPM or below, watch out.

Also before you run out and buy a new cat, replace the O2 sensor first. Its much cheaper. I took my old mercedes 190e 2.6 (primitive KE-jet) with 175k miles and it failed 15mph HC and NO was also close to failing. The Smog tech said I need a new cat. I replaced the 3 wire O2 sensor ($44) and and it passed the next day with extremely low numbers. First test top, second test bottom.


A new cat can mask a failing O2 sensor but why bother when the O2 sensor is much cheaper.

[Raven Tooth]

I didn't need to get a replacement catalytic converter for my car to pass emissions, but performance peddler quoted me $117 shipped for a proper, CARB legal replacement cat. I did a lot of research on this (over a months' worth) and that was the cheapest price I could find for a legit part....CARB Executive Order number included so everything would be nice and legal.

Jon

Was this for a direct fit cat or one that you needed to get welded on?

[E30Nova]

Eh, I've never seen smog shops actually look at the cats and/or ask for the EO numbers. Guess it depends on the shop, though. *shrug*

Matt

[Jon325i]

Wow screw that. I think I paid like $70 or so for a universal Magnaflow cat on ebay.

Matt

I didn't need to get a replacement catalytic converter for my car to pass emissions, but performance peddler quoted me $117 shipped for a proper, CARB legal replacement cat. I did a lot of research on this (over a months' worth) and that was the cheapest price I could find for a legit part....CARB Executive Order number included so everything would be nice and legal.

Jon

[E30Nova]

Wow screw that. I think I paid like $70 or so for a universal Magnaflow cat on ebay.

Matt

[SoEm0]

yeah magnaflow cat's can be had from auto zone. it was $177, i know this only because i have one sitting in my back seet ready to be install.

[güber325]

Sorry for bringing this up...but my cat is BAD! its got a loud Scratching noise coming from it whenever i'm off the throttle. Its coming directly from it. So...im looking for a replacement. The magnaflow cats wont ship to CA it says. Do the smog people really check the actual cat? to see if its "CA Legal"? I need some advice. What should i get. Also...our "downpipes" from the exhaust manifold are 2" right? so it'd be dual inlet 2" and 2 out?

you need to buy a replacement one specific to the m20 on their website.
that is why they will not ship you one that is not BAR/CARB legal becuase it is not legal in CA...
If you really want a "off road use only" one, check ebay and see if somebody will ship to you in CA.

[Jean]

I also got my magnaflow ca cat from http://www.performancepeddler.com/ , fast shipping and great price. Numbers were super low.

[E30Nova]

Magnaflow cats are garbage.

Really? Is that why I went from gross polluter status to practically zero emissions just by installing a Magnaflow cat?

Matt

[gazellebeigem3]

* Cadillac converter

[36brua]

Ok - so you suspect that your cat is just about toast and you mentioned you did a 2.7i w/ cam not too long ago. A few questions....

1. What all did you do for this 2.7? A complete & fresh rebuild or pieced-together used stuff?

2. What ancillary components were replaced?

3. Just how close to failing was your car at the last smog? Within single digits of the maximum allowable?

4. Was it hot out that day and did you warm up the car thoroughly prior to the test?

5. What kind of pre-test prep did you do before that last smog test?
-Valve adjustment?
-Fresh oil & filter?
-Check/repair any vacuum leaks?
-Seafoam fuel treatment?
-91, 89 or 87 octane in the tank?
-Is your clutch fan and thermostat functioning properly?
-Age/mileage on ignition system (coil, plugs, plug wires, cap, rotor, etc.)

6. Did you go to a "test only" shop or one that does smog repairs too? The latter may try to screw you by making your car fail - offer a repair to get some $ from you - then voila! Car passes. (this actually happened to my father once on a Honda Accord with 50K miles)

Earlier this year (May to be exact) I had to deal with getting my E30 to pass a smog test. A couple years ago it was very close to failing despite having a relatively new universal cat installed. This year, having the same concerns you do, I did some homework before going in and here's what I learned....

Call around to TEST ONLY facilities and ask about doing a pre-test. These are legal in the state of California and typically shouldn't cost as much as a normal "official" test. Essentially what they do is smog your car but the results aren't wired off to the DMV afterwards. They give you a print out of the results and you can see what areas of the tailpipe readings is close to failing..the HC (hydrocarbons), CO (carbon monoxide) or the NO (nitrogen oxide).

Two years ago my smog test results showed very high readings for HC at 15mph (just a couple points away from failing) while the CO and NO readings were well within passing range. What I learned from talking with a couple of mechanics, as well as some online research, was that high HC readings usually are the result of worn or failing ignition system components. Since I was not sure of the actual age/mileage of these parts I decided to replace the plugs, plug wires, coil and cap & rotor. I also put in a new O2 sensor while I was at it. Changing these out knocked down the numbers of the HCs for both 15mph and 25mph considerably....while CO were good but the NO was getting close (most likely a tired catalytic converter....these universal things are junk).

If your NO (NOx) readings are suspect, the culprit can be: high combustion temps...like 2,400F+...the result of lean mixture, improperly functioning cooling system, malfuntioning oxygen sensor, spark advance issues, failing catalytic converter.

Excessive CO readings are the result of: dirty air filter, faulty O2 sensor, bad thermostat (tricking the engine to either richen or lean the fuel/air mix to compensate).

In addition to the above-mentioned repairs, I also did the usual stuff you should consider standard practice when smogging an E30 in California....fresh oil & filter, new air filter, two cans of Seafoam (one in the tank, the other siphoned through the intake at the throttle body), made sure no vacuum leaks existed, sprayed the engine with some Simple Green and hosed it off (a clean engine is less likely to raise the test tech's eyebrows vs. a dirty looking engine), and lastly I went for a 30 minute drive and kept the engine revs up most of the time to get the cat hot. Thankfully there were no other cars being tested when I arrived so the car was promptly put on the rollers and tested before the car cooled.

As for California-legal replacement catalytic converters, they are out there and you can buy them....just do some research. Magnaflow makes one, it is part #36037 which is a single 2" inlet and dual 2.5" outlets, has one O2 sensor port and a ceramic honeycomb substrate which meets CARB standards. Various vendors carry this item and prices vary accordingly. The best price I found was at http://www.performancepeddler.com/. Another vendor to research is http://www.drivewire.com/. Whatever you do, don't buy from Magnaflow directly....their prices are highway robbery! To validate that is part is CARB legal, here is the offical document from the Air Resources Board...complete with Executive Order number to boot: http://arb.ca.gov/msprog/aftermkt/de...o/D-193-86.pdf

I hope this long-winded post has answered some of your questions/concerns.

Jon

^ thanks for the info !

[Jon325i]

Sorry for bringing this up...but my cat is BAD! its got a loud Scratching noise coming from it whenever i'm off the throttle. Its coming directly from it. So...im looking for a replacement. The magnaflow cats wont ship to CA it says. Do the smog people really check the actual cat? to see if its "CA Legal"? I need some advice. What should i get. Also...our "downpipes" from the exhaust manifold are 2" right? so it'd be dual inlet 2" and 2 out?

Ok - so you suspect that your cat is just about toast and you mentioned you did a 2.7i w/ cam not too long ago. A few questions....

1. What all did you do for this 2.7? A complete & fresh rebuild or pieced-together used stuff?

2. What ancillary components were replaced?

3. Just how close to failing was your car at the last smog? Within single digits of the maximum allowable?

4. Was it hot out that day and did you warm up the car thoroughly prior to the test?

5. What kind of pre-test prep did you do before that last smog test?
-Valve adjustment?
-Fresh oil & filter?
-Check/repair any vacuum leaks?
-Seafoam fuel treatment?
-91, 89 or 87 octane in the tank?
-Is your clutch fan and thermostat functioning properly?
-Age/mileage on ignition system (coil, plugs, plug wires, cap, rotor, etc.)

6. Did you go to a "test only" shop or one that does smog repairs too? The latter may try to screw you by making your car fail - offer a repair to get some $ from you - then voila! Car passes. (this actually happened to my father once on a Honda Accord with 50K miles)

Earlier this year (May to be exact) I had to deal with getting my E30 to pass a smog test. A couple years ago it was very close to failing despite having a relatively new universal cat installed. This year, having the same concerns you do, I did some homework before going in and here's what I learned....

Call around to TEST ONLY facilities and ask about doing a pre-test. These are legal in the state of California and typically shouldn't cost as much as a normal "official" test. Essentially what they do is smog your car but the results aren't wired off to the DMV afterwards. They give you a print out of the results and you can see what areas of the tailpipe readings is close to failing..the HC (hydrocarbons), CO (carbon monoxide) or the NO (nitrogen oxide).

Two years ago my smog test results showed very high readings for HC at 15mph (just a couple points away from failing) while the CO and NO readings were well within passing range. What I learned from talking with a couple of mechanics, as well as some online research, was that high HC readings usually are the result of worn or failing ignition system components. Since I was not sure of the actual age/mileage of these parts I decided to replace the plugs, plug wires, coil and cap & rotor. I also put in a new O2 sensor while I was at it. Changing these out knocked down the numbers of the HCs for both 15mph and 25mph considerably....while CO were good but the NO was getting close (most likely a tired catalytic converter....these universal things are junk).

If your NO (NOx) readings are suspect, the culprit can be: high combustion temps...like 2,400F+...the result of lean mixture, improperly functioning cooling system, malfuntioning oxygen sensor, spark advance issues, failing catalytic converter.

Excessive CO readings are the result of: dirty air filter, faulty O2 sensor, bad thermostat (tricking the engine to either richen or lean the fuel/air mix to compensate).

In addition to the above-mentioned repairs, I also did the usual stuff you should consider standard practice when smogging an E30 in California....fresh oil & filter, new air filter, two cans of Seafoam (one in the tank, the other siphoned through the intake at the throttle body), made sure no vacuum leaks existed, sprayed the engine with some Simple Green and hosed it off (a clean engine is less likely to raise the test tech's eyebrows vs. a dirty looking engine), and lastly I went for a 30 minute drive and kept the engine revs up most of the time to get the cat hot. Thankfully there were no other cars being tested when I arrived so the car was promptly put on the rollers and tested before the car cooled.

As for California-legal replacement catalytic converters, they are out there and you can buy them....just do some research. Magnaflow makes one, it is part #36037 which is a single 2" inlet and dual 2.5" outlets, has one O2 sensor port and a ceramic honeycomb substrate which meets CARB standards. Various vendors carry this item and prices vary accordingly. The best price I found was at http://www.performancepeddler.com/. Another vendor to research is http://www.drivewire.com/. Whatever you do, don't buy from Magnaflow directly....their prices are highway robbery! To validate that is part is CARB legal, here is the offical document from the Air Resources Board...complete with Executive Order number to boot: http://arb.ca.gov/msprog/aftermkt/de...o/D-193-86.pdf

I hope this long-winded post has answered some of your questions/concerns.

Jon

[Jean]

Magnaflow makes universal AND CA specific cats, you can call them and they'll tell you which one you need or use their online tool to figure it out.

Depends on the smog place, if they care about their job/place they will look at the numbers on the cat to verify it's the correct one.