Impact of removing catalytic converter

[Ford Man]

Federal law used to allow an individual to remove the cat, but I think the fine was $25,000 if a garage was caught removing it for you. Back in the '70's I had taken them off of a couple of my cars, you could buy replacement pipes that bolted up in place of the cat. I gutted one once because it was stopped up I don't know whether the replacement pipes are still available or not. I can't recall it ever doing much for fuel efficiency, but it allowed for the use of leaded fuel without the worry of stopping up the cat. I ran one car for about 200,000 miles like that and when I sold the car the person I sold it to ran it another several thousand miles. Leaded fuel was cheaper so several people I know had done this.

[VetteOwner]

ya replacement pipe in any autoparts stores, about foot and a half long, a connector and 3 clamps, be done in an afternoon...

[GasSavers_maxc]

[QUOTE=maxc;106470]On some newer systems the rear 02's can effect fuel mixture trims. I don't know all the models? I am not an expert on it. Just the small change in back presser with effect it.[/QUOTE} Start 24 minutes into the 6/19/08 hot line date. http://installersupport.info/teleconference.htm That mod would be different if you remove the converter.

[pagemap]

It's really irresponsible to remove your cat, as you are fouling the air that everyone needs to breath. The air doesn't belong to you, so please don't be so selfish.

[VetteOwner]

you pay me $70 for a new one then ill do it :P

that and its a chevette... not like a v8 caddy lol

im sure our lawnmowers pollute more than my car...

[GasSavers_JoeBob]

Originally Posted by VetteOwner

you pay me $70 for a new one then ill do it :P

That's part of the cost of car ownership.

that and its a chevette... not like a v8 caddy lol

That makes it better?

im sure our lawnmowers pollute more than my car...

Yeppers. I've seen figures of 93-100 times as much per gallon. Some folks would like to add a cat to lawnmowers...others say that would create a safety concern because of the extra heat...especially if it is used around dry grass. Ya make some folks happy, ya make others unhappy. If it concerns you (and it probably should, but that's your call) you can use an electric mower. I think a battery powered mower with a solar charger would really be tits. Or use a human-powered push mower like I did until it got broken...now I use an electric string trimmer. Works just fine, especially in my weeds which I try to pass off as a lawn.

BTW VetteOwner...I'm not trying to bag on you, I'm just in a "mood" this evening...

[GasSavers_Randy]

One impact of removing it is that you piss off anyone behind you. You know when someone's gutted their cat... it smells like they just started up, but doesn't go away as they drive.

There's basically only 2 parts that make cars cleaner: the cat and the carbon canister. The rest is just to support them. Without a cat your emissions are way worse than any lawnmower, at least a couple hundred times worse than it was with it. It's just selfish and stupid.

[VetteOwner]

Originally Posted by JoeBob

That's part of the cost of car ownership.



That makes it better?



Yeppers. I've seen figures of 93-100 times as much per gallon. Some folks would like to add a cat to lawnmowers...others say that would create a safety concern because of the extra heat...especially if it is used around dry grass. Ya make some folks happy, ya make others unhappy. If it concerns you (and it probably should, but that's your call) you can use an electric mower. I think a battery powered mower with a solar charger would really be tits. Or use a human-powered push mower like I did until it got broken...now I use an electric string trimmer. Works just fine, especially in my weeds which I try to pass off as a lawn.

BTW VetteOwner...I'm not trying to bag on you, I'm just in a "mood" this evening...

nono i understan d i go off on tangents too

yes i remember my dad telling me a story when someone parked a state car in some tall grass while investigatign and caught the grass on fire from the cat...

i think the larger tractors and maybe riding mowers need cats but not the 3hp pushmowers ya know? if i used electric or human power mowers it would take me prolly 6+ hours in somehitng i can do in 1-2 using a riding mower...not to mention tryign to find 500+ feet of extensioncords

no havign a chevette doesnt make it better BUT since mine is a 4 banger it automatically polutes less than a v8.

ya it does stink, it does keep some people off my bumper at redlights tho. also while driving, (doesnt keep everyone off, wish i had rearward facing spearguns or somehting) but once its really warmed up it doesnt smell bad at all.(not any worse than a lawnmower)

[101mpg]

The Honda CVCC was able to pass California (the strictest) emissions in the early 70's WITHOUT a cat. Federal laws immediately went into effect, because a cat MUST use heat to power it, thus dropping mileage, meaning more gas usage.

I am not knocking the use of cats to control harmful emissions, BUT the truth is that natural gas can burn without the use of a cat, INDOORS even, without doing anything other than increasing CO2 levels, just CO2 and water are the byproducts.

The gasoline that is in today's vehicles is a less clean mixture than that of 50 years ago, except for no lead. The problem is 50 year old engines weren't designed to burn it efficiently.

Even fuel-injected engines still spray wet gas, not vapor. Only the vapor part burns. Once someone releases plans to the world on how to run an engine solely on gasoline vapors THEN we eliminate our dependence on foreign oil, and not before.

376milespergallon.com

It CAN be done, we just don't have it in mass production on a current safety standards vehicle.

[ShadowWorks]

Originally Posted by 101mpg

The Honda CVCC was able to pass California (the strictest) emissions in the early 70's WITHOUT a cat.

True

a cat MUST use heat to power it, thus dropping mileage, meaning more gas usage.

True

Even fuel-injected engines still spray wet gas, not vapor. Only the vapor part burns. Once someone releases plans to the world on how to run an engine solely on gasoline vapors THEN we eliminate our dependence on foreign oil, and not before.

Smokey Yunick for one made a hot vapour engine, there are probably 100 others I have never heard of.