im new ,i have a 97 dodge ram 1500 4x4 5.9L engine .it started making a rattling noise from underneith maybe lose exhaust .then it wasnt long after that it started losing power.the shop i took it to said the catalytic converter is clogged and needed to be replaced,and it would cost around $400. can it be taken off ,do i need it?[&o]

 

You will need 1 if the state you live in tests your exhaust during inspection.Here in Maine I took mine and hollowed it out.Mine broke apart inside and was clogging the muffler.

 

mine does the same. Youll be fine if you dont have emmisons checks. The slow rattle will eventually become bigger like mine and drive you crazy. I would reccomend replacing it but $400 seems a litttle steep. Look around, at summit racing they have one for like 90.00 dollars. The local autozone has one for 130.00 dollars too. Well, good luck my friend, im in the same situation.

 

As long as you dont live in California buy one off summit or from a local autoshop and just have a muffler shop weld it on. If you live in California you are be spending 400+ easy.

 

I had mine done at a local shop replaced cat and muffler one in one out and dumps behind the rear axle for $370. My mileage was about 10MPG with the bad cat and is up to about 14 MPG in the city now. Today I drove 278 miles and got an almost unbelievable 19.2 MPG all interstate at about 75MPH and 93 octane. And my truck doesn't rattle anymore to boot.

 

Why is it so expensive in California?

 

All of the emission laws that are horrible

 

Can an individualreplace a cat in California or does it have to be done by an authorized repair shop?

 

I had the same problem. Mine started to rattle and I just ignored it for a long time thinking it was a heat shield or something. When I finally replaced the cat, the honeycomb inside the cat had broken loose and went into the muffler and clogged the muffler. Now, because I waited so long, I have to replace the muffler also. When I replaced mine, I sit down with the yellow pages and started calling. I got prices everywhere from $650 to $150. I ended up spending the $150 for universal hi flow cat and installation.

 

gut dat biotch, lol i gutted mine, its the thing to do now adays, i had that same clunking, peices of the cat had broken off in there and thats why u hear the rattlin