I can't believe how much trouble this stupid exhaust is. I have never seen a converter so hard to remove.

I have my muffler out, the cat hanging loose, the o2 sesnors out and every bracket off. Yet the damn thing will not slide out.

I noticed it sometimes hits the oil filter, do I have to remove that.


Then lastly how do you bang out the cats if the pipe isn't straight??

 

I got the bastard out, easily the hardest cat I have ever delt with and I have done a few. My gas milage is crap even after a major tune-up. I have a feeling its the cats, I give a darn about losing power, I want better mileage.

But there is no straight shot into the cat, so how do you bang them out???

I have searched here, but everyone just says "bang them out", I need specifics.

Do I have to cut and weld/bracket???

if so I may just throw this thing back on and buy a aftermarket. If I had known it would be a PITA and I would have to remove my oil filter I would have just left it alone.

 

I sliced the side of my cat open with an angle grinder and peeled it back, removed the guts with a hammer and a pry bar, then bent the side back down and welded it shut

 

can't weld, I may get a kit down the line, but I think I am going to concede defeat. And keep with 9mpg for now, and just order a new cat. I am just tied up with some other cars now, I was trying to just "rig" my truck for now.

 

Nolazach:

I feel your pain. I'm only getting 10mpg. I just bought it 4 months ago and already thinking about trading the SOB in on a Frontier.

 

I wish I could almost slap everyone who made it seem like gutting cats is easy.

I swear this is harder than the plenum fix and the timing chain combined.

I tried to fit a piec of conduit into the cat and now its stuck. So I can't do a thing with it. I am so enraged I think I will just take a sledgehammer to it and scrap it, then order the magna flo and never again try to gut a cat.

If the cat dosen't have a straight inlet. IT CAN'T BE GUTTED. tHE 5.2 CAN'T BE GUTTED.

Without welding or using clamps in the front. either way, I made a huge mistake, now I can't even drive my f'n truck.






DON'T EVER GUT YOUR CATS!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

how about driving a small pipe or piece of re-bar in beside the stuck pipe. that might break up the guts enough to wiggle out the original pipe. don't drive it all the way in, just a little at a time and try to work all the way around the stuck pipe.

 

really i just cut everything off behind the cat, right before the 02 sensor. and gutted it. there is still some stuff in there. but i just avhe it open until it all blows out, then im gonna weld the system back up minus the tips, the only part is getting everything out. its been two weeks of driving with practically straight exhuast and there is still a few things left in the cat...

 

I cut a hole in the of the converter and after taking everything out of it, we just welded it back up. This may not be the best thing for the exhaust, but it sounds alot better then listening to the rattling noise.

 

Not to rattle anybodies cages but you dont buy a Damn ole dirty gas eater for milage. Mine is completly stock and low miles ect.. 11-12 maybe.. On my work trk I jus used the rebar techuqie like dhvaughan did. Lot of time not much work.