I gutted my cat. I cut the pipe after the cat, and i took a 3 foot threaded rod. I took out 02sensor and just put the rod into the pipe and hammered it and broke it up, then id start it rev it up and spit the pieces out...i was able to get it all out. Then just a 2 1/2 inch coupling and put the pipes back together. Ive been running it like that for a year and a half and my truck still runs excellent with 228,814 miles. Shes louder but it sounds good with my muffler. I get a check engine light maybe once every 6k miles but i just turn truck off and turn it back on and no more engine light doesnt ever run rough...

Cheap fix...total cost about $10, and about an hour of time

 

been thinking of doing this myself, however i'd need to make mine hot swappable as I need to do emissions every 2 years. i have a '97 with the 2 in 1 out cat which is a bit of a PITA compared to 00-01. in the OP's case, it would be better to cut the cat out and replace it with a Y-pipe like this:

http://www.autoanything.com/exhausts...A2680A0A0.aspx

i believe 94-99 have the 2" in and 2.5" out. has anyone used this y-pipe on a 2nd gen ram before?

 

My cat got gutted while it was at the shop last week (I have no idea why, I didnt have any symptoms of it being clogged) and with a 12" glasspack, it sounds terrible, like mega white trash. Ill probably be going back to the 28" thrush soon.

 

i'm in the same boat as the OP. i'm looking at doing away with the cat entirely and just clamping on a Magnaflow Y-pipe and welding a short straight section of pipe to it. catch is i need to make this hot-swappable every 2 years so i can throw the cat back on for my e-test, then replace it again with the straight pipe right after. i've heard of people using this y-pipe:

http://www.autoanything.com/exhausts...A2680A0A0.aspx

anybody here try it on a 2nd gen? are the pipes spaced the correct length apart to offer up to the pre-cat pipes? correct me if im wrong but for the 94-99 trucks i believe its the dual 2" in and 2.5" out.

$35 bucks plus some scrap pipe and a couple clamps sounds like a good deal to me to fix a rattly POS sounding truck, have less restriction, and crank up the decibels.

 

Yep, 2" in 2.5" out. You would have to figure out what to do with the o2 sensors with that y-pipe, thoughj.

 

Why would a shop gut your cat for you? Did you ask them to? Couldn't they get in trouble (same as you or I) for doing that? I would make them buy me a new one if it were me and report them if they refused.

 

They said it was bad, and my dad gave them the okay. Thats all I know.

 

the jegs y-pipe fits 94-01. pics here.
https://dodgeforum.com/forum/2nd-gen...-this-fit.html

 

Okay, Im confused after reading this column. I have been having this weird problem with my truck, that at times it will run rough and bluish smoke pours out, and the strong smell of gasoline. The plugs get carbon fouled. It doesnt run this way all the time, just half the time. I was told by several that it maybe the cat was clogged, or it had been gutted. I went to a muffler shop, and the guy told me that you have to have the cat, otherwise the computer will get the wrong readings from the oxy sensor, and dump a bunch of gasoline into the engine. Made sense to me. So I had him check it. Sure enough, the cat had been gutted, so he put in a new cat and pipe. The truck actually ran much better, it had a faster acceleration to it. It still does the rough running, smoke thing-but not nearly as bad as it did, and I no longer smell excess gasoline.. So I was convinced I needed the cat, until I found this discussion.
My question to you is, if you do away with the cat, what about the oxy sensors? Mine only has one on it, but still-wouldnt that mess with the computer to just remove the sensor as well? Is this guy at the muffler center just messing with me?

 

^ it is the job of the O2 sensor to monitor the chemistry of the exhaust stream and report that back to the PCM. after adequate warm up, the pcm constantly adjusts the fuel mix to both: run correctly and produce minimum emissions (unburned gas, unburned oxygen).

so - the front/precat O2 (the only O2 in 94-95) is critical to the engine running right. don't remove it.

O2 sensors are only monitored after warm up. so if your rich condition is when engine is cold, it might be some other problem. on the other hand, if it happens when warm, you might need to replace your O2 sensor. they should be replaced about every 60-100K miles.

edit- your muffler guy gave you a line of bull. you don't have to have the cat for the engine to run correctly. you DO have to have the front/precat O2 sensor for the engine to run correctly. you only need the CAT to comply with emissions control.