i got under the truck yesterday and tried to drop the cats from the bolts..the bolts wouldnt budge. does anyone have any idea how to get them off? i dont want to put in a straight pipe, i just want all the honeycomb/restrictive **** out. should i just drill all f the stuff out and hammer it out with a crowbar? if i can somehow drop the cats and the ypipe and a little further back because thats where the next clamp is, do i still need to do the non-fouler trick, or will i be fine? thanks guys.

 

penetrating oil (not wd4..it's the worst product ever made)...let sit for a day...try again.

if not, do you have an impact? then just crank them off...if they break, oh well, but another flange or two for liek $5.

 

So what is the benefit of just gutting the cats instead of putting straight pipes in?

 

I'd say a gutted cat would generate a CEL since it won't be functioning properly. If it does, then it's non-fouler time...

 

my original intention was to cut out the cat and put in a straight pipe....but after seeing the bends of the pipe in the cat and how the o2 sensor is in like the midle of the fukcing cat....it looks too dificult to put in a straight pipe, so i figured...just break up the stuff inside and get it all out so it hollow.....pretty much a straight pipe because theres no restriction..but i dont have to deal with cutting and welding and dealing with the o2 sensor. just put non-foulers in and gut the fukcer and ill be fine. am i right with this theory or no?

 

you see how the o2 sensor is not at the begining of the cat...but a little further back which is ON the cat, not on the pipe....i think this is why i should gut it and not put in a straight pipe.

i dont know why the pic isnt showing up. ill figure out how to get it up.

 

heres another. sorry for the bad pics it was taken on my phone

[IMG]local://upfiles/82482/D2C4662853334382B4626E33B73656A0.jpg[/IMG]

 

If you gut your cat, you will get a CEL. I don't see what a non-fouler will do, you will need an O2 sensor simulator, also called a MIL eliminator. Ebay used to have a universal one that I used on my '97 S10, but now they have some BS policy against selling them (or so I hear). Google it.

 

Ok, I had never heard of modifying a spark plug non-fouler in such a way. I was sitting here trying to figure out how the hell running them would eliminate the CEL, especially since it's not recommended to rum them in all your cylinders. I guess the theory makes sense.

 

The non fouler trick works great and it is CHEAP when compaired to the sims, without the non foulers I have CEL's; when they are installed the CEL stays off. The non foulers dont go in the cylinders, they go on the rearo2 sensor