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Old Oct 4, 2011 | 01:23 AM
  #11  
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Originally Posted by Mike98Blazer
The only TRUE way to know if the cat is for sure used up is to have it taken apart by a specialist....The car will give you a good idea though (lack of power, Cat may rattle, Cat excessively hot) I'll be honest though i just had my cat replaced 3 weeks ago, and it's the first time in the trucks life the exhaust system has been touched since it was built. so 13 years and 145k miles it lasted.....truck will likely be worn out before another cat goes bad.
I have 140K miles on this one, recently cut the factory cat off cause I thought it was my engine problem, but it still looks brand new.. So I poked out my bottom lip and had it welded back on. Damn that MAF!

I guess a good healthy converter says its doing right though. Atleast I now know..

Don K. Why not just have the right one installed, so you don't have to worry about it anymore? I'm not trying to be a smart mouth, really. I just wondered if you know something I don't.
 
Old Oct 4, 2011 | 06:54 AM
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No problem. good luck!
 
Old Oct 4, 2011 | 08:21 AM
  #13  
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Don, as long as you keep the engine in a good state of tune, you won't have to worry about the cat. They typically never wear out - they melt from misfires/excessive fuel or plug up from oil contamination. There's always a reason for the cat to go, & it's never the cats fault.

Most vehicle breathe better without them, but removing it altogether depends on where you live. Makes the truck alot louder, so if you live in a place like MA that's full of treehuggers & yuppies, you'll get pulled over constantly - in that case it's not worth the trouble. That's the reason I'm keeping mine on my current project.
 
Old Oct 4, 2011 | 08:28 AM
  #14  
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I've got 154k on mine and it's the original and seems in good condition, although on long trips the passenger floor gets awful warm.. not sure if that's normal or not.....
 
Old Oct 4, 2011 | 09:45 AM
  #15  
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Yeah mine didn't go bad per say, The glue that holds the honeycombs (or whatever they use to hold them) went bad and the combs were rattling around. Still functional but annoying. Sorry i should have mentioned that before LOL
 
Old Oct 5, 2011 | 07:58 AM
  #16  
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Yep - another failure mode I forgot to mention. Usually from high-centering, or just years of driving on roads like the ones found in MA ...
 
Old Oct 5, 2011 | 11:44 AM
  #17  
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When yesterday to have cat problem looked at. They put a simulator (so called) on it. It is what ya'll talked about(same as sparkplug fouler setup.) Just sets rear o2 sensor back a little out of direct exhaust fumes path. Reset ses light. So far so good. Will update if problem repeats. Thx for all help.

btw orig reason for removing cat 5 yrs ago was a rattling in the cat. Like mike talked about in earlier post.
 
Old Oct 5, 2011 | 02:57 PM
  #18  
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Originally Posted by Don K
When yesterday to have cat problem looked at. They put a simulator (so called) on it. It is what ya'll talked about(same as sparkplug fouler setup.) Just sets rear o2 sensor back a little out of direct exhaust fumes path. Reset ses light. So far so good. Will update if problem repeats. Thx for all help.

btw orig reason for removing cat 5 yrs ago was a rattling in the cat. Like mike talked about in earlier post.
Glad to hear you got it fixed up. Hope it stayes that way for you.
 
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