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Stolen catalytic, need advice

Discussion in 'Gen 3 Prius Care, Maintenance & Troubleshooting' started by Andoo, Apr 10, 2021.

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  1. Andoo

    Andoo Junior Member

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    Hello,

    sadly last night someone stole my cat from my 2011 Prius 4. I created a claim on the insurance but I am not sure they'll cover anything. I will post a link to a video I made (https://photos.app.goo.gl/xoyBJuMvqBpLxAUE8), and will try to do a better one tomorrow where I'll try to catch more details.

    As far as I investigated, the OEM cat it pricey (~1800+ for the cat itself) and I need the o2 sensor as well.
    Is there a cheaper option, like those cheaper ebay cats (https://ebay.to/3g0cAho)? I am not sure it will fit my case as it looks like I'm missing the pipe, it at least I imagined it being longer.

    Did anyone else go through this misfortune and maybe can share the solution they went with?

    Thank you for reading this. I will try to update the post asap.
     
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  2. sam spade 2

    sam spade 2 Senior Member

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    There are about a million threads in the last year about this already.
    And now there are a million and one.
    Please search for the answer to the question before posting it yet again.
    Please.
     
  3. Georgina Rudkus

    Georgina Rudkus Senior Member

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    You are lucky that the thief was a professional. He or she cut out the cat exactly where it should be without destroying the engine exhaust preheater coolant lines, so there was no damage to the car's cooling system. The thief apparently used an exhaust pipe chain cutter - the cut being clean and round.

    The one on eBay will work just fine, however, you might but one from another vendor that includes a gasket and the spring loaded bolts that hold the cat to the exhaust manifold for not much more.

    The new cat will need to be welded on, which should be inexpensive at a local muffler shop. The muffler clamp that many eBay vendors include will not work.
     
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  4. ETC(SS)

    ETC(SS) The OTHER One Percenter.....

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    ^ That.
    You live in a somewhat freer state than those who are legally compelled to use an OEM replacement.
    Even in Bellevue this should only be a few hundred dollar fix.

    Get some quotes from local talent....with and without you supplying the parts.
     
  5. Georgina Rudkus

    Georgina Rudkus Senior Member

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  6. Georgina Rudkus

    Georgina Rudkus Senior Member

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  7. Georgina Rudkus

    Georgina Rudkus Senior Member

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    #7 Georgina Rudkus, Apr 10, 2021
    Last edited: Apr 10, 2021
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  8. Rocky Mountain Priusman

    Rocky Mountain Priusman Active Member

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    These dirt cheap Cat's cant actually be nearly as functional as an OEM cat, correct? I am assuming they are "fake" and dont really have any of the rare earth metals or internal makeup of an actual Cat?
     
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  9. Georgina Rudkus

    Georgina Rudkus Senior Member

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    They work,but with the minimum amount of precious metals needed to turn off the CEL light. If your state has emissions testing, it might not pass.
     
  10. ETC(SS)

    ETC(SS) The OTHER One Percenter.....

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    Most G2's will pass 49 state's emissions standards even without the catalytic converter.
    Toyota went overboard with the cat to meet some kind of goofy super-duper-ultra-REALLY-FREEKIN-LOW emissions standard.

    A "how low can you go" kinda thing.
    Ultra-low-emission vehicle - Wikipedia

    Priuses IIRC are SULEV whose emissions are 90% cleaner than the average new model year car...(with the cat)
    I'm pretty sure that even without the cat they would be close to meeting most states standards if you could (as some people DO) find a way to spoof the 02 sensor inputs. ;)

    Fortunately.....in 50 out of 52 states relatively inexpensive cats are widely available for those who just want....."low emissions" so it is actually easier and less expensive to just obey the law and meet reasonable federal standards.


    Unfortunately, relatively innocent people are getting injured and relatively sleezy people are profiting by a law with unintended consequences, and the local dot.state.dot.gov is fresh out of rats to give about.
    Fire season is starting back up, rolling blackouts are right around the corner (again) and certain economic woes are present, along with non-trivial parts of the tax base looking to become ex-pats, and a recall election is on the horizon - something that, curiously, REQUIRES actual names and actual signatures to be verified against a list of for-real, legal residents....;)
    (who knew?)

    Me?
    I have people at car auctions looking for PRC exports. :D
     
    #10 ETC(SS), Apr 10, 2021
    Last edited: Apr 10, 2021
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  11. Andoo

    Andoo Junior Member

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    Thank you guys for your input and stories on the topic. Here in Bellevue it is quite expensive even to weld ($380). What I did is:
    1) buy the cata from ebay for $120 (link:https://ebay.to/3wREJgu)
    2) buy the downstream o2 sensor from amazon for $34 (link:https://amzn.to/3sepKdg)
    2) install it in Tacoma for $120 (vs $380) (link:https://tinyurl.com/57pzzbsw). I'll need to take the car there for an additional $120 on a truck (ask for number).
    3) install a cata shield from amazon for $160 (link:https://amzn.to/3wUxdS0)

    Overall damage estimated to $600. I plan to have this fixed by the start of next week. If YOU are in the same region as me (Redmond 98052) reach out to me and I can share more details on the process. Hopefully it will help you too, I looked for this combo a week and reached out to everyone I knew here.

    PS. if something will not fit, I will let you know. I will also update this thread with the status.
     
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  12. Andoo

    Andoo Junior Member

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    Yes, this is the only positive note in the deed, it could have been much worse. The cata I mentioned above does come with the gasket and bolts. Hopefully no other surprises will arise.
     
  13. Andoo

    Andoo Junior Member

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    I appreciate your input and I do agree there are a lot of topics on the forum. Believe me I've investigated for a few days before posting my own, reason being I failed to locate one that would describe a cheaper way of fixing the issue, as most I reviewed involved either doing it via an insurance claim or installing the whole thing with the muffler ($1800+ if not in CA). For a car that is currently worth $7000 on the market, this would have been too much, especially if the insurance premium would increase after it and the insurance company will get their money back multiplied. It did not make sense to me as well because my comprehensive is $1000 and I can manage to fix it in less.
     
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  14. Georgina Rudkus

    Georgina Rudkus Senior Member

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  15. Andoo

    Andoo Junior Member

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  16. peripatetic pri

    peripatetic pri Junior Member

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    Andoo, Hi; I'm in your region, so if you can d/m me re your repair, I would appreciate.
    I'm a little confused: do all cat c repairs require welding?

    Also, could I get some input as to Miller Shield - has anyone had another theft after installing one of these?

    Do they really take 2 hrs to install? And do they require any welding?
    Thank you!
     
  17. Georgina Rudkus

    Georgina Rudkus Senior Member

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    There is no straight section of pipe between the stolen converter and the preheater exchanger. The end of the exchanger is tapered and will needed to be welded as it was with the original..

    The new cat will need to be bolted in and aligned and fitted with the heat exchanger and tack welded on the bottom, where it is accessible.

    Then the converter with the exchanger needs to be taken down to complete the weld at the joint all around.

    After welding, the whole assembly is reinstalled just like with the factory original.
     
  18. Andoo

    Andoo Junior Member

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    beside the bolt the thief left this piece (https://photos.app.goo.gl/cjgz2y8RXzpjskDKA) and I am not sure where to fit that. Does someone recognize it and can point where it should be fited?

    Updates: the cata fit perfectly, I only need to weld around. I tried running the care on freeway for an hour and after 40 mins I got the check engine (P0402). I hope this will dissapear after I weld it in, and not cause by the side that is bolted in...
     
  19. Georgina Rudkus

    Georgina Rudkus Senior Member

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    The piece is a heat shield. It is fastened with 7mm plastic push in rivets. See it installed in this photo.

    view from front.JPG

    If you installed the Cat Shield, you do not need to replace it,

    Cat Defender.jpg



     
    #19 Georgina Rudkus, Apr 17, 2021
    Last edited: Apr 17, 2021