Safest way to remove exhaust/catalytic converter from wrecked Prius?

I'm only half joking, but might be safer to roll it over. I wouldn't trust using jack stands on that ground. However if you've got some spare lumber, that might be a better option.

 

It’s not. Without knowing how the collision might have weakened the body or changed the car’s center of gravity, I don’t know that anyone could specify points for jacking or support that would be adequate to protect someone working underneath the car from the danger of being crushed.

It might not be worth the effort, just for a catalytic converter, but if you have the time, tools, skills, and a way to dispose of the debris, I suppose you could dismantle the car from the top down. I wouldn’t try to roll or tip it without the proper equipment and some careful thought about what might shift or leak. Indeed, the possibility of leaking fluids or a fire is one reason I’d recommend just having the car removed at once for proper disposal.

See the Repair Manual and Collision Repair Manual (more info) for information about the body structure and parts, and the hazards involved in handling some of them, such as the airbags and seat belt pretensioners. Also, I don’t often get to link to the HV Battery Dismantling Manual, but it’s appropriate here, just as reminder on the hazards of the hybrid system and hybrid battery, which might have been damaged in the collision.

 

4x4 flip on side 20 min removal whole system . No one hurt no one under fall hazard they're to side of . I used to do daily at Southside auto parts Durham NC and I had an industrial fork truck at my disposal too .

 

Maybe jack the front up and slide high ramps under the front wheels. At least that gets the front up a bit. Perhaps place several jack stands all around the rest of the vehicle, anywhere that seems stable, and keep the jack tight and steady raised up as as well somewhere. Its hard to say without seeing underneath, but be careful.. a collision like that, it can be quite unpredictable what has been compromised and what hasn't.

 

The front of the car is relatively undamaged and should be structurally sound. Get some 2x6 or 2x8 (or even wider) lumber and cut it into 16 inch long pieces. Get a low profile floor jack and lift each front corner of the car a bit at a time while stacking the lumber under the front wheels. You can use the lower control arm right next to the wheel as a jack point while doing this. Once you get about 10 pieces under each wheel, you should have enough height to get in there. Don't even think about going under it until you've lowered it down so it's 100% supported by the blocks of wood. You can also add your jack stands at the side of the car as back up if desired. You could do a similar method just using the passenger side front and rear tires.

If you have floor ramps, and some wood, you can jack up the same corners, position some wood under it, then position the ramp on the wood to eliminate "soft ground" problems. Floor jacks also work much better on dirt if they have a piece of plywood under them.

 

I had the same thought, rolling it over would be safer than any sort of lift. No way I would go under it.

If the rest of the car is going straight to the crusher, that is, you don't care about saving any other part of it, I suppose you could pull out the seats, center console, and carpets then cut down through the floor to reach it. However, it would be about an order of magnitude more work than rolling it over and then removing the cleanly exposed components from the new "top".

Depending on where you are, it might not be legal to sell the cat.

 

Just advertise on Craigslist for a catalytic converter thief, then buy it from him when he gets it cut off.

 

Hook a chain to the top of the passenger door (open the door), run the chain over the roof to the driver side and pull with the 4x4, slowly to turn it on its side. Need at least 20-30 feet of chain.

Or get a tow truck to do the same with a winch.

 

To the last guy talking about hooking to the window frame and pulling with the 4x4 pretty much what I was going to say but I don't have a 4x4 vehicle I was talking about 4x4 posts of wood but even better than that is two pipes 12 ft long 2-in galvanized steel get them halfway under the car on the side My Camry would be turned around with a heavy rope with a grappling hook or hook on the end of it from my receiver over the roof inside center post . I put tension on the rope the two guys each grab one of the 12-ft pipes and not too crazy start to lift up whilst I'm pulling the car actually will generally gently roll right over pretty slowly and then it will just lay there once it's on its side it's really not going anywhere I can leave my tension and my camry connected or whatever vehicle connected while they take loose what they want off we go should take no time.. be careful

 

Screw together some 2x8s or 2x10s (IOW scrap pieces of lumber) to make ramps or homemade stands. See pics. These stands (or ramps) are much better on dirt or uneven surfaces than standard issue jack stands. Alternatively, you could get some 3/4" plywood and make some 12"x12" squares to rest the jack stands. Ply squares spread the load which helps to prevent jack stands from sinking. Also, ply squares help to level out irregular or uneven ground.

Hardest fastener will definitely be removing bolts (or maybe they are nuts) from the exhaust manifold. Without impact gun, you are going to need breaker bar (at least 3/8" drive), a 3/8" extension that is at least 24" long, I do not remember socket size for the exhaust manifold fastener (best guess is 13mm).
PS My pictured homemade ramp is painted so that oil drops can be cleaned easily (but painting is not essential). Hand grips are 1/2" rope stapled to ramp electrical staples.

 

You should not do this, but I bet this car could be rolled onto its side by 4 or 5 fit guys. Put a stake in the ground next to each of the driver's side tires/wheels to keep the vehicle from sliding sideways. Then open both doors on the passenger side, two men to each door, and lift.

The reason you should not do it is that if one or two guys slip (in that mess of leaves) while the car is up everybody is pretty much in the same position as the rabbit in a box trap, like this one:


https://potteryblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/trap.jpg

 

I'm totally impressed with how many options we've provided for something that is so basic and simple. wowzers...

I've done dozens of Gen 2 exhausts. On a relatively flat surface. Step one is drive the front onto a set of car ramps. Step two is to jack up the rear from the center jack point and install jack stands under each side of the axle.

Step one can be simulated just by jacking up each corner and sliding the ramp under the (flat) tire. Use plywood under the ramp to prevent it from sinking into dirt. If you need additional height due to the flat tires, add wood under the ramp or similar.
Step two similar.
If you need the car higher, just jack it higher and add some wood. It's a one man job.

 

My vote is for you to use the 4 x 4 with chain, I'll bet it'll be pretty easy to get it on its side. Once on its side leave chain attached to 4 x 4 and remove the cat.

 

Actually, I might change my vote if you can borrow one of these

 

The work surfaces shown in the pictures are not ideal. The mess of loose leaves in the first photo would be very unsafe to work on and the loose gravel (mixed with something dark, mud?) in the second is not much better.