DIY Catalytic Converter Replacement

Not that hard but there is a learning curve. Biggest issue will be not breaking fasteners, as a snapped bolt can be a real challenge to remove. But first, why replace it? The oxygen sensor sometimes needs replacing but the cat itself normally lasts the life of the car.

 

if you're living in a non-CARB state, no need for an OEM cat. You'll be surprised that a muffler shop can install it very cheap for you (maybe around $300) If you want to do DIY then you need a sawzall to cut the old cat and buy new cat from RockAuto.com, you can buy the clamps at your local parts store (no welding or dealing with rusted bolts)

 

Okay the hardest part for you is going to be getting the manifold lower bolts the two bolts and the diamond shaped sitting that you'll need to undo they have springs on them and to get them to re seat you have to put The springs on the threads in a socket and then push that spring threads through the spring into the hole and start the threads one on each side this can be tricky to do it's a thing that you have to get a feel for so on and so forth some people will get one side angled over and get it on and then use a heavy pry bar to push the other side down while you have a long extension a deep well socket the spring already on the bolt and you can use your other hand to reach up there with the long extension bolt socket and spring and get it started It's kind of a funny dance You can do it I've also seen people reach up there with a set of small clamp pliers they're made by vise grip you'll see them over in the plier section and kreg The wood jig and fixture people also have some. Again if you're living in a non-carb state and you don't have emissions like I don't hear I can have a pipe there check engine light can be on It may be annoying to some people to me not so much. Using an aftermarket catalytic converter you'll have a converter but you may never get the light out there's an efficiency problem of some sort apparently the catalytic converter that Toyota uses just for the Prius has more precious metals in it it can be flooded with fuel and clean up much quicker which is a test the car runs on the converter and that sort of thing in a Corolla you go to a muffler shop get an $80 converter have it welded in and go another 10 years in the Prius this is not the case selling the car seriously in Kansas is that a big thing? I wouldn't think so here the bottom is falling out with all these high prices for these cars it's some on here now going for $6,500 but I'm betting when they really sell they fall down into the four and 3500 range because that's just the nature of the beast. So you might want to reconsider doing all this work to I don't know how high mileage generation to you have and what year it is but if it's not an '09 with say under 170 and in very nice condition as far as I'm concerned you don't really have anything so I would be trying to drive that car to 600,000 666 whatever the car will make it easily unless it's ate up by rust out there in Kansas I don't know how that goes out there anymore been a long time trying to get dollar signs to pop up for it just because I wouldn't think I'd be running that car until it was like a Flintstones mobile if that's what happens in your climate I'd get it to $500,000 pretty easily and then I have extracted every dollar out of that vehicle and generally mine look good doing it too I've got several in the $300,400,000 right now no rips in the interiors leather so there's no stains in that velor nonsense My interior is generally look better than a Tesla that's 5 years old in my generation twos most of mine are 08 and '09s.

 

Unless stolen

 

Gas mileage shouldn't really go down with a bad catalytic converter so there are other things happening believe that and I wish you luck on the sale and all the business but the numbers generally aren't with you and neither is the force so they're always as that You would be barking up a bad tree replacing the converter and thinking your gas mileage is going to go up I've been running a car for 5 years with a bad catalytic converter with the same code and I get 45 mi to the gallon pretty consistently. What made the gas mileage go back up was when the hybrid battery was on its last leg at 13 years in The converter has made no difference in gas mileage it just puts a light on because it can't pass a Prius specific on vehicle test I'm sure this was done on purpose but that's another story for another day notice none of the other Toyota cars really have this problem maybe they do after 2010 I don't know corolla's and like don't run the special Prius flood test for the catalytic converter like I say unless that changed up above 2010 or something.