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Quick fix for cat theft

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Main Forum' started by sandiegoprius, Mar 9, 2022.

  1. sandiegoprius

    sandiegoprius Junior Member

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    So I've seen some stuff on this site and on YouTube but nothing with specific parts, measurements, etc...

    My cat was just stolen the other night off my 06 Prius. The motor is already chugging oil and the car isn't worth putting a new cat on it. I also live in California where they hate poor people and I don't have the money to get a new cat anyway.

    SO....I have TN tags because my Prius that I bought in CA wouldn't pass inspection LOL I used to drive an F-350 and never thought I'd end up in CA with a freaking Prius that doesn't pass....

    I need to find a solution here. I've seen the video with the guy using a flex pipe, a straight pipe, and some exhaust clamps.

    Anyone know exactly what to buy? And no, I can't move but I really wish I could because nothing makes sense here in CA. The weather is great though.
     
  2. PriusCamper

    PriusCamper Senior Member

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    Flex pipe or straight pipe is going to drastically shorten lifespan of vehicle for lots of reasons. It will also be very bad for the personal health of anyone who has to live close to your Prius

    The cheapest gamble is to buy low price aftermarket O2 sensor & $130 aftermarket cat that usually aren't sold in California so you might have to order/ship it out of state. Then, when you can't put off getting your California registration any longer and need a smog check you might get lucky with the person doing your smog inspection because they're lazy and fail to visually inspect the cat for the Toyota logo to verify its OEM. Then you're good. Some people on here have lucked out, most have not.

    Here's the usual Cat we recommended for state's that don't require OEM cats: Catalytic Converter For 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 Toyota Prius 1.5L EPA OBD2 | eBay
     
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  3. Another

    Another Senior Member

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    How would straight pipe shorten life of vehicle?
     
  4. Another

    Another Senior Member

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    How would straight pipe shorten life of vehicle?
     
  5. BuyJapanese

    BuyJapanese Member

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    I have considered detaching my own cat and putting an aftermarket one on. I can scrap the OEM cat myself instead of letting someone else steal it. I would probably do it except the bolts are so rusty that the reinstall would require welding or something.
     
  6. PriusCamper

    PriusCamper Senior Member

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    For one, your check engine light will always be on so soon as your engine has other problems that could be addressed before the engine is destroyed you'll have no way of being warned until symptoms get severe... Additionally, your computer uses those 02 sensors to fine tune the engine to different types of driving conditions and without those readings there's no fine tuning of the engine, which in certain conditions will create carbon buildup, among other problems.

    What's more you're going to be pushing 1970-style poisons down the exhaust system that otherwise would be cleaned out by the cat, so increased fouling of that system is certain, not to mention that air pollution kills 8 million people every year, https://ourworldindata.org/data-review-air-pollution-deaths which is far more than covid deaths and we've all learned how we're all responsible for each other's health when it come to what we breathe in.

    And the #1 reason is the basic nature of people who straight pipe the cat out of the system, in general are people of negligence and ignorance and those type of people suck at maximizing the lifespan of all their machines.
     
  7. sandiegoprius

    sandiegoprius Junior Member

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    So my Prius is a beater. Looking for straight pipe option. Cheap as possible.
     
  8. PriusCamper

    PriusCamper Senior Member

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  9. AlexY

    AlexY Member

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    None of that is destructive or harmful for the car so your statement
    is entirely a lie.
     
  10. PriusCamper

    PriusCamper Senior Member

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    How a person treats their car everyday defines the lifespan of the vehicle... People who attempt to straight pipe go through ten times as many junk cars in their lifetime compared to a responsible individual who actually respects and maintains the technology as it was designed... And ironically the same people who claim they can't afford $130 for a replacement cat are almost always the same people showing off thousands upon thousand of dollars of tattoo work. It's just a basic values issue. Some lead a life to ruin, some lead a life of proper care and maintenance of what serves them.
     
  11. Another

    Another Senior Member

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    Downstream pollution might not be PC but it is not necessarily going to affect longevity of a car.
    Toyota for years sold spool pieces to replace the catalytic converter if unleaded gasoline was unavailable. I took my 1984 Supra to the UK for a few years in the mind 1980’s. For a couple hundred dollars the Toyota dealer installed a factory sourced straight pipe in place of the converter, sized for appropriate back pressure, as it was bolted in with flanges. I brought the car back with me in the late 1980’s and the Toyota dealer in the USA reinstalled the converter without problems. Drove the car for years thereafter. There are likely ways to do this with a Prius as well without issues.
     
  12. AlexY

    AlexY Member

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    I agree with that sentence, but it is totally not related with missing CAT affecting life span of the car. It is fully semi-ecological propaganda and nothing more.
     
  13. PriusCamper

    PriusCamper Senior Member

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    You're wrong... Engine can no longer accurately adjust most of it's settings without a valid signal from the upstream and downstream 02 sensor and you'll no longer get a warning light for new engine problems because it will already be in use by lack of valid sensor data.

    And anybody who makes accusations of "ecological propaganda" is entirely delusional about how a living planet functions because they think their short-lived ego is more important than their daily harms that cumulatively build up into a massive disaster over time, especially when there's billions of people like you pretending that air pollution at a global scale doesn't matter. Classic covidiot pathology... Ya'll fight to the death to not have to carry the very minor burden of keeping the air clean so it's safe to breathe despite millions dying early due to unsafe air every year.

    And if you do straight pipe your Prius I'm happy to know in your country it won't be allowed on the road in a year or less because it won't pass its annual road-worthiness (MoT) test.
     
  14. AlexY

    AlexY Member

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    No
    First of all, only upstream O2 sensor does matter, at least for gen2, also it is fitted in exhaust collector so in case of eliminating catalytic converter it remains untouched and downstream sensor is lost

    You just proved that you don't have any logical argument and you are not able to have civilized discussion, insulting interlocutor with arguments out of the blue.
    EOT
     
  15. PriusCamper

    PriusCamper Senior Member

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    I guess when you say "civilized discussion" you mean you only talk to people who pretend that we live in the best of all possible worlds and there's zero consequences for your ego's desire to never face reality when it comes to your total lack of basic decency and concern for future generations because the only thing that matters is yourself and no one else no matter how many millions die from air pollution every year. I get it, you're just an upstream sensor, right? That downstream sensor is not your responsibility right? Lol... I guess the world's dependence on oil and hundreds of thousands killed so you can put cheap petrol in your car is more important than anything else to you, right? Blood for oil is all that matters to you, right?
     
  16. PriusCamper

    PriusCamper Senior Member

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    PS: Don't bother replying, you've just been canceled and I won't see another anti-social word you write no matter how hard you try.
     
  17. AlexY

    AlexY Member

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    Civilized discussion is when no one lies or insult someone who have different opinion. This is where you lack of that skills.
    Lack of downstream sensor don't destroy car what you was trying to convince all the time.
    This is actually American thing, not european, we don't invade country rich in oil under the pretext of bringing democracy to have cheap oil in your country.
     
  18. ColoradoCrow

    ColoradoCrow Active Member

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    yeah...troll fight.....i love arguing over keyboards.....its like looking at 4 different people with blue hair at a starbucks. Some are old like me..some are not. But to each there own. Judge. Judging... Judged?
     
  19. AlexY

    AlexY Member

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    This is exactly how I perceive PriusCamper, would ignore his lies but “Silence in the face of evil is itself evil".
     
  20. Classic Car Guy

    Classic Car Guy Active Member

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    If anyone is interested.
    sawed off old muffler / resonator pipe tube diameter is 1.68 inches (outer)
    The new catalytic converter assembly I got fits like a glove. Literally no welded need and most people just use the clamp prodvided and it works fine. Anyways I brought mine to the muffler shop and I just had them spot weld it in 4 places. The new converter comes with all the kits nessesary like the new bots, springs and o-ring flange gasket. I used th old ones including the flange gasket. If the old gasket is still good and not chipped, its better to use it than the new aftermarket supplied ones. When installing, youll have to play with it and make the gasket sit and anchor the mating part flushed 100% so you wont get any exhaust leak.

    Catalytic Converter Fit 04 - 09 Toyota Prius 1.5L L4, Quality Flow Converter
    Catalytic Converter Fit 04 - 09 Toyota Prius 1.5L L4, Quality Flow Converter | eBay
    $139.99 + Free shipping

    Toyota Prius Hybrid 04-09 Oxygen Sensor Genuine OEM OE Used working downstream
    Toyota Prius Hybrid 04-09 Oxygen Sensor Genuine OEM OE Used working downstream | eBay
    15.00 + Free shipping

    Optional but I bought it anyway.. Optional but I bought it anyway.. Took me 25 mins to install this.
    79.90 + 19.99 shipping
    For 2004-09 Toyota Prius Catalytic Converter Anti Theft Protection Cover Shield
    For 2004-09 Toyota Prius Catalytic Converter Anti Theft Protection Cover Shield | eBay
     
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