catalytic converter question

JPaul · **Posted:** Wed Sep 17, 2008 12:24 am

This is a generic question, and I am coming to you guys hoping someone knows the answer.

I need to replace the catalytic converter on a vehicle that is california compliant, but I live in utah. I have searched and searched all over the internet but cannot find an answer to this simple question: Do I have to replace the covnerter with a california certified converter if it will not be going to california?

Thanks in advance!

Diggerfreek · **Posted:** Wed Sep 17, 2008 12:39 am

shouldn't need to

Blue KJ in PA · **Posted:** Wed Sep 17, 2008 8:02 am

I think those silly regulations only apply to vehicles titled in the state of California

DryBones · **Posted:** Wed Sep 17, 2008 8:19 am

depends on if the CAT affects the rest of the engine. Things built for CAlifornia emissions can be very different all the way down the line and affect each others performance. This sounds like a question for a dealer or at the very least a very knowledgable mechanic. Troy? :lol:

tommudd · **Posted:** Wed Sep 17, 2008 9:00 am

DryBones wrote:

depends on if the CAT affects the rest of the engine. Things built for CAlifornia emissions can be very different all the way down the line and affect each others performance. This sounds like a question for a dealer or at the very least a very knowledgable mechanic. Troy? :lol:

Well as far as what I have found.....whoops my names not Troy......sorry :oops:

DryBones · **Posted:** Wed Sep 17, 2008 10:11 am

EDIT.....Troy or Tom LOL or anybody else that really knows the answer and is not just guessing or assuming. :lol:

dang, some ego's around here are so fragile!

tommudd · **Posted:** Wed Sep 17, 2008 10:26 am

DryBones wrote:

EDIT.....Troy or Tom LOL or anybody else that really knows the answer and is not just guessing or assuming. :lol:

dang, some ego's around here are so fragile!

just messing with ya this morning, trying to get myself awake

BUT Troy will tell us that I am wrong maybe , but what I found is that ( if I read correctly) if the vehicle is in Cali and registered there then it must meet all of the requirements and use the Cali cat. IF it is registered outside of Cali then you can use the 48 state cat even if it was bought there but now resides outside of Cali.
I know I replaced one on a 99 Cherokee that was sold in Cali and then brought back to Ohio and I just bought a regular Cat and had no problems

BUT like I said Troy may say something different...which is cool cause thats the way we learn and increase our knowledge :wink:

tjkj2002 · **Posted:** Wed Sep 17, 2008 7:34 pm

Gee I feel special again

!

In 2002 ALL vehicles sold in the US,except a select few which are mostly diesel's,have to be Caifornia speced already since there was a big hassle with non-Cali and Cali speced vehicles that existed prior to 2002.If your CAT is faulty/plugged and not damaged from offroading you are covered under the emission warrenty which is 8 years/80,000 miles.Most CAT's will be Cali speced and will have no effect if your in UT or Cali if installed properly.If you are out of the federal emission warrenty you can get a direct fit CAT's(any of the 3 for the '02 KJ) from Summit,yes they are pricy but they are a direct fit with the pipe included so no welding is needed and are made by a very good company.

myjeepwalks · **Posted:** Wed Sep 17, 2008 8:31 pm

tjkj2002 wrote:

Gee I feel special again

!

In 2002 ALL vehicles sold in the US,except a select few which are mostly diesel's,have to be Caifornia speced already since there was a big hassle with non-Cali and Cali speced vehicles that existed prior to 2002.If your CAT is faulty/plugged and not damaged from offroading you are covered under the emission warrenty which is 8 years/80,000 miles.Most CAT's will be Cali speced and will have no effect if your in UT or Cali if installed properly.If you are out of the federal emission warrenty you can get a direct fit CAT's(any of the 3 for the '02 KJ) from Summit,yes they are pricy but they are a direct fit with the pipe included so no welding is needed and are made by a very good company.

Exactly. If it's titled and registered in cali, i believe it is the repair shop that needs to put a cali spec'd cat on there to avoid fines and for epa/legality reasons. What the difference is between the cat's i dont know. If you put a 48 state cat on there yourself i highly doubt anyone would ever know the difference. I wouldnt sweat it, just get one that fits. Like troy said summit is an excellent source. I put a universal one on my toyota from summit for like $50 or so. It blew right through nj state insp after i got it tuned properly due to the choppy cam i put in it.

JPaul · **Posted:** Wed Sep 17, 2008 8:35 pm

Thanks for the reply Troy. The cat is physically damaged. Somehow a previous driver got somehting underneath the car and backed up, hitting the converter with whatever it was. Not only did it damage the rear converter (this is on a 2002 crown vic police interceptor I just picked up, by the way) but it pushed the converter forward, folding the joint between the rear converter and the front converter.

Instead of replacing the stupid thing, the blessed driver decided to weld it himself or have a buddy weld it back together. Not only were they not good at welding, but they did it as a patch job and left it folded up just like when it was hit, so there is basically a big crimp in the exhaust tubing. So not only is the rear cat physically damaged, but the system was repaired improperly and is surely hurting performance, plus the hack welder didn't button everything up and it leaks. It definitely won't pass inspection.

I wish it was just a warranty deal, but sadly this is not so. Ford wants almost $1000 for the one side, and since I only paid $2600 for the car I am not going to go that route. But I did find some suppliers online who sell them for around $400, which isn't too bad, but they also have 49 state legal parts that only cost $200. That is what raised the question as to whether or not this replacement would have to be cali legal, since I live in Utah.

tjkj2002 · **Posted:** Wed Sep 17, 2008 10:07 pm

Quote:

If it's titled and registered in cali, i believe it is the repair shop that needs to put a cali spec'd cat on there to avoid fines and for epa/legality reasons.

Nope,99% of all CAT's are legal in Cali,some ultra high flow ones are not.

Quote:

is what raised the question as to whether or not this replacement would have to be cali legal, since I live in Utah.

Doesn't much matter.Cali speced junk only lowers mpg's,efficiancy,and HP/Torque and does not do the enviroment any good.A buddy of mine and myself got a '86 suburban(454 oval port from a '69 Chevelle) to pass smog in Cali with a carb that had stamped on in it "Not for use in California" with flying colors(sniffer test),meet model year 2000 specs also,though we had to pay off the guy for the visual inspection.A properly tuned and maintaned engine will polute less and make more power.

JPaul · **Posted:** Wed Sep 17, 2008 10:13 pm

Ok, so I can do just fine with a non california version, especially since I don't live in california (and god willing will never live there)? I was trying to figure out why on earth it costs twice as much for a cali version than a fed version.

I also wasn't sure if I sohuld replace both sides at the same time so that they match, or will it not make a big difference?

catalytic converter question

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