I'm sorry if this has been asked before. If so, please help me find it in the search. I did a search but couldn't find it. My question is as follows;

What exactly happens if you take off both cats? What is the censor connecting from my cat to my motor? What happens when that censor is disconnected? All I know is that if you disconnect the censor, the check engine light will come on. Other than that, what else happens? Drop in gas mileage? Performance? A lot of men run with no cats, so I imagine nothing bad could come from taking both cats off...? Or does this exclude newer (90's) vehicles on up because of all the electronics and computers???

Thanks guys. There are gobs of catalytic converter threads made but I couldn't find one answering this question???

 

Ok, OBD-I and older vehicles do not have any sensors behind the cats to monitor their operation. On such vehicle, removing the cat won't really harm performance or mileage, but it doesn't help it either. If you have OBD-II (1996) or newer vehicle, they do have sensors to monitor catalyst function. Removing the cat would cause a CEL. Additionally, while some may deny it, they can be performance issues, because some vehicles will attempt to revive catalyst function by altering timing and fuel trims. Most Ford's do not behave that way, but it does happen on some models.

Regardless of the system you have, Federal law clearly states that all vehicles that originally came with a converter must have them. If there is nothing wrong with yours, there is no reason to remove them or replace them. Consider that my job is to sell catalytic converters, and I am telling you, that if its not broken don't fix it. I could just as easily tell you to just go buy a "high flow" converter, but I don't because I don't feel it is right to tell you anything other than the truth.

The only thing you will gain by removing the cats, is that your truck will be louder. If you want it to be louder, a high flow cat can help you get that, as opposed to running without cats. Also what most of these other guys don't tell you is that every year, about 1,500 people die in the US from carbon monoxide poisoning, mostly from vehicles that have missing or non-functional cats. More than 10,000 per year report some degree of carbon monoxide poisoning each year, and its stands to reason, that tens of thousands more either don't realize they are getting mild poisoning, or simply don't report it. Whether you believe in helping the environment or not, the fact that catalytic converters make vehicles safer, and that they improve the quality of the air we breathe is a fact. In my book, its not about the environment, I think the environment can take care of its self just fine. However, we have epidemic levels of allergies, asthma, and other breathing disorders. Vehicle exhaust, especially NOX, aggravates these conditions, and can make symptoms appear in those who are not otherwise affected.

 

Thank you very much. You answered all of my questions. I didn't plan on removing my cat, but I did want to know - for future knowledge / vehicles I may own down the rode. The first thing I do is fix up the exhaust system. I just wanted to be sure I don't hurt myself or others.

So the answer is this; Run a cat either way.

Thanks again!