zukezake-
Good post. I agree with you about trucks that are tuned properly will run just as clean. The only problem is as we all know so many people just "drive" their vehicles and do not maintain them. You know that saying, a few bad apples spoils the bunch

 

If a well tuned truck ran just as clean, why wouldn't the manufacturer just tune them better. A working cat removes polution through a chemical reaction. It doesn't matter if your trucks running as clean as it possibly can from tuning. a working cat will still reduce emmisions. Now a non functional cat won't do anything but slow down your exhaust flow. Sorry guys, but working cats will clean up your emmisions no matter how tuned your exhaust is.


Ryan

 

>If a well tuned truck ran just as clean, why wouldn't the
>manufacturer just tune them better. A working cat removes
>polution through a chemical reaction. It doesn't matter if
>your trucks running as clean as it possibly can from tuning.
> a working cat will still reduce emmisions. Now a non
>functional cat won't do anything but slow down your exhaust
>flow. Sorry guys, but working cats will clean up your
>emmisions no matter how tuned your exhaust is.

It's not an issue of turning them better. The *chemical* reaction you speak is a catalitic reaction. I.e. Unburnt hydrocarbons and Carbon Monoxide under the influence of the catalist. In otherwords, what is not burnt by the engine, is turnt by the cat. This is why if your engine is out of wack, the cat gets hot, cause it's turning your exhost. That's what it does, that's the nature of a catalitic reaction. A material that encourages other materials to react.

The point wasn't wether or not that a cat will reduce emmitions if operational. There is no doubt of this... this is not an issue @ all.

Now many imports, in particular Toyota, employed the use of *Smog Pumps*, that used a mechanical pump to recycle exhost gasses, to turn them. I've seen them, it's a very simple design. Very effective, low cost, without the use of chemicals or precious metals that act as a catalyst.

But why do automakers use cats? Cause they are required to. Otherwise, the imports would likely still be using a little $50.00 smog pump, which while still being mechanical, is easily replaced by the end user, and has a heck of a longer positive impact on unburnt hydrocarbons. How much of an impact? Well, I can tell you with a straight pipe + new smog pump, I was able to reduce my CO output to 0. without a cat, well, i'd have to pull out my paperwork, it was legal, but not 0.

Now exhost systems isn't my expert field, but using simple logic

Let's assume a 10 year old cat, with a honey comb style innards. Ok... I can, not being an expert, I can make the valued judgement that this would have an effect on free flow from engine exhost. Not going to get into that. But what I will get into is that this device considered to be almost holy, is going to be gummed up with gunk from 10 years of legit use, that's going to be exposed to exhost tempratures. I can't have an accurate gadge of tempratures, but it will indeed be cooking your old waste.

Now, while i'm not an expert, i'm not saying that removal would have a positive effect on your HC and CO emmitions, which is generally what we worry about, the unburnt stuff. What I am saying is that it would be interesting to actually see some numbers, as there has never been a study that i'm aware, that actually evaluated the long term effects of cats, nor am I aware of any research data regarding wether or not their contuned use after their useful lifespan is expired has a positive or negative impact on HC / CO emmitions. I believe in numbers, and I believe in laws that make sence. I'm for clean air, I live in a city, I drive a car, i've looked into it, ran some tests. But unfortunatly, on my 79 vehical, i'm unable to peform the modificaitons that I desire due to the lack of approval from respective goverment agency, dispite the fact that I have good evidence that installing the smog pump, and removal of the catalytic converter reduces my CO emmotions to squat. But I am saying that i've observed two cases where getting rid of the cat, with or without a smog pump, lowered my emmitions. But I drive with one anyway cause it's legal.

Though, if you have better contacts then I do, you might beable to get approval from respective agencys to actually peform this operation, of removing the cat, if you can demonstrate it has a postive effect.

 

Catco Cat:-X12



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