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Old Jan 19, 2009 | 06:06 PM
  #1  
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From: Danbury CT
exhaust

do you really need a catalytic converter , what happens if i remove it and only leave the muffler?
 
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Old Jan 19, 2009 | 06:39 PM
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u wont pass any sort of smog test if ur area requires them thats for sure..

the CATs basicly help reduce emissions..
 
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Old Jan 19, 2009 | 06:40 PM
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The cel (check engine light) comes on and stays on, you fail your emissions inspection at license time and end up having to put them back on anyway. Not worth the time, bother and expense. It won't give you any noticable increase in power and may have a negative (bad) impact on your fuel economy as the computer uses input from the o2 sensors to control fuel and emissions. There are o2 sensors before and AFTER the cats. Dan.
 
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Old Jan 19, 2009 | 07:30 PM
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If your o2 sensor is after your cat you might have problems but if it is before you should be fine. I cut mine off and got about 10 hp gain and it will sound a lot better too but you will not pass emissions.
 
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Old Jan 19, 2009 | 07:58 PM
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You might want to try it the other way: lose the muffler and leave the cat. I'm going to this spring. I got positive comments a while ago when I asked this question.

Later...
Brewster...
 
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Old Jan 19, 2009 | 08:30 PM
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Many of these trucks don't have a O2 behind the cat as they were obd1, I cant recall what year it changed but its within the last two or so that the o2 after the cat was implemented.
 
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Old Jan 19, 2009 | 08:40 PM
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From: Ft Collins Co
if you take the muffler off you many or may not get more power if you take the cat off not only will you get more power but if your cat is clogged you can loose power. So if you cut it off you would get your stock power back and more.
 
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Old Jan 19, 2009 | 08:48 PM
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OBDII became mandatory for all vehicles sold in the U.S. in 1996. So no Super Duty is OBDI. I think most OBDII vehicles have a downstream (after cat) O2 sensor.

And, why not just get a high-flow cat? You will see increased performance, but will still pass emissions and retain economy.
 
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Old Jan 19, 2009 | 10:21 PM
  #9  
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From: Ft Collins Co
If you want to sped the money go for it but you will not get as good of a sound from it but if thats not what you are going for then that would be the way to go. You may get some power from a high flow cat but not as much as you would with no cat. so it depends on what you are going for sound or power or both and how much you want to spend. just cutting the cat off will cost as little as $30.
 
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Old Jan 20, 2009 | 06:43 AM
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I remember working on my buddies Mustang a few years back. At inspection they sometimes looked under the car to verify the cat's were in place. We decided to "gut" them instead so no one could tell. Pulled the dual exhaust and used a long piece of brake line to knock the insides out and reinstalled. The amazing thing was that the car still passed the emissions test at inspection. Not just the visual, but the probe in the pipe. Makes you wonder why they were on there in the first place...
 
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Old Jan 20, 2009 | 07:24 AM
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Originally Posted by enduro4231
OBDII became mandatory for all vehicles sold in the U.S. in 1996. So no Super Duty is OBDI. I think most OBDII vehicles have a downstream (after cat) O2 sensor.

And, why not just get a high-flow cat? You will see increased performance, but will still pass emissions and retain economy.
Wrong, trucks over a certain weight had an OBD2 plug but were basically OBD1, I think 2004 is when the OBD2 change occurred for 3/4 ton and over trucks. I have a 1999 F350 with no after cat O2, Never did have one.

Check out this thread about it.

https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/236756-cat-less.html
 
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Old Jan 20, 2009 | 08:51 AM
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Originally Posted by Sooper-Doodie
Wrong, trucks over a certain weight had an OBD2 plug but were basically OBD1, I think 2004 is when the OBD2 change occurred for 3/4 ton and over trucks. I have a 1999 F350 with no after cat O2, Never did have one.

Check out this thread about it.

https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/236756-cat-less.html
My 04' does not have an O2 after the cat. Its because of the GVWR. I'm not completely shure but I believe some 05'up gassers don't have O2s after the cats. Hopefully someone can confirm.

No O2 after the cat, no problems.
 
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Old Jan 20, 2009 | 11:06 AM
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From: Ft Collins Co
Ya one of my friends told me that one of his friends went to get his car tested with no cat and it failed went home took the insides out of the cat and put it back on and took it back and it pasted.
 
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Old Jan 20, 2009 | 11:15 AM
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Originally Posted by enduro4231
OBDII became mandatory for all vehicles sold in the U.S. in 1996. So no Super Duty is OBDI.
Untrue.

https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/5...t-come-on.html

The Superduty is over 8500lbs GVWR, so it was not required to go to OBD-II until something like 2007. However, they did go OBD-II in 2005 with the fly-by-wire setup. So, any 2005-up gasser SD is going to be OBD-II and require catalytic converters to NOT get a check-engine light.

There ARE, however, some Superdutys that have an O2 sensor after the catalytic converter. Especially the Excursions. They are usually California emissions spec. They also might have an EGR valve. '99 Superduty, all V10's had EGR and I'm assuming so did the 5.4.
 
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Old Jan 20, 2009 | 11:52 AM
  #15  
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From: Mobile, AL
Mine is a 2008 5.4, and I have both cats and no muffler. My truck feels better with my current set up over stock, Flowmaster and a Magnaflow knock off. I'd leave your cats on and ditch the muffler.


Here is mine.
 
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