Catalytic Converters - How do I know if I have one?

[RobNelson]

I am looking at having a stainless steel exhaust fitted to my 1988 260E through Longlife exhausts.  They have two options, one for a 260E with a CAT (Which is from the CAT back) and one for a non CAT car (which is from the downpipe back).
I've looked under my car and can't see anything similar to the CAT on my 306 (Which is covered in perforated S/S) and the Haynes book is no help!

What should I be looking for??

 

[Matt Crooke]

Catalytic Converters

Can you see any sign of a heat shield or anything like that?

Also the tell-tale eggy smell on startup....is it there?

 

[RobNelson]

Catalytic Converters

No, there is no sign of a heat shield and no eggy smell.  The downpipes come out of the manifold, down past the gearbox and into the silencers.

I presume then that there's no CAT fitted...

 

[Matt Crooke]

Catalytic Converters

Id have to agree there, it would appear you are catless.

Mines an '87 model and i havent got a cat. Im not sure what year they started to become standard fit. To be honest id much rather not have one anyway, they are a pain in the rear if they go wrong.

Dont forget if your car has a cat, and you remove it to fit a new exhaust, it will fail the MOT, as its supposed to have one in situ.

 

[Anonymous]

Catalytic Converters

Even If your car has a cat
You have no legal requirment to keep it..
You can get the system from the Downpipes back.....
It's a common mod on cars made prior to 1992... after 1992 you must have a cat fitted....

 

[Matt Crooke]

Catalytic Converters

White, i beg to differ there mate, when you take your motor for the MOT, and he hangs the dreaded tester in the exhaust, the emissions will be too high for that model...... then the questions will start.

Plus, if you have got a cat, there is generally a light on the dash somehere to indicate if there is a fault with it. If you remove the cat, the light will be on constantly.....you will also have a Lambda (is that how you spell it?) sensor swinging in the wind underneath the car with nowhere to go as well.

This is my understanding of it anyway, if im talking pants please someone let me know!!!

cheers

 

[Matt Crooke]

Catalytic Converters

White, i beg to differ there mate, when you take your motor for the MOT, and he hangs the dreaded tester in the exhaust, the emissions will be too high for that model...... then the questions will start.

Plus, if you have got a cat, there is generally a light on the dash somehere to indicate if there is a fault with it. If you remove the cat, the light will be on constantly.....you will also have a Lambda (is that how you spell it?) sensor swinging in the wind underneath the car with nowhere to go as well.

This is my understanding of it anyway, if im talking pants please someone let me know!!!

cheers

 

[mrgeoff]

Catalytic Converters

OBD (on board diagnostics, the bit that lights the bit on the dash) only started at year 2000 onwards - or some German market cars did it a bit early for tax reaons.

Pre ECD3 (OBD etc) you only had one lamda sensor, this was up-stream from the cat, in the manifold, or top of downpipe.

ECD3 cars (2000 onwards) have 2 sensors. 1 for the mixture, this is in the manifold or downpipe before the first catalyst, and the 1 after the last catalyst ONLY puts the light on. (well it dose check the drift of the first sensor over time as well)

 

[Anonymous]

Catalytic Converters

mrgeoff  is right

a car of this age won't have the diagnostics
But you will have to have a small mod made to the exhaust to cater for the oxygen sensor so the ECU can set the mixture right ... should have mentioned that first time...

As for the dreaded MOT there shouldn't be a problem as far as emmisions , the allowance for motors from 1988 is far far more that modern cars.....

The car can not fail for not having a cat fitted (it wasn't a legal requirment for manufacturers to fit one in 1988) , But it will fail if the emmisions are too high at idle ........ I have heard and read of people using those EcoTek Valves to sort that.....

Also I have modded several cars to remove the cats and it is possible to get them though the mot by weekening the mixture prior to the mot then re-setting it after wards.... though this isn't usually nessesary if your engine / fuel system is in good condition...... I know all very Dodgey... but I was a Ford mechanic.......I've tried to repent for it....


This used to be a popular mod to Volvo's (who also introduced the cat prior to the legal requirment)

Also My cars fitted with a cat .... and no 'cat warning light'..... Also the Oxgen sensor is possitioned before the cat ....

One other product of Note
is the Power CAT....(a more free flowing cat)
Alot of Cosworth / RS2000 owners used to fit these to their Escorts .. mind you at very nearly 500 quid for the box they're not the cheap option......


Personally I'm dreading the day I have to fitt a new cat to my motor.... several hundred quid.....

 

[Anonymous]

Catalytic Converters

of course that presumes you have a cat in the first place..

Oh Matt
Love the Sig Line

LOL very funny

 

[Matt Crooke]

Catalytic Converters

We aim to amuse!

Well, glad we cleared that up about the cat then...thankfully i dont have one...at least, i dont think i do!!

 

[RobNelson]

Catalytic Converters

I have finally bottomed out the the issue of whether I do or do not have a CAT fitted...

Apparantly the front pipes have always been designed to take a CAT, but on models where these were not fitted, after the gearbox mounting bracket , there is a resonance box which forms part of the front pipes.

Where a CAT is fitted on later models it forms part of these front pipes and is mounted around the gear box area.

Interestingly enough BOSAL list the front pipes for the 260E as being "Not Available".

A couple of questions arise now though, if my front pipe cracks where do I get a replacement? And what is the purpose of the resonance box??

Rob.

 

[dave elcome]

Catalytic Converters

Rob.

Have you tried europarts for the front pipe, if not then its probably down to the stealership,...........eeeeek

The full expanation of the resonance box is long winded, if you are really interested, email me direct and i'll give you a phone number to contact me on, i find it easier to talk about something, than write about it. Alternately you could just accept that it's a means to improve performance.

 

[mrgeoff]

Catalytic Converters

Its an odd system on the 220CE as well. Its got fairly long secondarys, and they join just after the gearbox, and then splits again into 2!!!! then just a slight wiggle, then into what look liike twin cats, then back into 1 again for the rest of the system.