TRS does NOT condone tampering with or removing the CAT. I'm actually surprised that no admin has been by to put an end to the "well, technically..."
It's a Federal felony conviction and a fine of $2,500 for removing/tampering with a CAT. Period.
For that price, I'd say it's cheaper to fix the problem. I realize that people can be short on cash. I've been there before and I'm in the same boat right now yet again. The ONLY time you'll net a gain by removing it is if it is plugged, and in that case you should be replacing it. BTW, you can get a few bucks for a junk one by taking it to a scrap yard, it's not always much, but it can help offset the cost of a replacement. If you're short on cash, shop around and pick up a universal fit one, it'll be cheaper than OE, it may not work as well, but it's better than a fine if you're caught. And don't think for a minute that "big brother" doesn't think to watch forums for violations of the law.
Have I removed a CAT before? Well... yea... I took the good one that was in the parts truck I had bought with the rotted out floor (along with the Y-pipe and tailpipe) and used it on a truck with a not-so-good cat and a missing tailpipe. That's legal because the parts truck with the rotted floor got cut up for scrap after I took everything good off it and it went to the scrap yard along with the junk cat.
So would it be a good idea to trust a cat from a salvage yard? I need the whole exhaust from the headers to the tailpipe, I literally have about a 4' section of exhaust including the muffler, which nicely ends right under the passenger seat.
Right now the old cat from my bronco 2 is well who knows where I bought it without one and it will stay that way until I can afford to fix it, fining someone for not having something isn't going to fix the problem hope you realize that. If I can't afford a $150 cat, do you really think I could afford the fine? Absolutely not. What I'm getting at is people need to stop being the belligerence and putting down of others, stating facts doesn't fix the problem, anyone with a brain and has been into some sort of automotive and repair background knows the laws, what I'm saying is, people have to do with what they have until they can afford a proper repair. Read all the stupid posts on here with people hacking jobs because they don't have the money to properly do the repair, is it safe, sometimes yes, often times its not.
Rather than bashing someone for trying to get by with what they have why don't you use common sense and actually answer the question to help them. As what I did in the first reply. Yes the vehicle will operate without a cat, no its not right but if its what you have to do then do it until you can get it fixed.
At some point I'll be able to get the system fixed on my truck, but until then I drive it when I have to, otherwise I have it parked to do other work on it that doesn't require buying parts.
People don't stop and think that not everyone has an endless supply of money. Those of you who are on here bashing me and others for what we are trying to work with. Stop, put yourself in my shoes and the shoes others' on here who do not make more than $1000 in income per month. Wake-up, not everyone is rich, we have to still go to work, try to make ends meet, etc.
My Bronco 2 was supposed to become my daily driver, but I can't trust it due to some mechanical problems that I'm slowly working through when I have the spare money. My nearest scrap yard is over 30 miles away meaning trips to get parts are far and few between. Every-time I think I'm starting to make headway something happens, breaks down, needs repaired, etc. taking what little money I had in reserve to get going again.
I'm not trying to be an ass, adsm08 and I already had a conversation similar to this one, about the whole legality of Cats, all I was trying to do was answer the original question, which I did. I didn't say it was completely legal, and didn't say I wasn't trying to fix my particular problem which now is lying in boxes waiting for me to come up with the money to take the vehicle down and have everything installed as the rust has done its number on every under vehicle component on my bronco 2, to include the nuts and bolts on the whole exhaust, half the hangers aren't even there anymore which may be why most of the exhaust is missing, and the way its been treated by the previous owner the exhaust probably just fell off one day and by the looks of the replacement sections of pipe was a home repair job using some chain link fence posts for the pipe LOL.
Yes, the vehicle will run without a Cat, and depending on the vehicle's age it may run better or worse depending on the amount of electronics in the way of computers and sensors go. I know with my new truck if you take the rear 2 cats off which guess what is completely legal. The front 2 are the actual "mandatory" cats for 50 state emissions, no one seems to have found the reason for the last 2, other than sound dampening.
If you are having major engine problems where tons of oil is blowing by and into the exhaust if you don't fix it quickly enough it will plug the cat and thus leave you having to replace not only the original problem with the oil blow by, but now the $140+ cat on top of that LOL.
Some non-mechanically inclined people should read some of these posts to see what happens when they neglect their vehicle, and it seems like the exhaust system is one of the things that gets neglected most until it falls off LOL.
