I just bought one from eBay for my 06 Prius and it was way better quality. This video was made 2 yrs ago, so I suspect the quality has improved. The flange looks like the original one. Payd $104+tax.. fit perfect. Worth every penny.
So what is the link to the one you purchased? Cheap fake cats on ebay don't last long, before check engine light comes on. especially on hybrids where they turn on and off many times in a drive. How many miles and years do you have, who installed it, how was the swivel flange and the pipe size to attach in the rear?
I'm not even a mechanic but I could fettle around with this to get it to work. You could use a clamp to reduce the size of the existing pipe and/or use a pipe expander on the Cat end to make it fit. On the other end that gasket is soft and made of lead, you could easily manipulate it to fit and create a good seal. Obviously if insurance was paying for it I would insist on OEM parts but if you have an old car not worth much I'd be looking at getting a $100 Cat.
It will leak, and cause it to run rich or throw codes from the torn lead seal and air leak and in a few months you will get a p0420 code cause the cat is not designed for an engine that turns off and on so many times.
@Isaiah 54:17 you aren't an average person with basic hand tools, this is marketed to "bolt-on", but requires welding and the oem type flange to seat and move like the oem or higher quality units.
@@subtledriver The ''average'' person wouldn't buy it online and try to do it himself in the first place.. any shop can make this pipe work with basic mechanic skills.
@user-tz9sm8yd7m the factory or quality aftermarket cat, can be fitted with basic hand tools and no cutting/welding ect. "Bolt-on", doesn't mean fabrication tools like welder and skills are required.
At least he didnt say, "wont fit, buy oem" yes it needs to be modified, but sounds like this guy is willing and able to make this work for his customer.
It was installed after I cut off the flange and welded on a factory flange, then welded the back end since the pipes didn't slide over as advertised either.... the cat only lasted about 2 oil changes before getting check engine code for bad cat.
You are joking, right? Ever hear of a pipe expander? And lead gaskets are MADE to crush fit. You probably should not have ground off the welds. It would seal better sitting higher. For the $1500 difference between ebay and oem, I can deal with the gasket issues. And hire a mechanic who can improvise....
The original gasket is designed to seal with spring loading and be able to pivot/swivel with the engine movement to prevent the exhaust manifold from getting stress cracks. The pipe was physically equal with stock, and If the add states "bolt-on", it should bolt-on without need of extra tools and cutting off a warped flange. The other bolt-on cat's ive installed actually do bolt-up and have quality sealing without warped flanges and work like factory. thanks for the comment.
I hate mechanics that try to find fault instead of finding solutions, the difference in OEM price is well worth the modification needed to make this work.
It was installed after I cut off the flange and welded on a factory flange, then welded the back end since the pipes didn't slide over as advertised either.... the cat only lasted about 2 oil changes before getting check engine code for bad cat. Not worth it...
All he need to do is grind that inner sealing piece flush then he can weld the outer flange fully from the outside and walah 10 bucks in grinding wheels and 10 bucks for 2lb of ideal e71tgs if your doing it with cheap wire welder 10 bucks in gaskets.
Thanks for letting us know about this. As for people that go out and Steal catalytic I believe that they should be charged to the max that the law wall law and it involves jail time so be it
I've made a similar one to this work on a Civic, the flange had the welds just like that. I just replaced the entire gasket with copper RTV, haha. It was a cheap car that needed a cheap fix and it held together for as long as I had the car so I was happy. I'm guessing that wouldn't be a recommended method for most people though 😂
That was my first thought...why not just run a thick bead of Permatex around the joint? I've even heard of guys using furnace cement for exhaust leaks....and if it has a big hole or void, mix it up well with some fiberglass wall insulation. I get the point he's trying to make, but sometimes the rent needs to get paid, kids need to be fed or grandma needs her meds...and that car needs to get to work one way or another.
Yep, they are of poor quality welds, but, you get what you pay for. I bought two sets of exact replacement cats and y pipe off Amazon for less than $700 saving about $900 on oem, I did this knowing full well that I would have to do modifications to them, being a mig welder of 25 years helps. If anyone buying these cheap cats isn’t a welder or know one that can do the mods they should take their vehicle to a muffler shop in the first place. But $700 and a few hours of my time isn’t a big deal, whereas saving $900 is. Btw it passed inspection, so they do work.
i have the exact same cat. the front works as is. the gasket will seal whn you tighten it down. those caskets are soft and will conform. the rear i did cut and weld. cat works no codes.
the function and purpose of the original is to swivel when the motor rocks back and forth to lessen stress and metal fatigue on all the components in the exhaust. this will cancel that function and cause more issues in the future. thanks for the comment.
The gasket will conform to the shape of the aftermarket flange and spin on the flat factory side of the flange. It will still provide the flex necessary, I think you just wanted to tell the people to buy another cat
There's a sleeve that connects those 2 ends at the back cut. Literally slips over the two halves and tightens with a clamp on each side. It's a rolled metal tube that squeezes tight.
That would be nice, if they included something like this. Unfortunately, the ad shows the new part as a slip over with a clamp to "seal it". I've seen many aftermarket cats just work fine. But these cheap ebay/Amazon knock-offs are out of control. Lol
Very educational video regarding Catalytic converter. As I decided to replace my catalytic converter after doing some homework, I now know a few things which I never knew before. Thank you
exactly what i do with almost every aftermarket part i get. merge as much oem to it as possible. but i do get his point; people are paying money for "direct fit" now he has to do extra work. so the client loses money on both buying the part and letting it get installed
So you pay less for "direct fit" and end up paying shop 100-170/hr to make it work.. Yeah, that's it. Might as well just buy an OEM CAT and have a longer lasting CAT. Which is what his point in video is.
Great information! Thank you for pointing this out. Unfortunately I just received mine today but it's for a 2007 Toyota Tundra and the gaskets are different. They look like a simple ring that goes over a small extended piece of the pipe at both ends. I'm hoping like hell it's not going to give me too much grief. Cheers. Oh, by the way, I simply couldn't afford $800 plus CAD so the $133 CAD fit my budget. Hoping I can get it installed for less than $600!!!
Good luck! Even if it fits well,,, usually the lower end cat will fail sooner than the expensive one because it has cheaper materials. I would make sure your primary o2 and maf sensor is working great, along with no air leaks and no misfires and thermostat working good. Any of these basic problems will ruin a cat very short time.
I live in california and 5 days ago they stole my catalyc converter.. I was driving my 2009 prius without catalyc converter..drove it for 4 miles and it worked then I drove it back home and now it does not go into gear. It turns on but does not go into gear. The red triangle came on with exclamation point while driving it back home and then a few min after it did not respond anymore. I parked it a block away from home cause I could not make it home. My insurance is towing it tomorrow to a shop so they can fix it..but now it has an issue with not going into gear..do u think that's because it does not have catalyc converter? Car was running great before it got stolen..no issues at all..I wonder if I messed it up or the prius is doing it on purpose just to be safe since it does not have the cat?
@Randall Glatt here in califorbia because of tje emissions laws there is no way around it. I bought the cat from dealer:( can't even use an use one from another prius has to be brand new from dealer. Paid Alitalia over $3000 You are lucky cause in Vegas u can install an aftermarket for a couple of 100 bucks.
The problem is they brought the car to you instead of the exaughts shop who will weld it on. They can also just cut off the end and weld the original flange onto the aftermarket cat. Probably charge $300
I just got one for my Honda and it fit perfect …car still loud tho but not as bad I think it’s due to the theft trying to cut it off at first when it’s a bolt on
$5,000 reward for the reporting and capture of a illegal recycle centers, there is no honor among Thieves they will report on themselves, thieves are like cockroaches and will turn in their own mother for a buck, it's as simple as that, problem solved
Close all the private own recycle centers and open only state own recycling centers, all recycling center are corructed, that is why is happening everywhere.
@@franciscomiguelperezcabrer8989 A deep state socialist recycling center may sound like a utopia to you but with how sketchy EVERY other government operation is I doubt that is the solution to the problem. Not all recycling centers are "corructed" and there are a lot of honest hard working people in that industry, not to mention the people that depend on the money they get from recycling. I'm not sure what the answer is to the problem but I think having undercover cops go in and bust buyers/sellers of stolen cats would help. I would also like to see a 400K volt anti-theft stun/converter aftermarket unit :P
Definitely helped. Thanks . I will definitely look out for this. And the stealing cats, that’s just disgusting. Maybe we can suggest to the Manufacturers to design some type of alert or sensor that will alert the owners or maybe the police or somebody that these guys are taking the cats just as a suggestion
I would of grinded down that seal to fit the flange or reuse the old seal if I could.when you tighten the whole thing up that seal will conform to any deformities.
So I finally bit the bullet and got a new cat for my 07 Nissan Sentra 2.0. This time it's CA regulated like it says on the sticker. It's been on for two days now. I have a question, is there a break in period before the good mpgs start to kick in? My SED light went off which is a blessing but it seems like my mpg's went down a little. Was there any special instructions that I was supposed to follow? My car has a direct fit so all I did was take it off, put on the new one and went about my way. TIA 🤔
They’re literally made mass produced in an assembly line kinda style, they’re also $100 to $250 and from EBay/ Amazon, what’d ya expect? There’s several that even state “further modifications maybe needed”.
@@jlee7063 if you have a enough money lol if you actually watched the video you would know the better route is this since thieves can’t make money stealing these knock off catylitic converter.
3:15 problem solved, use a normal gasket design. there are many exhaust gaskets from other vehicles that will fit that flange and go in between the two pieces rather than inside it. all in all any mechanic shop that isn't just your neighbor bubba's house garage has more than enough tools to easily install that. like 30 minutes tops, no problems whatsoever. the real problem is that since it is just a few hundred dollars, it's not using the rare metals that are found in an oem cat, it's using a ceramic substrate with anyhwere from 0 to very little (barely above 0) of the catalysts (precious metals that heat up and catalyze unburnt fuel's transition to it's fully combusted products) needed to make it work properly. a *good* shop would not only have no problems, but no complaints installing one of these. they would however caution you that it will not function XD
Yup had ours stolen off my sons 2002 Honda CR-V. he’s a poor student with rising costs on everything including school. The car was in mint condition and safe for him to drive. I would of given them 200-$300 not to cut it out. Oem is way to expensive , can we run straight pipe bypass the a CAT, We live in a place where old vehicles are not inspected annually, or any other alternative . Where he works , it’s a dark place and 100% sure it will happen again . Seems like a new black market industry now of days .
Are there solutions that you can put into your car to make the metals that are in the catalytic converters worthless? If that can be done it would make stealing them not worth it. The other option would be to have real time tracking when it gets stolen.
Man, that's messed up the cats getting stolen. And whoever made that flange didn't know what they're doing. I bought one for my S10 of Amazon but I knew I would have to cut and weld into a pretty straight piece of pipe. Plus I own my own shop, this old S!0 has 220k and failed emissions. Amazon sold me universal marked damage because of the package for $30. Passed emissions next day.
Two couplings little welding done still cheaper then oem . You could even just weld back of flange then grind fix top flange. Its not a major issue cause it isn't a slide on and bolt up. If I put it in a shop I do not expect clamps anyway. As for catalytic thieves. Bag and tag them if ya catch them.
ARE THERE ANY QUALITY AFTERMARKET CATALYTIC CONV. FOR 2014 SENTRAS?? GREAT VIDEO! I DEFINITELY DON'T WANT ANY UNFORSEEN PROBLEMS , I'M NOT A MECHANIC BUT WILLING TO TRY REPLACING THE CAT WITHOUT ADDED COMPLICATIONS!! WHAT 'S THE MATTER WITH THOSE HATERS??? THANKS FOR THE HELPFUL VIDEO, GOD BLESS YOU!!!
I currently have the exact problem he's talking about. I bought the cat on eBay, had it installed and I could smell the gasses coming into the car as I drive. i went to a muffler shop to have the back side of the pipe welded. I though my problem was solved but I can still smell the gasses. my suspicion was a bad doughnut gasket. I removed the bolts to check the gasket but it was fine , but I did noticed there was smoke marks around it where the gasses leak. I have not removed the cat since it's welded on but I think the cat has a bad flange. this video explains exactly what the problem is. Thanks
Man! I'm sorry this happened to you before seeing this video! I would have the exhaust shop install a new upper flange, OEM style, they might have some used ones in the shop they can make work. Let us know how it goes.
When you buy those types of Assembly , almost always you realize it will involve step up and step down spacers and metal size bushing adapters . Unfortunately , if it needs these , then it is one that also needs welding to bond the joints . It sucks .
You take it to a muffler shop they specialize in modifications and making things work. I ordered mine from ebay, went to the muffler shop I trust I was out within 45 mins he cut and welded the work and called me over to check everything was properly seated and sealed. Turned on the car and made sure I had no exhaust leaks and passed smog. 🤷♂️🤷♂️
Here's my experience with a aftermarket cat. I bought one and it fit beautifully but didn't fix P0420 code. Ended up having to buy Toyota OEM cat to fix code.
If the flange side bolts on could you not use some type of gasket shaped like the flange? Something like that came with an aftermarket cat that I purchased. Perhaps a heat resistant liquid gasket and then heat resistant epoxy as a double barrier around the edges
@@subtledriver The owner let me watch under the rack as he personally installed the replacement converter and oxygen sensor. Earlier I had watched him install a custom exhaust system on a brand new Porsche and a muffler on the City Fire Marshals work vehicle. When I left the system sounded better than what was stolen off of my 14 year old Prius. He checked emissions and it passed the state requirements. I don't know what more you would expect a customer to do.
@@subtledriver Including the cost of materials I paid about 25 % of what I was quoted elsewhere. I gave the guy a $20 tip since finishing my repair made his wife wait to pick him up after closing.
What about using copper exhause crush-rings or a regular flat flange gasket? This video makes you sound like a dealership OEM salesman, knit-picking on details.
As a person who works with exhaust systems I will only install Walker Ultra, Dorman, or Magnaflow catalytic converters. The others will just fail even if they fit properly.
For an expert, I’m surprised you don’t know about exhaust pipe expansion tool. A tenth of an inch is Nothing. And at the fore end, put your grinder and hammer to work and Make that shit work.
I got a cat from Amazon for my 03 Honda CRV and I could never get rid of a P0420 code (cat efficiency below threshold). Cheap cats will throw codes. Didn't matter why O2 sensors I got.
I bought a Walker direct fit for a 2002 CRV EPA. That was sometime last year. No check engine light after , passed emissions. The shop my mom took it to cut the flanges and welded it on. She said they didn’t even try to bolt it on not sure of direct fitment though.
You didn’t mention the name of the brand. Is this one of the Evan Fischer ones or just some generic, obscure brand? I need to know because I’m about to buy 2….
cut off the bad designed flange and weld on the original designed flange. Other thought I had. I use Permatex ultra copper to seal up exhaust, it works well enough. Maybe that will seal it, needs to cure overnight. And you can buy wide band clamps to but joint exhaust pipes together that don't slide together, they also work well.
Why the mechanic asked me if the front cat or the rear one is problem when I called him for repair? I only know there is one cat in the rear. Thank you.
I would have sent that junk back. I got mine from Amazon but mine is made closer to the factory one. So everything bolted up very nicely with no issues. The only problem is that every so often if I have to floor the gas to merge onto the highway the check engine light will be on on the next start cycle. After a few cycles it goes back off on its own. But Always comes back anytime I have to accelerate too hard. I got so tired of this bs that I started looking for a factory one. But I can't find anything under 3k. I barely paid that much for the whole car so that's out of the question. On my first gen prius I was able to find a factory Cat for 900. I was really hoping to find something around that price for this 2nd gen.
My son has a 2008 Honda Accord LX with a 420 code. How would we know which catalytic converter to get? I read somewhere that it's two. Is that correct? If so, how would we know which one to replace? I've seen some on eBay for less are these aftermarket brands and would they work as well? Any information you can provide that will help us will be greatly appreciated.
I would make sure thermostat is working, valves are adjusted, oil is fresh, primary o2 is fresh, new plugs (not fake/counterfeit ones from ebay/rock auto or Amazon), before condemning the cat. The cat dies from neglect/missfires and oil burning 90% of the time.
P0420 is the side of the engine where the cylinder #1 is. Also it is the 1st cat or upstream unit if there are multiple cats on the same exhaust stream.
If the mounting for the gasket and graphite seal is really that poor then chop the aftermarket one off and weld the oem one to it, I mean there IS a solution, just kinda sounds like complaining. You are in fact showing that these are not just 'plug-n-play' like the ebay and amazon listings would have you believe, so good on ya for showing people that.
Yep, I'm just showing they aren't plug and play like advertised. I had to chop and weld. It worked, but it was not right they advertised it would just "bolt up"
Technician versus parts changer. I see no issue with the cat once you sleeve the exhaust or weld and weld on the original flange. Add labor to the ticket and get the car off the lift. Flat raters would have already had this done
This video is to show what a "bolt-on" cheap cat experience is. Not to show what a mechanic with a chop saw, pipe expander and welder can do with cheap junk.
The gasket is made of lead and will form to the gap once heated up. Additionally, the springed bolts will apply continued pressure and close the gaps....Real mechanics and welders see no issues here...... It will most definitely seat and seal.
Use a permanent sealer as you install maybe? If bought and this is same situation. Granted they did a crap job making that flange end but may as well macgyver it so it seals and functions as close to normal as can
@@subtledriver correct I agree. Best option. Was only saying for the person who don’t have a welder or $ to take to shop , and in a similar situation. - already bought product don’t seal properly then do what ya gotta do . Not best advise of coarse. But it’s how it is for a lot of folks
@@subtledriver I do have a ? I have a Kia spectra ex sedan. There’s a front manifold catalytic converter then flex pipe and then one catalytic converter mid way on exhaust as well. Then a resonator then muffler I noticed going up a steep long hill. My car bogs down and when Punch it to accelerate up it. I smelt like burning plastic or rubber for few mins , but car runs great all other times. ? Is. Which converter is most likely to go bad first ??? The warm up front one or the main one mid way under car ????
My experiance on ebay is hit and miss, I've bought from Ebay and everything fit well and sometimes not. This time I tried Amazon and the CAT was about 1" shorter than the OEM.
My good folks at orielys helped me find a gasket to fit my jeep tj DNA muffler and told me about muffler cement/putty as a backup for a misaligned seal
too late for me, I bought two of catalytic converter bank 1 and bank 2 for my 10 3.5L V6 Honda Accord. The bank 1 fortunately fits but the other does not. I am mad as hell right now I wish I should have seen this video before purchasing my catalytic converters.
there are tool to expend pipes to fit each others , flenge side you have to grind it little bit to fit , seem to be you just want to be too easy for you .
I bought 2 Walker catalytic converters left/right. Ofcourse both were stolen but took them to a local shop when I got them but here's the question...the shop wanted to sell me theirs. This was a single cat for ea side but he contradicts himself because he 1st tells me it has to have 2 ea side before I brought it to him and my understanding is that it must have 2 to ea side. Is this shop just trying to sell me their product?
Why the mechanic asked me if the front cat or the rear one is problem when I called him for repair? I only know there is one cat in the rear. Thank you.
there are two cats. if there is a code for it, the front is the problem. if there is blockage, you might need the rear, but usually they fail in a pair. but if rear is flowing ok, just replace front. (assuming this shop does welding)
I just bought one from eBay for my 06 Prius and it was way better quality. This video was made 2 yrs ago, so I suspect the quality has improved. The flange looks like the original one. Payd $104+tax.. fit perfect. Worth every penny.
Which seller did you buy from Spacebound?
@@anyC ( nitupea ) located in walnut California.
@@spacebounduniverse9350 Thank you
So what is the link to the one you purchased? Cheap fake cats on ebay don't last long, before check engine light comes on. especially on hybrids where they turn on and off many times in a drive. How many miles and years do you have, who installed it, how was the swivel flange and the pipe size to attach in the rear?
Curious how your eBay cat is functioning after a year.
I'm not even a mechanic but I could fettle around with this to get it to work. You could use a clamp to reduce the size of the existing pipe and/or use a pipe expander on the Cat end to make it fit. On the other end that gasket is soft and made of lead, you could easily manipulate it to fit and create a good seal. Obviously if insurance was paying for it I would insist on OEM parts but if you have an old car not worth much I'd be looking at getting a $100 Cat.
It will leak, and cause it to run rich or throw codes from the torn lead seal and air leak and in a few months you will get a p0420 code cause the cat is not designed for an engine that turns off and on so many times.
@@subtledriver I can fix this up in a couple of hours to make it work just fine
@Isaiah 54:17 you aren't an average person with basic hand tools, this is marketed to "bolt-on", but requires welding and the oem type flange to seat and move like the oem or higher quality units.
@@subtledriver The ''average'' person wouldn't buy it online and try to do it himself in the first place.. any shop can make this pipe work with basic mechanic skills.
@user-tz9sm8yd7m the factory or quality aftermarket cat, can be fitted with basic hand tools and no cutting/welding ect. "Bolt-on", doesn't mean fabrication tools like welder and skills are required.
At least he didnt say, "wont fit, buy oem" yes it needs to be modified, but sounds like this guy is willing and able to make this work for his customer.
It was installed after I cut off the flange and welded on a factory flange, then welded the back end since the pipes didn't slide over as advertised either.... the cat only lasted about 2 oil changes before getting check engine code for bad cat.
You are joking, right? Ever hear of a pipe expander? And lead gaskets are MADE to crush fit. You probably should not have ground off the welds. It would seal better sitting higher. For the $1500 difference between ebay and oem, I can deal with the gasket issues. And hire a mechanic who can improvise....
Hey joe i have a question if you get this
@@dandan2903 i got one for my prius it should best bet go to a backyard mechanic they will do it better than “professional” mechanics
The original gasket is designed to seal with spring loading and be able to pivot/swivel with the engine movement to prevent the exhaust manifold from getting stress cracks. The pipe was physically equal with stock, and If the add states "bolt-on", it should bolt-on without need of extra tools and cutting off a warped flange. The other bolt-on cat's ive installed actually do bolt-up and have quality sealing without warped flanges and work like factory. thanks for the comment.
Seriously. I don't need a mechanic worrying about like factory when I just had my cat cut out and stolen. Stop playing and get me back on the road.
@@philacy facts
Thanks for sharing. My mechanic has pipe expanders , welders, grinders and skills to make it work. That’s because he has years of experience.
I hate mechanics that try to find fault instead of finding solutions, the difference in OEM price is well worth the modification needed to make this work.
Yes after market will work just fine
@@leroystrokesmen5666 exactly....I see no issues here.
It was installed after I cut off the flange and welded on a factory flange, then welded the back end since the pipes didn't slide over as advertised either.... the cat only lasted about 2 oil changes before getting check engine code for bad cat. Not worth it...
All he need to do is grind that inner sealing piece flush then he can weld the outer flange fully from the outside and walah 10 bucks in grinding wheels and 10 bucks for 2lb of ideal e71tgs if your doing it with cheap wire welder 10 bucks in gaskets.
I think you would be the first to complain when this junk fails
A $200 Flux welder and a pipe expander or just using bigger couplings may be cheaper than an oem cat too
Thanks for letting us know about this. As for people that go out and Steal catalytic I believe that they should be charged to the max that the law wall law and it involves jail time so be it
I've made a similar one to this work on a Civic, the flange had the welds just like that. I just replaced the entire gasket with copper RTV, haha. It was a cheap car that needed a cheap fix and it held together for as long as I had the car so I was happy. I'm guessing that wouldn't be a recommended method for most people though 😂
That was my first thought...why not just run a thick bead of Permatex around the joint? I've even heard of guys using furnace cement for exhaust leaks....and if it has a big hole or void, mix it up well with some fiberglass wall insulation.
I get the point he's trying to make, but sometimes the rent needs to get paid, kids need to be fed or grandma needs her meds...and that car needs to get to work one way or another.
Yep, they are of poor quality welds, but, you get what you pay for. I bought two sets of exact replacement cats and y pipe off Amazon for less than $700 saving about $900 on oem, I did this knowing full well that I would have to do modifications to them, being a mig welder of 25 years helps. If anyone buying these cheap cats isn’t a welder or know one that can do the mods they should take their vehicle to a muffler shop in the first place. But $700 and a few hours of my time isn’t a big deal, whereas saving $900 is. Btw it passed inspection, so they do work.
i have the exact same cat. the front works as is. the gasket will seal whn you tighten it down. those caskets are soft and will conform. the rear i did cut and weld. cat works no codes.
the function and purpose of the original is to swivel when the motor rocks back and forth to lessen stress and metal fatigue on all the components in the exhaust. this will cancel that function and cause more issues in the future. thanks for the comment.
how many miles on the new one. did your car had a problem going uphill or clog , or you change the cat for p0420 code..
The gasket will conform to the shape of the aftermarket flange and spin on the flat factory side of the flange. It will still provide the flex necessary, I think you just wanted to tell the people to buy another cat
I have an idea about stopping catalytics converter thieves, once caught lets only cut one finger off n so on should they continue stealing cats.
@Alexa Darling reason why thieves need their fingers chopped off.
@@baikalc.4260 most likely to cut both hands
There's a sleeve that connects those 2 ends at the back cut. Literally slips over the two halves and tightens with a clamp on each side. It's a rolled metal tube that squeezes tight.
That would be nice, if they included something like this. Unfortunately, the ad shows the new part as a slip over with a clamp to "seal it". I've seen many aftermarket cats just work fine. But these cheap ebay/Amazon knock-offs are out of control. Lol
@@subtledriver size may be wrong but I attached a link to what I'm talking about!
Seems like you could get this to work.
Very educational video regarding Catalytic converter. As I decided to replace my catalytic converter after doing some homework, I now know a few things which I never knew before. Thank you
Question - are there 2 catalytic converters on that pipe.??? Why are there two.???
That's really the only problem? You can adapt the rear and you can cut off the front and weld on the old one. Adapt
exactly what i do with almost every aftermarket part i get. merge as much oem to it as possible. but i do get his point; people are paying money for "direct fit" now he has to do extra work. so the client loses money on both buying the part and letting it get installed
So you pay less for "direct fit" and end up paying shop 100-170/hr to make it work.. Yeah, that's it. Might as well just buy an OEM CAT and have a longer lasting CAT. Which is what his point in video is.
@@TheWeirdSide1 hahaha youre so stupid bruh
Did you watch the video? That's precisely what he said he was doing.
Thank you for taking the time to make this video. It was very useful and informative
Thanks for the PSA but I think I'll buy this and a welder. Still a lot cheaper than OEM
Yea it’s not a matter of saving a few bucks… the cat for my rav4 for example is $1400 oem, $100 aftermarket.
Great information! Thank you for pointing this out. Unfortunately I just received mine today but it's for a 2007 Toyota Tundra and the gaskets are different. They look like a simple ring that goes over a small extended piece of the pipe at both ends. I'm hoping like hell it's not going to give me too much grief. Cheers. Oh, by the way, I simply couldn't afford $800 plus CAD so the $133 CAD fit my budget. Hoping I can get it installed for less than $600!!!
Good luck! Even if it fits well,,, usually the lower end cat will fail sooner than the expensive one because it has cheaper materials. I would make sure your primary o2 and maf sensor is working great, along with no air leaks and no misfires and thermostat working good. Any of these basic problems will ruin a cat very short time.
I live in california and 5 days ago they stole my catalyc converter.. I was driving my 2009 prius without catalyc converter..drove it for 4 miles and it worked then I drove it back home and now it does not go into gear. It turns on but does not go into gear. The red triangle came on with exclamation point while driving it back home and then a few min after it did not respond anymore. I parked it a block away from home cause I could not make it home. My insurance is towing it tomorrow to a shop so they can fix it..but now it has an issue with not going into gear..do u think that's because it does not have catalyc converter? Car was running great before it got stolen..no issues at all..I wonder if I messed it up or the prius is doing it on purpose just to be safe since it does not have the cat?
It's just a coincidence. The cat controls nothing but a check engine light.
You were right I checked 12v battery and it was reading 11.7 or something like that so I replaced it and now everything back to normal.
@Randall Glatt here in califorbia because of tje emissions laws there is no way around it. I bought the cat from dealer:( can't even use an use one from another prius has to be brand new from dealer. Paid Alitalia over $3000
You are lucky cause in Vegas u can install an aftermarket for a couple of 100 bucks.
@Randall Glatt no problem
Tail Pipe expander for the rear, and clamp down the front, gasket will form to fit
muffler shops have tubing expanders they can use
The problem is they brought the car to you instead of the exaughts shop who will weld it on. They can also just cut off the end and weld the original flange onto the aftermarket cat. Probably charge $300
I just got one for my Honda and it fit perfect …car still loud tho but not as bad I think it’s due to the theft trying to cut it off at first when it’s a bolt on
$5,000 reward for the reporting and capture of a illegal recycle centers, there is no honor among Thieves they will report on themselves, thieves are like cockroaches and will turn in their own mother for a buck, it's as simple as that, problem solved
Close all the private own recycle centers and open only state own recycling centers, all recycling center are corructed, that is why is happening everywhere.
@@franciscomiguelperezcabrer8989 or just have cops writing down names/info of people who turn in cats
@@franciscomiguelperezcabrer8989 A deep state socialist recycling center may sound like a utopia to you but with how sketchy EVERY other government operation is I doubt that is the solution to the problem. Not all recycling centers are "corructed" and there are a lot of honest hard working people in that industry, not to mention the people that depend on the money they get from recycling. I'm not sure what the answer is to the problem but I think having undercover cops go in and bust buyers/sellers of stolen cats would help. I would also like to see a 400K volt anti-theft stun/converter aftermarket unit :P
@@me3333 I’d love to see that happen 😉🙏🏽
@@jairadouroux7872 It would be cool to set up a camera to record them and put them on TikTok/UA-cam :)
Definitely helped. Thanks . I will definitely look out for this. And the stealing cats, that’s just disgusting. Maybe we can suggest to the Manufacturers to design some type of alert or sensor that will alert the owners or maybe the police or somebody that these guys are taking the cats just as a suggestion
They started building the cats in the manifold.
I would of grinded down that seal to fit the flange or reuse the old seal if I could.when you tighten the whole thing up that seal will conform to any deformities.
So I finally bit the bullet and got a new cat for my 07 Nissan Sentra 2.0. This time it's CA regulated like it says on the sticker. It's been on for two days now. I have a question, is there a break in period before the good mpgs start to kick in? My SED light went off which is a blessing but it seems like my mpg's went down a little. Was there any special instructions that I was supposed to follow? My car has a direct fit so all I did was take it off, put on the new one and went about my way. TIA 🤔
Well that's why you get a universal pipe and make it work. Are you welded together
@aaronkelley1425 description said "bolt-on", not weld-on. It was welded on, eventually using origonal flange
I will cut the flange and weld the old one
Smh. So would i
Yes
how if it was stolen duh the old one is not there to cut ends off and replace with new one
Enlarge the rear pipe with a stretcher cut and weld the old mount on the other end? Fixed
They’re literally made mass produced in an assembly line kinda style, they’re also $100 to $250 and from EBay/ Amazon, what’d ya expect?
There’s several that even state “further modifications maybe needed”.
Yeah, the $3,000.00 to $4500.00 is the better route to take 👌
@@jlee7063 if you have a enough money lol if you actually watched the video you would know the better route is this since thieves can’t make money stealing these knock off catylitic converter.
3:15 problem solved, use a normal gasket design. there are many exhaust gaskets from other vehicles that will fit that flange and go in between the two pieces rather than inside it. all in all any mechanic shop that isn't just your neighbor bubba's house garage has more than enough tools to easily install that. like 30 minutes tops, no problems whatsoever. the real problem is that since it is just a few hundred dollars, it's not using the rare metals that are found in an oem cat, it's using a ceramic substrate with anyhwere from 0 to very little (barely above 0) of the catalysts (precious metals that heat up and catalyze unburnt fuel's transition to it's fully combusted products) needed to make it work properly.
a *good* shop would not only have no problems, but no complaints installing one of these. they would however caution you that it will not function XD
a better honest video would just explain what i did, and not make excuses about it being hard to install, which it is not.
Ssssssss
What about the direct fit cat converters
Exhaust pipe stretcher???
Yeah, and cut a slit and weld it later
What is the best catalytic converters for California compliance 8.1 Chevy engine 01 f... them thieves?
Just cut the flange off, weld the old one on , what's the problem?
There's always a reason why its cheaper, great video thank you.
Is walker a good brand for a catalytic converter
from what I heard yes
Yup had ours stolen off my sons 2002 Honda CR-V. he’s a poor student with rising costs on everything including school. The car was in mint condition and safe for him to drive. I would of given them 200-$300 not to cut it out. Oem is way to expensive , can we run straight pipe bypass the a CAT, We live in a place where old vehicles are not inspected annually, or any other alternative . Where he works , it’s a dark place and 100% sure it will happen again . Seems like a new black market industry now of days .
Are there solutions that you can put into your car to make the metals that are in the catalytic converters worthless? If that can be done it would make stealing them not worth it. The other option would be to have real time tracking when it gets stolen.
No they use those metals in a oem catylitic converter to filter particulates better. ‘Switching the metals out won’t do anything.
Great Man,, thank you for your kindness words. We need more mechanic like you 🙏🙏
Man, that's messed up the cats getting stolen. And whoever made that flange didn't know what they're doing. I bought one for my S10 of Amazon but I knew I would have to cut and weld into a pretty straight piece of pipe. Plus I own my own shop, this old S!0 has 220k and failed emissions. Amazon sold me universal marked damage because of the package for $30. Passed emissions next day.
How did you hook that up? You should be doing Ytube videos and make bank from going viral….
Wow. Thanks for the info. I was going to buy on Ebay. When I saw this video. I change my mind. Good job on the video
Two couplings little welding done still cheaper then oem . You could even just weld back of flange then grind fix top flange. Its not a major issue cause it isn't a slide on and bolt up. If I put it in a shop I do not expect clamps anyway. As for catalytic thieves. Bag and tag them if ya catch them.
ARE THERE ANY QUALITY AFTERMARKET CATALYTIC CONV. FOR 2014 SENTRAS?? GREAT VIDEO! I DEFINITELY DON'T WANT ANY UNFORSEEN PROBLEMS , I'M NOT A MECHANIC BUT WILLING TO TRY REPLACING THE CAT WITHOUT ADDED COMPLICATIONS!! WHAT 'S THE MATTER WITH THOSE HATERS??? THANKS FOR THE HELPFUL VIDEO, GOD BLESS YOU!!!
I currently have the exact problem he's talking about. I bought the cat on eBay, had it installed and I could smell the gasses coming into the car as I drive. i went to a muffler shop to have the back side of the pipe welded. I though my problem was solved but I can still smell the gasses. my suspicion was a bad doughnut gasket. I removed the bolts to check the gasket but it was fine , but I did noticed there was smoke marks around it where the gasses leak. I have not removed the cat since it's welded on but I think the cat has a bad flange.
this video explains exactly what the problem is.
Thanks
Man! I'm sorry this happened to you before seeing this video! I would have the exhaust shop install a new upper flange, OEM style, they might have some used ones in the shop they can make work. Let us know how it goes.
Don't charge too much for 'em and thieves will stop stealing 'em.
They cost a lot to make unfortunately. And cali laws prohibit lower quality units.
Obviously you have no clue as to how vehicles work
When you buy those types of Assembly , almost always you realize it will involve step up and step down spacers and metal size bushing adapters .
Unfortunately , if it needs these , then it is one that also needs welding
to bond the joints .
It sucks .
You take it to a muffler shop they specialize in modifications and making things work. I ordered mine from ebay, went to the muffler shop I trust I was out within 45 mins he cut and welded the work and called me over to check everything was properly seated and sealed. Turned on the car and made sure I had no exhaust leaks and passed smog. 🤷♂️🤷♂️
What brand was the Cat in this Video? Last week some Bastard/Bastardette sawzalled the 2 Cats off my Cadillac
the cheapest one. not sure anymore
Here's my experience with a aftermarket cat. I bought one and it fit beautifully but didn't fix P0420 code. Ended up having to buy Toyota OEM cat to fix code.
I bought 3 converters off of ebay (my car takes 3) fit alright but all the nuts they sent didn't fit the bolts welded to the cats.
Hey, sorry to see it happen to anyone. what brand cat is that?
Would you say we are obligated to change a catyltic converter? Also, if it's failing.. would that make a huge muffler noise?
If the flange side bolts on could you not use some type of gasket shaped like the flange? Something like that came with an aftermarket cat that I purchased. Perhaps a heat resistant liquid gasket and then heat resistant epoxy as a double barrier around the edges
Strange. I bought one of those for my 2008 Prius and the muffler shop installed it in 20 minutes. No complaints!
you should double check their work.
How much did they charge for 20 minutes?
@@subtledriver The owner let me watch under the rack as he personally installed the replacement converter and oxygen sensor. Earlier I had watched him install a custom exhaust system on a brand new Porsche and a muffler on the City Fire Marshals work vehicle. When I left the system sounded better than what was stolen off of my 14 year old Prius. He checked emissions and it passed the state requirements. I don't know what more you would expect a customer to do.
@@subtledriver Including the cost of materials I paid about 25 % of what I was quoted elsewhere. I gave the guy a $20 tip since finishing my repair made his wife wait to pick him up after closing.
Just put an Amazon converter Y pipe on my c-1500 pickup. Bolted on simple and does not leak at all.
What about using copper exhause crush-rings or a regular flat flange gasket? This video makes you sound like a dealership OEM salesman, knit-picking on details.
I popped some rtv on both sides of the gasket. I've got a good 3 years out if it. I just passed my emissions test 2 weeks ago.
What's rtv I have same problem I just bought mine of Ebay and got check engine light
Permatex Rtv high temp gasket maker
@@bri9435 dude thank you 4 getting back I'm gonna try it out I was about give my car to junker and carry another loan.
@@ghasanahmed6159 no problem. Just make sure you read the instructions, you have to let it set for a few hours. Maybe even overnight.
@@ghasanahmed6159 did it work????
can these be grinded to fit better
As a person who works with exhaust systems I will only install Walker Ultra, Dorman, or Magnaflow catalytic converters. The others will just fail even if they fit properly.
For an expert, I’m surprised you don’t know about exhaust pipe expansion tool. A tenth of an inch is Nothing. And at the fore end, put your grinder and hammer to work and Make that shit work.
This is supposed to be a plug and play cat, the front flange wont seal, and the rear pipe needs special tools.
@@subtledriver Your correct subtledriver :)
I got a cat from Amazon for my 03 Honda CRV and I could never get rid of a P0420 code (cat efficiency below threshold). Cheap cats will throw codes. Didn't matter why O2 sensors I got.
This is happening to my 2007 suburban got those codes after I got these cats of ebay well complete y pipe and a slight misfire now
I bought a Walker direct fit for a 2002 CRV EPA. That was sometime last year. No check engine light after , passed emissions. The shop my mom took it to cut the flanges and welded it on. She said they didn’t even try to bolt it on not sure of direct fitment though.
You didn’t mention the name of the brand. Is this one of the Evan Fischer ones or just some generic, obscure brand? I need to know because I’m about to buy 2….
cut off the bad designed flange and weld on the original designed flange. Other thought I had. I use Permatex ultra copper to seal up exhaust, it works well enough. Maybe that will seal it, needs to cure overnight. And you can buy wide band clamps to but joint exhaust pipes together that don't slide together, they also work well.
That’s a lead do unit crank it on when it heats it melts and settles it will seal
I bought some for my 2006 Toyota tundra 4.7. And my check engine keeps coming on. 😢
Did he put it on? If not the grinding of the welds probably made it so it couldn't be returned
I'm seeing these cats don't have connections for 02 sensors. I'm really confused now.
You can buy them with or without depending on what you need for your vehicle.
Kit I bought front end fits perfectly 👍
Hey regis im going to replace for a friend who had hers stolen. Do you mind sharing your link to the one that fit perfectly? Thank you and HNY!
@@kevinbaker2470 No link. He lied
thanks for the video. is this an AP-Eastern, or, a Walker product?
This is none of those. It is the cheapest on ebay/Amazon. Not going to bolt-up as advertised. Unless you cut and weld.
i just went thru 2 direct fits on my f150, both didnt fit... too small, i think what they want is for you to buy both sides and they will fit
Man that sucks
The 2013 Toyota camry hybrid cats are the same way as well, and the gasket they send with it aren't the right size either
seems like I am good then. I am going to get one from Ebay for my ls swap. I am building the exhaust anyway. So it seems like we are good to go.
Out of curiosity did you ever get the ebay parts for your ls swap? How well did it perform?
@@budthechud3408 sorry I didn't. I decided to leave the cats off
Why the mechanic asked me if the front cat or the rear one is problem when I called him for repair? I only know there is one cat in the rear. Thank you.
I would have sent that junk back. I got mine from Amazon but mine is made closer to the factory one. So everything bolted up very nicely with no issues. The only problem is that every so often if I have to floor the gas to merge onto the highway the check engine light will be on on the next start cycle. After a few cycles it goes back off on its own. But Always comes back anytime I have to accelerate too hard. I got so tired of this bs that I started looking for a factory one. But I can't find anything under 3k. I barely paid that much for the whole car so that's out of the question. On my first gen prius I was able to find a factory Cat for 900. I was really hoping to find something around that price for this 2nd gen.
I hear that the magna flows and Walker complete assemblies seem to be the way to go.
My car Magnaflow = $600 on sale (Hottexhaust) Walker = $430 (Amazon)
My son has a 2008 Honda Accord LX with a 420 code. How would we know which catalytic converter to get? I read somewhere that it's two. Is that correct? If so, how would we know which one to replace? I've seen some on eBay for less are these aftermarket brands and would they work as well? Any information you can provide that will help us will be greatly appreciated.
I would make sure thermostat is working, valves are adjusted, oil is fresh, primary o2 is fresh, new plugs (not fake/counterfeit ones from ebay/rock auto or Amazon), before condemning the cat. The cat dies from neglect/missfires and oil burning 90% of the time.
P0420 is the side of the engine where the cylinder #1 is. Also it is the 1st cat or upstream unit if there are multiple cats on the same exhaust stream.
Thank you so much.
is it from Evan fischer？
If the mounting for the gasket and graphite seal is really that poor then chop the aftermarket one off and weld the oem one to it, I mean there IS a solution, just kinda sounds like complaining. You are in fact showing that these are not just 'plug-n-play' like the ebay and amazon listings would have you believe, so good on ya for showing people that.
Yep, I'm just showing they aren't plug and play like advertised. I had to chop and weld. It worked, but it was not right they advertised it would just "bolt up"
Technician versus parts changer. I see no issue with the cat once you sleeve the exhaust or weld and weld on the original flange. Add labor to the ticket and get the car off the lift. Flat raters would have already had this done
This video is to show what a "bolt-on" cheap cat experience is. Not to show what a mechanic with a chop saw, pipe expander and welder can do with cheap junk.
The part was welded on with factory flange, I just wanted to show how things aren't manufactured properly, so buyer beware.
The gasket is made of lead and will form to the gap once heated up. Additionally, the springed bolts will apply continued pressure and close the gaps....Real mechanics and welders see no issues here...... It will most definitely seat and seal.
What was the brand and the ebay shop name?
Use a permanent sealer as you install maybe? If bought and this is same situation. Granted they did a crap job making that flange end but may as well macgyver it so it seals and functions as close to normal as can
I dont like doing the job more than once. I cut the ends and did some welding.
@@subtledriver correct I agree. Best option. Was only saying for the person who don’t have a welder or $ to take to shop , and in a similar situation. - already bought product don’t seal properly then do what ya gotta do . Not best advise of coarse. But it’s how it is for a lot of folks
@@subtledriver I do have a ? I have a Kia spectra ex sedan. There’s a front manifold catalytic converter then flex pipe and then one catalytic converter mid way on exhaust as well. Then a resonator then muffler I noticed going up a steep long hill. My car bogs down and when Punch it to accelerate up it. I smelt like burning plastic or rubber for few mins , but car runs great all other times. ? Is. Which converter is most likely to go bad first ??? The warm up front one or the main one mid way under car ????
@@subtledriver it’s a 2006
my cats with o2 sensor was cut off of my 2000 ford crown victoria police interceptor before i bought it now what?
you own a 1st gen prius? maybe you bought the kit for 2nd gen?
thank you for this. one thing though, this is a 2nd gen prius. the 1st gen is 1999-2003
you are correct. thanks
My experiance on ebay is hit and miss, I've bought from Ebay and everything fit well and sometimes not. This time I tried Amazon and the CAT was about 1" shorter than the OEM.
the biggest issue is that this cats will not still long, it's for 1-1.5 years and they will light the check and you will feel dirt on exhaust.
Thank you so much telling us about this…. I hate taking someone stuff without asking them … I hate a tiff
My good folks at orielys helped me find a gasket to fit my jeep tj DNA muffler and told me about muffler cement/putty as a backup for a misaligned seal
too late for me, I bought two of catalytic converter bank 1 and bank 2 for my 10 3.5L V6 Honda Accord. The bank 1 fortunately fits but the other does not. I am mad as hell right now I wish I should have seen this video before purchasing my catalytic converters.
What year was your Accord? My daughter has an 07 hers was stolen
hey man where's the end result?
there are tool to expend pipes to fit each others , flenge side you have to grind it little bit to fit , seem to be you just want to be too easy for you .
Have you ever heard of an expansion tool???
I bought 2 Walker catalytic converters left/right. Ofcourse both were stolen but took them to a local shop when I got them but here's the question...the shop wanted to sell me theirs. This was a single cat for ea side but he contradicts himself because he 1st tells me it has to have 2 ea side before I brought it to him and my understanding is that it must have 2 to ea side. Is this shop just trying to sell me their product?
What car is it?
@@subtledriver toyota tundra sr5 5.7v8
@@rolandmendoza7536 what year?
@@subtledriver 2010
Do cng vehicles need them? If stolen stolen how can i cheaply make it quiet quiet and stop backfireing and be able to go fast again?
Why the mechanic asked me if the front cat or the rear one is problem when I called him for repair? I only know there is one cat in the rear. Thank you.
there are two cats. if there is a code for it, the front is the problem. if there is blockage, you might need the rear, but usually they fail in a pair. but if rear is flowing ok, just replace front. (assuming this shop does welding)
Dude thanks for video I wish it was published earlier before I bought mine