Front catalytic converter. Old vs. New
 

had the code for the bad cat. so purchased a new one from discountcatalyticconverters.com. pretty straight forward install. the weight difference was huge IMO. stock converter was 11 lbs vs a 5.2 lb. on my way to the store to get the code cleared and hopefully will stay off


http://i102.photobucket.com/albums/m...s/P1012350.jpg

http://i102.photobucket.com/albums/m...s/P1012349.jpg

Which brand did you end up getting? Did you get or installed any gaskets too?

Nice! You'll have to let us know how the install goes. I need a new one, too, but from living in snow hell, my car's whole underbody is wicked rusty. I'd be surprised if the cat bolts would even come out without a torch.

Is the new one SS or some kind of steel? OEM's are cast FeC. FTL!

Check the website and that's the kind I got. Just got the code cleared so we'll see how it goes

Its not stainless but it is som kind of steel.

Install was a breeze for me because I recently took I off just to see if I could. So this time around wasn't bad bcause I had already broke the rust off of the bolts. Had to use a breaker bar for te bolts.

That's exactly why I asked; the website has Eastern, Bosal, Davico, etc., and they all have different prices. I was assuming you knew which one you got.

I might be in a Friday mood, but that comment made me :lol:

My bad I got the eastern one for about 200 shipped. Perfect fit

Damn that is a good price in Cali I couldn't even order one had to get Nissan for like 865 cause I failed a smog but next time will ship to relatives in Florida then here, but by then I should have the real deal Cattman's I was pissed like I could of got those instead.:kiss:

niceee

How hard was the removal? Did you do the removal on your back under the car or use a lift? I've got the p0420 code which showed up AFTER changing BOTH rear oxygen sensors.

Not only that, I bought my front bank 1 cat from DaveB. Paid $780 shipped including the gaskets. :madmofo:

wasn't bad at all that's if your bolts aren't rusted on. be sure to spray some pb blaster on them before trying to remove them, it helped me out. i did mine on my back in my garage. Used a breaker bar also to get some more torque on the nuts and bolts. $780!!! Wow!! you should've searched around on the net. Like I said i bought mine from discountcatalyticconverters.com for 200 shipped. good luck

precats ftl! why not get a y-pipe?

I already have a warpspeed y pipe. The one I have for my 01 max doesn't delete the front precat. I want headers so that I can delete the precat but couldn't afford it right now.

My reason for buying the catalytic converter from DaveB was I called and asked about the p0420 code. I wanted to know about checking the injectors, the air intake for leaks, the exhaust for leaks and the other crap the FSM says to check. DaveB said you can but his experience says ultimately replacing that front pre-cat solves the p0420 code.

We'll see once I get it installed. And yes now I realize I could have picked up an aftermarket cat and called it good, but I'd rather not run into problems getting bolt holes to line up and have to pop the old one back on...etc.

Also, car came from Arizona (as a rental, haha) was driven in Southern California and has been in the Seattle area since Aug-2008. Fingers crossed!

I guess you mean the rear pre-cat, not the front. Code P0420 is for the rear pre-cat (bank 1) the one closest to the firewall, while P0430 is the front (bank 2) the one closest to the radiator. This is true for all 5th and 5.5th gen cars except the 5th gen Federal spec vehicles.
Someone please correct me if I'm wrong.

Damn you are right, it's what happens when you are doing a million things at once.

P0420 is the front pre-cat for bank 1, located behind the engine at the firewall. P0430 is the front pre-cat for bank 2, also called the manifold cat. It's at the front of the engine.

I have a feeling that the check engine light will come back within 6 months if not sooner. You should have tried few other avenues before getting an aftermarket pre-cat

Semi-related, but when people say "my pre-cats are clogged" is this what they're refetting to? (If yes, I think this is my car's performance issue - dealer quoted me $900 for parts/labor.)

:nod: Since we refer to the 'main' cat as the one underneath the car.

Apparently the "main cat" then is supposedly easy to replace, so how easy is the pre-cat?

Not nearly as easy as the main cat. It's very similar to a header job. Check the how to's for header install, that's where I'd start.

wait, did u install the gasket or not? The OEM cap converter doesn't fit the eastern cats! I was a dumbass for listening to they guy @ eastern cat and installed it w/o the mesh gasket+ cap converter.....bad idea...

Same thing I have been thinking about. Read a lot about the eastern not fitting up right with/without that gasket and the leaks around that area.

Any month later update AsianStyle??

For those needing a pre-cat for a 99-01 Max, I just bought one from performance-peddler.com for $160 shipped. Just type the word "stimulus" on the order summary page in the "enter coupon code" section to recieve it for just under $160. ...fast shipping too.

http://www.performancepeddler.com/detail.asp?PRODUCT_ID=EAS40387

I'll be interested in knowing if you end up getting the updated version, the one that supposedly accommodates the OEM gasket (See post #76 on this thread: http://forums.maxima.org/5th-generat...problem-2.html from a catalog manager at Eastern Catalytic). A lot members report not having any leaking issues despite the fact that the precat is installed without a gasket. I still don't think that metal against metal, without a gasket, provides a leak-free connection.

Month later. Still working perfectly. No leaks what so ever. No gaskets. At one point right after the install I did have a leak and thought it was b/c there was not gasket. But the leak I found out was coming from the rear manifold where the ypipe connected. The bolts were just loose. Easy fix.

looks like mild steel or t409ss, flanges are a little thinner as well!

I almost bought an Eastern cat conv for my CRV. Turns out the noise was coming from the shield and not the Cat Conv itself (knock on wood).

Thanks for the closure on this thread.

Atleast now we know the eastern precat does work without issues. :)

If you have a California emissions car must you use the CA parts? Some websites say they just can't ship to CA - implying that Federal 49 state parts will work on CA emissions cars. The car is not in California.

Will 49 state exhaust parts work on a CA emissions car - as in O2 sensor holes and the cats working with the car's computer without throwing codes?

There is a sticky in the 5th gen forum for people who just registered but cannot start a new thread. You should have posted your question there.

Cars sold in CA have more strict emissions but if the car is registered in another state, you can purchase aftermarket parts.

Just buy the part you need and install but the company will not ship to a California address.

my cel just came on i need a front cat , so let me get this str8 ... I can get cattman or obx headers an get rid of the front cat ??? will my cel still be on tho ???

so one help me out

You can get Headers and way better performance for your ride, but the light will be on still but everybody say's you got to get a o2simulator for the rear o2 sensors to not have the CEL. They are like 40 bucks or less at o2simulator.com!!:D

thas what i thought ... ima look into that

or if these cats are not broaken inside yet either leave em on or take them out an hollow them out and then get an o2 simulator installed (easy job) and it will get rid of your mil light

I just got the 0430 code. How do you know if they are broken inside?

If you are getting an SES light, you've most likely got a problem with the cat. Mine were disintegrating inside, pretty obvious when we pulled them off.