keneg25

Maxima Minds-

I have a 2002 SE with 265K miles that i have never had a problem with. I recently changed my Bank 1 and Bank 2 Pre Cats (connecting to the front and rear manifolds). I bought a Eastern cats to replace the originals. NOT a repair for the faint of heart. I was getting the P0420 and P0430 codes prior to the repair. After I changed them the codes have gone away, that was about 700 miles ago. I get MUCH more power and the car runs a lot better. I also changed the motor mounts while I was under there and that served to be VERY beneficial because pulling the mounts and cross-bar out helped me get to the pre-cats better.

NOW... there were a few things that did not go right.
(1) The front pre-cat (Bank 2) was slightly shorter than the stock pre-cat. It fit but it was obviously not a direct fit
(2) The downstream O2 sensor went bad shortly after the change (changed it with no issues)
(3) The front (bank 2) pre-cat is louder than the original.

My basic question is has anyone changed from the stock pre-cats to a Eastern pre-cat? If so is it louder?

I have not gone back in to see if there was something wrong with the installation because I was very careful. If they are typically louder I will have to live with it but I wanted to ask. The sound is not unbearable but it is a bit louder than the stock.

Jackcat28

Hello, I am a technical rep. for Eastern catalytic. It sounds like you may have some type of exhaust leak. The best way to check for exhaust leakage would be to have it tested by an exhaust shop. They will pressurize the system with smoke and look for visable leakage. Aftermarket converters are not going to create more noise on a stock vehicle unless the exhaust system has been modified (ex. removal of OEM resonator and/or muffler). If the unit doesn't fit properly it could cause an exhaust leak. The direct fit unit should have matched original units length and attachment points. I have heard of an instance were the 6 speed M/T vehicles had a 1/2'' longer converter on the radiator side converter, although we have not been able to confirm this. Please contact me for technical assistance and we will resolve this issue. Thank you , Jack George, Eastern Catalytic. Ext 121.

2kMaxim

Don't stress the o2 sensor part.....its always good practice to do a new o2 with a new precat since its probably going to only happen once on each bank.

keneg25

Thank you Gents... I will have it checked out.

nsnrider

iTrader: (59)

i've swapped out the pre cats with eastern parts and have not had more noise after the install. You do want to make sure the gaskets seat well, they use different gaskets. I always clean the exhaust manifold with a wire wheel to make sure the mating surfaces are perfectly clean.

If you have an exhaust leak, you might have to bring it in to get a smoke test done if its a small leak. Sometimes using the mirror when the car is running and looking around the joints when the mirror starts fogging up can help pinpoint the leak without using a smoke machine.

good luck.