Hey guys, can the dust from a failed cat harm my engine? I dont think there are any large particles as i have hollowed out the faulty cat and put 500 miles on it with no oil consumption. I am wondering if this may have caused damage that wont be noticed till further down the road? p.s. the car right now runs better than it ever has

 

Check out the other threads here on the subject....all your enquiries will be answered...You need to see how it does OIL change to OIL change...I would change the oil every 4K KMs or 3000 miles to be safe. Check your oil level on a regular basis and this should give you a good idea...if you're burning oil you will be lower than normal.

 

After reading more on the topic it seems like the longer that you let the problem go and if you have an altima 2.5 then you are more prone to have oil consumption from cylinder scoring. I just got back from the dealer service dept. today and told them what happened and that i'd like them to check over the motor before i drop 1100 on cat converters. They told me that there was nothing to worry about and that they never heard of the motor being ruined on a maxima because of this (Keep in mind its a small nissan dealership in south dakota). I tried to tell them it could happen(motor damage from precat failure) and they said that if i drive on it like that for a while it cause harm but not since ive only put 500miles on it that way and my motor is running fine and doesnt seem to be burning oil. I even told them about a leak down test and compression test and they said i would be wasting my money. So i am relieved that they say the motor is ok and now i just need to make a choice.......... headers or precats???????? I would like to find a beefier precat although i did get a decent pricequote at a small local exhaust shop 11 hundred both cats installed both sides of the motor.

 

If u can wait then get raclinglinepeformance pre-cat if u can't wait then get cattman header.

 

Do you have any idea when this product will be done

 

LOL in IMO if you got a Y-Pipe and hollowed out your Pre-Cats you'll pretty much have Headers!

Part of the restrictions on the Maxima was Nissan's ability to restrict the VQ's lungs, with less back pressure you may feel a loss in low end TQ, however you may feel more power in the Mid/High band. I would however have a concern if you only hollowed out 1 cat and left the other alone!

 

Chern thank you for your input. You seem to know alot about these cars. I dont plan on leaving 1 cat hollow and the other still intact. It was just a circumstantial fix so i could get back on the road.Do you honestly think I would have just as much flow as headers if i hollow the other one out? Also what would i do about the secondary 02 sensors because the cat in my y-pipe is hollowed out right now too? I wonder if anyone has ever done this?

 

Absolutely, maybe not as much because of bends and smoothness of the piping but that's what headers do, they make it easier to push exhaust gases out which means the engine doesn't work as hard. The power saved not having to push exhaust gas out translates to more power to the wheel. More improvements can be achieved by larger diameter exhaust piping and less restrictive mufflers as well but the true choke points are the Precat and Cat.

I personally don't know anyone who's ever done it in this manner nor do I recommend this as a long term fix or overall performance enhancement (although you will feel one). As for your 02 sensors, are you throwing any codes (SES Light?)? If not leave it alone, if you are log the codes, clear them (using an OBDE-II or disconnecting your car battery for about 5 minutes) and see what comes back. If your engine has issues the SES light will come back on.

Last, both the Hotshot (No longer available) and Cattman Performance headers have caused the SES lights to come on in 6th Gen Maxima's. Cattman is still looking into the issue, Hotshot owners have learned to ignore the issue, and some members have purchased and installed 02 simulators to bypass the issue so that the ECU thinks every thing's OK.

Finally, I recommend either getting headers or fixing your precats. You may be able to find some nice used ones at www.car-parts.com

Also check your states emission / car inspection laws before making your ultimate decision.

Good luck...

 

right now im not throwing any codes. I was throwing a p0420 and p0430 catalytic converters both sides. I know that the p0430 is fo the hollowed out cat and the the one is pending but im assuming its bad. I've had to put about 500 miles on with the bad cat, the car is just sitting there in my garage now until i decide which route to go with for a fix(i dont want ot drive it and hurt the motor). Although nissan made i t sound like it woulld be very rare for a maxima today when i was there. They said dont even worry about it and just fix the car. You know it runs surprisingly well with 2 hollowed out cats although im not going to leave it that way. I just cant decide which route to go.

 

Go the route that will make you sleep best at night!