Racingline Cat Problem...
07-16-2011, 08:01 PM
#1
Racingline Cat Problem...
Ok so.... 79998 miles the front catalytic converter on my 06 Max melted. It started whistling bad, huge power loss, blah blah blah. Ordered the racingline precats and installed the front no biggie. The old cat had melted around and had about a quarter size hole left to breathe from. The back bolts refused to budge but after an old mechanic checked them out they came off. So both cats installed car drives good. Now for the problem. Two weeks ago the car was driving funny. Slow to little acceleration, bad mileage, and a weird whistle. Drove about ten miles and bam ses light. Pulled the codes and got 0300 (multiple cylinder misfire) and 0057 (bad 02 bank 2 sensor 2) Didnt have time to fix it so I parked it and flew out on vacation for a week. As soon as I get back I go to the shop and park it on a lift. Pulled off the y pipe and it was rattling. Tipped it and saw this:
Was like wtf.... A little more pouring:
Glanced into my cat and saw:
By this time i was seriously starting to wonder what the hell had happened. After dumping as much as the crap as I could I pulled off the o2 sensor. Well I forgot the pic but it was bent in half... Again wtf... Looked in the pipe annnnd......
By this point I was pissed... An hour later with an air hammer and a screwdriver I removed:
So yeah... The car is running no precats, no ses lights (o2 spacers ;-)), and seems to be running stronger than Ive ever remembered. So my question here is what the hell is causing me to have these catalytic converter problems (and yes I know the max's cats go bad at 80k miles anyway), and is there any danger of running without precats other than emissions? I have a loop hole that keeps me from getting smog tested so thats no biggie but the fact that the racingline cats lasted like 1500 miles kinda sucks. Any ideas?
Was like wtf.... A little more pouring:
Glanced into my cat and saw:
By this time i was seriously starting to wonder what the hell had happened. After dumping as much as the crap as I could I pulled off the o2 sensor. Well I forgot the pic but it was bent in half... Again wtf... Looked in the pipe annnnd......
By this point I was pissed... An hour later with an air hammer and a screwdriver I removed:
So yeah... The car is running no precats, no ses lights (o2 spacers ;-)), and seems to be running stronger than Ive ever remembered. So my question here is what the hell is causing me to have these catalytic converter problems (and yes I know the max's cats go bad at 80k miles anyway), and is there any danger of running without precats other than emissions? I have a loop hole that keeps me from getting smog tested so thats no biggie but the fact that the racingline cats lasted like 1500 miles kinda sucks. Any ideas?
07-17-2011, 07:21 AM
#4
Ah **** just went through that last week gutting me rear same stuff identical....I used a sawzall and some concrete big a$$ drill....tough like kevlar.....but I think read if your getting a misfire you might just be soaking it in fuel and when you get the fire back it kind of cooks the Cat maybe causingbthis but not for sure...but better to be catless or get headers don't want that tough **** going into your engine......
07-17-2011, 08:53 AM
#5
I too had both oem precats melt on me but this was before racingline had their precat option available. I chose to gut them both as to opposed to paying 700 dollars for headers. When mine melted I had all the same codes that you had and no power at all. After they were gutted and installed a racingline ypipe with o2 sensor spacers the car has more power than ever. I have been running it this way with no ses light for 15,000 miles so good luck and get rid of those sh**ty nissan precats.
07-17-2011, 09:51 AM
#6
Good luck but you have a pre-existing problem with your ignition not igniting all the fuel air mixture and the unburned fuel is melting your precat....A friend of Mine said that that Racingline High performance Precats were gonna have to deal with alot of high temperatures and vibration that could affect it durability in the long run.....I would personally get an O2 sim, just in cause a CEL does illuminate and call it the day unless you want some Cattman Headers!!! With the Catalyst perfectly out the way you're gonna flow really good as they are!
Last edited by CMax03; 07-19-2011 at 08:04 PM.
07-17-2011, 05:32 PM
#7
Senior Member
Join Date: May 2010
Posts: 1,625
this is all new information to me. i didn't know our cat system burns out and becomes defective after any amount of miles.
you say racing line precats are a joke? why? or is this just an isolated event?
are there any other headers out there with cats in them that work enough to pass smog?
you say racing line precats are a joke? why? or is this just an isolated event?
are there any other headers out there with cats in them that work enough to pass smog?
07-17-2011, 06:16 PM
#9
07-19-2011, 10:55 AM
#11
Cmax03, you're a good friend and loyal Cattman supporter, but please don't quote me this way online. I very much prefer to avoid open conflicts with other vendors. Saying that they are not durable seems to be a true statement, but calling them a joke is the kind of insult I try to avoid.
All I will say about this issue is that:
1) I've been hearing similar reports for several months; this is not new, nor an isolated occurrence.
2) Although its certainly possible, I would not necessarily assume this is due to the ignition of unburned fuel because I do not actually see any melting (but I suppose there could be structural failure due to excessive heat, without actual melting).
3) Another possibility would be that the substrate was not adequately anchored in the housing - if its moving around (violently), the metal cell structure can collapse
4) I do not consider this to be Racingline's "fault", in the sense that they are purchasing existing components in good faith, and could not have foreseen this problem. The test is what occurs after the problem is confirmed. I've heard rumors that they suspended sales due to these issues, but it may not be true and others would have to confirm.
5) When issues like this come up, it can be crushing to a small business - Taz has my sympathy, I've been there before too (thinking back to a batch of 50 y-pipes we sold in 1999 or 2000 and they all had bad flex sections that balled up in a bunch and caused problems that are quite similar to these symptoms).
6) As far as new sims go, does anyone know of a current source? www.O2simulators.com has suspended orders for some time. I'm not aware of other sources and would appreciate a PM with links to other sources. Not sure where to send our customers when they ask about O2 sims.
Brian
All I will say about this issue is that:
1) I've been hearing similar reports for several months; this is not new, nor an isolated occurrence.
2) Although its certainly possible, I would not necessarily assume this is due to the ignition of unburned fuel because I do not actually see any melting (but I suppose there could be structural failure due to excessive heat, without actual melting).
3) Another possibility would be that the substrate was not adequately anchored in the housing - if its moving around (violently), the metal cell structure can collapse
4) I do not consider this to be Racingline's "fault", in the sense that they are purchasing existing components in good faith, and could not have foreseen this problem. The test is what occurs after the problem is confirmed. I've heard rumors that they suspended sales due to these issues, but it may not be true and others would have to confirm.
5) When issues like this come up, it can be crushing to a small business - Taz has my sympathy, I've been there before too (thinking back to a batch of 50 y-pipes we sold in 1999 or 2000 and they all had bad flex sections that balled up in a bunch and caused problems that are quite similar to these symptoms).
6) As far as new sims go, does anyone know of a current source? www.O2simulators.com has suspended orders for some time. I'm not aware of other sources and would appreciate a PM with links to other sources. Not sure where to send our customers when they ask about O2 sims.
Brian
Good luck but you have a pre-existing problem with your ignition not igniting all the fuel air mixture and the unburned fuel is melting your precat....Brian Catts said that that Racingline High performance Precats were a joke and not durable.....I would personally get an O2 sim, just in cause a CEL does illuminate and call it the day unless you want some Cattman Headers!!! With the Catalyst perfectly out the way you're gonna flow really good as they are!
07-19-2011, 02:22 PM
#13
I think that if there were a lot of angry customers out there you would have heard about it by now. That would be a function of the incidence rate (could be low) and how well RL takes care of it when it does occur. If it was happening a lot and RL wasn't making it right, it seems like you'd hear people howling about it. Best to assume they're doing their best to deal with this unless someone can demonstrate otherwise.
Last edited by Cattman; 07-19-2011 at 02:24 PM.
07-19-2011, 07:28 PM
#14
Member
Join Date: Dec 2008
Location: Memphis,tn
Posts: 221
When my precut go out then I'll be purchasing cattman header n call it days. After looking at 2nd issues or more with raclingline precat that make wonder stay away from raclingline precat.
I'll still say cattman is way to like other people say we get what we paid for.
I'll still say cattman is way to like other people say we get what we paid for.
07-19-2011, 07:36 PM
#15
this is the first I have heard of this as the OP has not yet sent in any emails or PM's regarding the issue
The other car that did have this problem had severely damaged factory cats (like the OP of this thread)which can lead to engine/oil problems as we all know, it showed large amounts of soot and was set up for nitrous use. Although they claim to have never sprayed while the cats were installed, simply retarding the timing can send unburnt fuel into the cats which can eventually ignite inside the cat causing catastrophic damage to ANY cat
If your openly telling people these words through email, maxus or on the phone why hide it? Either stand by your word or let your product talk for you. trying to be hush hush later sounds like a bunch of kids on the playground
Less than 2% failure rate to date with almost 100 units sold in less than 1 yr hardly suggests they are not durable(% includes BOTH the previously mentioned failures from above). Since they use a similar Magnaflow cat akin to the cattman fastcat system I would suggest buying and dissecting your own set of our HFPC before making any such bold claims based on internet conjecture.........
Funny that I have heard of none and it's my product?! unlike other products with lots of reported SES lights including a batch with crooked flanges. Yet I'm not attempting to stir the pot in your threads or knock your product
Unburnt fuel would not cause excessive heat per se, in fact if would aid in lowering combustion temperatures, one reason it is done in forced induction and nitrous use. It would however cause forceful explosions (not smoldering) inside a cat which is one of the only a very few reasons a stainless steel substrate mesh could break into small fragment so quickly
Collapse and possibly unravel yes, but unlikely to shear into tiny pieces without excessive and prolonged driving use
Conjecture once again, never once have the HFPC's been halted, infact they sell too quick to keep on the shelf at times which is why they are out of stock often
Like the only other issue of this occurring, since they user has taken it upon themselves to chisel, modify and reinstall the product there is no possible way of concluding the actual cause of the failure, best I can offer at this point is a discount on a replacement set. But before that were to happen the OP needs to (a) contact me, which has yet to happen) (b) should have the car looked at and have the A/f tested, timing checked, and even a compression test performed to ensure the car is not sending fuel or oil into the exhaust system. If any of these conditions exist a replacement set is likely to grenade again
6) As far as new sims go, does anyone know of a current source? www.O2simulators.com has suspended orders for some time. I'm not aware of other sources and would appreciate a PM with links to other sources. Not sure where to send our customers when they ask about O2 sims.
Brian
The spacers I showed you once before are working well in the cars I have tested them on. Both local Evos running WB and the 05+ 2.5 Altimas running WB all have are CEL free
Cmax03, you're a good friend and loyal Cattman supporter, but please don't quote me this way online. I very much prefer to avoid open conflicts with other vendors. Saying that they are not durable seems to be a true statement, but calling them a joke is the kind of insult I try to avoid.
Less than 2% failure rate to date with almost 100 units sold in less than 1 yr hardly suggests they are not durable(% includes BOTH the previously mentioned failures from above). Since they use a similar Magnaflow cat akin to the cattman fastcat system I would suggest buying and dissecting your own set of our HFPC before making any such bold claims based on internet conjecture.........
5) When issues like this come up, it can be crushing to a small business - Taz has my sympathy, I've been there before too (thinking back to a batch of 50 y-pipes we sold in 1999 or 2000 and they all had bad flex sections that balled up in a bunch and caused problems that are quite similar to these symptoms).
6) As far as new sims go, does anyone know of a current source? www.O2simulators.com has suspended orders for some time. I'm not aware of other sources and would appreciate a PM with links to other sources. Not sure where to send our customers when they ask about O2 sims.
Brian
Last edited by TAZ; 07-19-2011 at 08:04 PM.
07-19-2011, 07:48 PM
#17
no popcorn needed, I'm not here for drama. I'm simply refuting some rather tasteless and unprofessional comments and addressing the issue at hand at the same time. Any other comments not related to the OP's issue directly should be taken to PM or in their own thread if someone feels it's warranted. My CS can be slow at times but I've never left anybody hanging out to dry.
07-19-2011, 08:01 PM
#18
Cmax03, you're a good friend and loyal Cattman supporter, but please don't quote me this way online. I very much prefer to avoid open conflicts with other vendors. Saying that they are not durable seems to be a true statement, but calling them a joke is the kind of insult I try to avoid.
All I will say about this issue is that:
1) I've been hearing similar reports for several months; this is not new, nor an isolated occurrence.
2) Although its certainly possible, I would not necessarily assume this is due to the ignition of unburned fuel because I do not actually see any melting (but I suppose there could be structural failure due to excessive heat, without actual melting).
3) Another possibility would be that the substrate was not adequately anchored in the housing - if its moving around (violently), the metal cell structure can collapse
4) I do not consider this to be Racingline's "fault", in the sense that they are purchasing existing components in good faith, and could not have foreseen this problem. The test is what occurs after the problem is confirmed. I've heard rumors that they suspended sales due to these issues, but it may not be true and others would have to confirm.
5) When issues like this come up, it can be crushing to a small business - Taz has my sympathy, I've been there before too (thinking back to a batch of 50 y-pipes we sold in 1999 or 2000 and they all had bad flex sections that balled up in a bunch and caused problems that are quite similar to these symptoms).
6) As far as new sims go, does anyone know of a current source? www.O2simulators.com has suspended orders for some time. I'm not aware of other sources and would appreciate a PM with links to other sources. Not sure where to send our customers when they ask about O2 sims.
Brian
All I will say about this issue is that:
1) I've been hearing similar reports for several months; this is not new, nor an isolated occurrence.
2) Although its certainly possible, I would not necessarily assume this is due to the ignition of unburned fuel because I do not actually see any melting (but I suppose there could be structural failure due to excessive heat, without actual melting).
3) Another possibility would be that the substrate was not adequately anchored in the housing - if its moving around (violently), the metal cell structure can collapse
4) I do not consider this to be Racingline's "fault", in the sense that they are purchasing existing components in good faith, and could not have foreseen this problem. The test is what occurs after the problem is confirmed. I've heard rumors that they suspended sales due to these issues, but it may not be true and others would have to confirm.
5) When issues like this come up, it can be crushing to a small business - Taz has my sympathy, I've been there before too (thinking back to a batch of 50 y-pipes we sold in 1999 or 2000 and they all had bad flex sections that balled up in a bunch and caused problems that are quite similar to these symptoms).
6) As far as new sims go, does anyone know of a current source? www.O2simulators.com has suspended orders for some time. I'm not aware of other sources and would appreciate a PM with links to other sources. Not sure where to send our customers when they ask about O2 sims.
Brian
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