Catalytic converter.

Mikey

Test Drive
Catalytic converter. Hey guys… New to the forum. Thanks for having me. I have a quick question. I’m having trouble with my catalytic converter on my 2005 Xterra . I’m already spending several hundred dollars to get new plugs,coils valve cover gasket’s and things like that. I was wondering if I could just do without the catalytic converter. There are no emissions testing here in Florida. Would it mess up my ride?… Really trying to save some money.Any advice or insight would be appreciated… Thanks
 

Just a Hunter

Bought an X
Location
Georgia
My Opinion.

Let me say that I am not a ASE Mechanic.
It's best to accept that I'm a highly trained unproffessional. :)
With this being said, please educate yourself before following any advice which I may post on this topic.

First off, dont waste time doing nothing when you have diagnosed an issue with an Xterras catalytic converters.
To be clear, ignoring a faulty catalytic converter has destroyed more than a few 4.0 Nissan engines.

To explain further, there is small valve overlap in our engines . Basically, there is a time when both valve are open and the vacuum created by the intake stroke can pull a small amount of the debris from the catalytic converter. It dont help that manufacturers are installing cats closer and closer to the exhaust manifold's. This debris will damage the cylinder wall and create an excessive oil consumption.

Ok, so what to do?

The cheapest option is to either remove your catalytic converters and knock out the catalyst from inside it, or cut out the catalytic converters and replace the pipes.

In either case, there are options for "fooling" your O2 sensors into thinking your cat is in place and working properly.
Example:

I'm told the removal of your cats can be illegal with fines up to $10,000.
I cannot prove this claim nor have I spoken to anyone which has been fined
(I'm from S-Ga and we dont have inspections either)

For what it's worth, you can replace a catalytic converter for apx $135 - $150 per each. (Rockauto.com)
To save some money, you can delete the rear cats and just replace the front and you will save some cash.
 
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General_Tarfun

Sliders
Location
Atlanta, GA
Catalytic converter. Hey guys… New to the forum. Thanks for having me. I have a quick question. I’m having trouble with my catalytic converter on my 2005 Xterra . I’m already spending several hundred dollars to get new plugs,coils valve cover gasket’s and things like that. I was wondering if I could just do without the catalytic converter. There are no emissions testing here in Florida. Would it mess up my ride?… Really trying to save some money.Any advice or insight would be appreciated… Thanks


Good info above mostly (we actually do have emissions in GA it's just only the metro countries around Atlanta). If you just gut the cats and leave the hollow shell it's going to sound like a mid 2000's ricer-mobile, also it's going to smell pretty terrible. You can sell the old cats to a scrapper, the OEM are worth a lot more than any aftermarket sets are so if you sell all 4 and just have two aftermarket primaries put in and a pipe to replace the secondaries that should save you some money.
 
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