plugged cats $2,500 to replace... HELP

[Subie59]

okay guys need your help.Having trouble with my car (see other thread loss of power) dealer says both CATS are plugged solid and it wil lcost $2,500 plus taxes to replace them.... What are my alternatives. I am not anxious to pay that kind of money for CATS. Would a Stebro $1,500 solve the problem. are there cheaper alternatives.... please help I don't know much about this problem.
Also could this cause the huge power loss. I'm not anxious to do this repair and beleft with the same problem... I find it a little hard to believe both CATS are plugged especially when one was replaced a year ago when I bought the car because it was rattling....

[TomsSVX]

Get a pair of Magnaflow pre-cats welded in instead... Cost about I dunno 1/10th of what they are telling you

Tom

[dcarrb]

Can't directly address your catalytic converter issue, but I do know that a Subaru dealership once tried to sell me on replacing the exhaust system on my old GL to the tune of over $1000 ("We take major credit cards!"), and a local muffler shop fixed the trouble for less than fifty bucks.

First get an independent mechanic to confirm the trouble. Then find yourself an old-fashioned muffler shop.

dcb

[Subie59]

okay called Stebro... for less than cost of precats I can get whole new Stebro system.....Think I know where I am going.

But question remains. Do you think plugged cats can shut down the car's power.....

[Wikedjuggalo]

Originally Posted by Subie59

okay called Stebro... for less than cost of precats I can get whole new Stebro system.....Think I know where I am going.

But question remains. Do you think plugged cats can shut down the car's power.....

Well I'd assume so as it would make it hard for the engine to "Breath"

[TomsSVX]

for the sake of people using the Search function.

Yes, clogged cats literally choke the engine out... if the exhaust cannot get out... Fresh air cannot get in. The questions still remains as to how the pre-cats got clogged in the first place... Did this happen all at once?? Any check engine lights on?? A clogged cat is usally the result of extremely high exhaust gas temps in which the ceramic gets super heated and breaks down. But why did this happen?? This is the avenue you must follow before just blowing $ on an exhaust that might end up the same way without addressing the pre-existing issues

Tom

[lhopp77]

Originally Posted by Subie59

okay called Stebro... for less than cost of precats I can get whole new Stebro system.....Think I know where I am going.

But question remains. Do you think plugged cats can shut down the car's power.....

I don't think Stebro will solve your problem. The last I knew they DO NOT make the Y-pipe section that includes the pre cats. There is only a cat back system.

Agree that if it is your precats--the weld in after market is the best way to go or buy a used functioning system.

Lee

[kwren]

Originally Posted by Subie59

okay guys need your help.Having trouble with my car (see other thread loss of power) dealer says both CATS are plugged solid and it wil lcost $2,500 plus taxes to replace them.... What are my alternatives. I am not anxious to pay that kind of money for CATS. Would a Stebro $1,500 solve the problem. are there cheaper alternatives.... please help I don't know much about this problem.
Also could this cause the huge power loss. I'm not anxious to do this repair and beleft with the same problem... I find it a little hard to believe both CATS are plugged especially when one was replaced a year ago when I bought the car because it was rattling....

The CATS have absolutely nothing to do with your problem.

[Subie59]

yes I agree Tom the cause of the problem is more important than the solution at this time. I will talk to the dealer about this and see what they say....
I am trying to get enough information on this to at least speak to the dealership with some knowledge.
The guy at Stebro said to just bypass the precats with straight pipe and that their main Cat is fine for Ontario ommission standards... the system I will need is about 1,800 rather than the 1500 advertised cost for SVX exhaust...

[AndrewR]

Originally Posted by Subie59

okay guys need your help.Having trouble with my car (see other thread loss of power) dealer says both CATS are plugged solid and it wil lcost $2,500 plus taxes to replace them.... What are my alternatives. I am not anxious to pay that kind of money for CATS. Would a Stebro $1,500 solve the problem. are there cheaper alternatives.... please help I don't know much about this problem.
Also could this cause the huge power loss. I'm not anxious to do this repair and beleft with the same problem... I find it a little hard to believe both CATS are plugged especially when one was replaced a year ago when I bought the car because it was rattling....

Which dealer?

[Subie59]

Andrew PM sent

[kwren]

Originally Posted by Subie59

yes I agree Tom the cause of the problem is more important than the solution at this time. I will talk to the dealer about this and see what they say....
I am trying to get enough information on this to at least speak to the dealership with some knowledge.
The guy at Stebro said to just bypass the pre-cats with straight pipe and that their main Cat is fine for Ontario omission standards... the system I will need is about 1,800 rather than the 1500 advertised cost for SVX exhaust...

irreverent. Just ask them to take the pre-Cats off and show you.

You are familiar with my problem. My car has been at the dealer getting "guessed out" , (think they refer to it as checked out) for 6 weeks and ! I am getting it towed home today.

It is a long story but the eventual diagnoses. after 6 full weeks at the dealer, is a blown head gasket.
They cost $2,200 and of course, that isn't true so the $2.200.00 is irreverently.

We already have enough information on this subject to began working this out.

Life is a learning process and in a few days, with the help of the information from the great knowledgeable people on this form, and a lot of prayer for guidance, I should have my car running correct!

About the Cats... Funny we can drive our cars for miles with them running great and all of a sudden our pre-cats are stopped up and began choking off the exhaust, get in them the next day and drive them for miles and all of a sudden the engine notices, oops, my pre-cats are totally stopped up. can't run with that.

There has to be a little logic somewhere in the mix.

They should already have them pulled of so say..."just show me"

Hang in there.

[AndrewR]

Originally Posted by Subie59

Andrew PM sent

No PM yet, but I agree with the others, either source another cat pipe or make one yourself.

I can recommend a few places in Toronto.

And determine what the main issue is.

[kwren]

Someone suggested, I think it was one of the Tom's, that I cut the pre-cats out and clamp a temporary flexible piece of pipe in there and see if that helps.
This will verify that the Cats have nothing to do with your problem.

if not necessary for emissions there, maybe get pipe welded in?

If you are rich, just disregard my rantings.
Keith

[Subie59]

Hi Keith: Well they cut the cats out and the car ran perfectly. It barely ran when I brought it in. They checked the timing, fuel injectors and everything looked perfect. While our problems seem similar it's hard to diagnose the problems from afar so while I'm skeptical of the dealership's solution, it does make a lot of sense. my car does not run properly since it stalled on the highway. When I drove it to the dealership Saturday, it started out at about half the power and quickly (as it warmed up) lost power to the point of crawling the last half kilometre.
Your car seems to be ok and then craps out or loses power. Mine seems to be past the point of being ok which suggest possibly two different problems or mine is far more progressed than yours...
I'm not interested in spending a lot of money if it is not fixed but on the other hand I've always want a stebro on this baby and what better excuse than now. I'm just concerned with what Tom says about finding the root of the problem causing the precats to burn up.... No sense putting something on only to have it get screwed up too....