Stuck! Catalytic Converter Replacement Question

[Gumart1]

Hi all, it's great to see so many old faces still here, along with great new members. I'm nearing 300k on my '98LS and it has been mostly trouble-free. I'm replacing a passenger side catalytic converter with a direct bolt-on aftermarket hoping to solve my PO430 code. o2 sensors have all been changed with Densos. Car runs fine and I do not suspect a fuel, ignition or vacuum leak issue.

I removed the 2 bolts at the lower part and the 3 nuts at the top and somehow freed the old cat, now I cannot get the new cat to clear the 3 studs up top and reassemble everything. I've tried slightly prying the exhaust back, but it is all attached to the Y pipe as one assembly and doesn't much much.

Am I required to cut off those studs and replace them? Working under the car I can't picture getting new studs in - or is there an easier way to slip in on? Has anyone done this themselves? Thanks

[billydpowell]

Hi all, it's great to see so many old faces still here, along with great new members. I'm nearing 300k on my '98LS and it has been mostly trouble-free. I'm replacing a passenger side catalytic converter with a direct bolt-on aftermarket hoping to solve my PO430 code. o2 sensors have all been changed with Densos. Car runs fine and I do not suspect a fuel, ignition or vacuum leak issue.

I removed the 2 bolts at the lower part and the 3 nuts at the top and somehow freed the old cat, now I cannot get the new cat to clear the 3 studs up top and reassemble everything. I've tried slightly prying the exhaust back, but it is all attached to the Y pipe as one assembly and doesn't much much.

Am I required to cut off those studs and replace them? Working under the car I can't picture getting new studs in - or is there an easier way to slip in on? Has anyone done this themselves? Thanks

on my 97, we removed the tranny mount and jacked the motor up and worked them in. but we were replacing both, not just one, still might work.. good luck, let us know

[bicol-ini]

hello if all the 3 nuts on the upper and the 2 lower bolts and nuts, then you have to remove the bracket that is attach to the tranny the remove the drivers side lower 2 nuts and bolts then the y pipe will just fall make sure you put some kind of support

[Gumart1]

Thanks for your suggestions. Bicol-ini, your method worked perfectly. I did not need to remove the tranny support, just the two lower bolts and nuts on each converter, and the Y pipe dropped easily. Don't know how I missed that. After about 50 miles of driving today, my CEL dissapeared and I passed emissions just fine. The aftermarket converter took care of my PO430 code as I had hoped. Thanks

[dashan]

Thanks for your suggestions. Bicol-ini, your method worked perfectly. I did not need to remove the tranny support, just the two lower bolts and nuts on each converter, and the Y pipe dropped easily. Don't know how I missed that. After about 50 miles of driving today, my CEL dissapeared and I passed emissions just fine. The aftermarket converter took care of my PO430 code as I had hoped. Thanks

Which after market muffler did you use? Where did you buy it from?

The Muffler Shop quoted me $360 for an after market muffler (part only).

Thanks

[Gumart1]

I purchased a direct bolt-on exact fit Eastern Catalytic converter for $172 shipped from Autoanything.com. This is the lowest price you will find on a direct replacement converter. However, I replaced my cats 2 years ago with the same Eastern cats and only one converter kept the code away, the other came back. I took a chance with the same brand and it worked, and worked well(CEL had been lit for over a year - didn't even reset the code and it went out on it's own within 60 miles of driving on the new converter). Good for now, and bought me another 2 years before the next retest. The hardest part is removing the old rusted nuts and bolts.