Catalytic converter replacement recommendations

[Rippin' Ranger]

I have a 2001 3.0 Ranger with bad catalytic converters. I am looking for recommendations on cheap replacements. There are a plethora of these out there but I don't want one that is junk and is just going to fall apart in a year or two, but I also don't want to spend more than I need to. I need a direct replacement (no welding). One of prior threads recommended Walker brand - looks like Rock Auto has those and replacing all 4 would be about $700. A-premium would get it done for about $500 but I don't have any experience with them. Has anyone had luck with cheaper replacements? I live in Alabama so meeting federal regs is adequate. Please no replies on straight piping/cat deletes - save that BS for Reddit.

 

[Roert42]

Might be cheaper to have an exhaust show make up a new piece with a cat welded in. Normally the walker exhaust parts are fairly cheaply made for the price.

The tubing is much thinner then the OEM stuff.

 

[Rippin' Ranger]

Local muffler shop wanted $2,000 for the job. Not sure if they were putting in Magna Flow or what, but I felt that price was bit inflated.

 

[Roert42]

was that for the whole exhaust or just the section with the cat?

 

[Rippin' Ranger]

Just the cats, of course there are 4 cats over 2-3 sections of pipe.

 

[Blmpkn]

100$ flowmaster hi-flows are enough to keep the o2s happy..

 

[Roert42]

That does seem like a lot for just that section.



If I was going to buy a premade section, I would probably go with whatever is cheapest. Just know that it's not going to last another 20 years like the original.

Keep in mind RAs return policy. If there is an issue with the part during the warranty period, you'll need to return the part to them. So, you buy a new one, replace the part, ship the old one back, then you get a refund of the price for the second part.

Can be a PITA for larger parts like this.

 

[Roert42]

100$ flowmaster hi-flows are enough to keep the o2s happy..

I replaced the four cats on my 2000 mustang with two Pypes hiflow cats and had no issues with CEL.

 

[lil_Blue_Ford]

Shoot, I had a local custom exhaust shop do stainless all the way back for like $500 plus the pair of universal fit cats and a Magnaflow muffler that I bought on my own. Like $700 into the whole deal.

 

[Rippin' Ranger]

Perhaps I will get a quote from another muffler shop then and see what they tell me. Unlikely I would own the truck another 20 years but I did not want to spend $700 just to have them all go bad again in 1-2 years once they are just outside the warranty.

 

[Blmpkn]

2k is definitely either a case of "I don't wanna do it" pricing or they feel like you have a bunch of money lol.

In my line of work, you'd be surprised how often people agree to pay the "I don't wanna do it" price.. sometimes 3-4x as much as it "should" cost they just want it done and don't wanna make any more phonecalls lol.

 

[gw33gp]

So far, I believe Walker makes very good catalytic converters but their exhaust pipes suck. I bought their complete exhaust system with cats and had the section with the two main cats replaced twice under warranty and not without a fight. The pipes kept breaking out at the hanger. I had the last one reinforced with a SS metal strap and that fixed the problem. The Y-pipe section was replaced once under warranty. The pipes were breaking at the flare that connects to the exhaust manifold. I had the replacement fixed by my brother who has a shop that does exhaust systems. I had him order thicker SS pipe and weld in a section of that new pipe after flaring and replace the inferior flanged pipes. He also had to cut the pipe near the Y and install an extension of about 1/2" to reduce the stress.

I have been running that system with the repairs about 3 years now without any problems. So, I highly recommend keeping your original pipes if they are still in good condition and have new cats welded in. Otherwise, you would need to have a shop build a new system with good pipe material.

When I was installing the Walker system, I noticed how much lighter it was than the original. I hoped then I would not have a problem with them. I thought they just used a better-quality material than OEM and could get by with thinner gauge pipe. Wrong. Walker was the best system I could find at the time. There were more expensive systems, but I could see that they were better. I had to install C.A.R.B. quality cats and that also limited what I could find.