Tandem cats

[truckphone]

Does anyone know why I have two cats in line on my 93?

Is this a way to clean up a dirty motor or just what ford was playing with at the time.

I want to replace it with a single cause I'm pretty sure it won't pass the test as is.

 

[daniel3507]

Thats just the way they came from the factory.

 

[truckphone]

Do you think it'll work to just put a generic cat on there? The stealership wants over $200 for the original.

Thanks Al.

 

[BlackBII]

....Are your current cats bad?

And putting a new universal one in their place will work fine

 

[truckphone]

I'm thinking with over 100k they aren't going to be much good.

And I'd like to minimize the amount of time I spend going back and forth to the stupid E-test.

Thanks! Al.

 

[88_Eddie]

my 88 b2 had 2 cats in line. i'm rebuilding the engine and just recently ripped it all out. i found a universal cat for $53 at autopartswarehouse.com.....it was the cheapest i could find (free shipping on orders above $50 by the way) an OEM cat was $240 at autozone. my truck's older though, in north carolina i dont have to have an emissions test, they just do a visual check to make sure i have a cat and muffler

 

[exbass94]

I'm thinking with over 100k they aren't going to be much good.

And I'd like to minimize the amount of time I spend going back and forth to the stupid E-test.

Thanks! Al.

Don't waste time/money replacing a perfectly good part. I have 151k on my factory original cats and never had a problem passing an emissions test. I'm actually due for another test next week. I'm 100% confident it'll pass with flying colors.

 

[ForOffRoadDriving]

ford used a 2 chamber catalytic converter because each brick inside serves a different purpose. the first substrate (brick) reduces the level of NOx and the second substrate releases stored O2 that helps burn off the remaining HC and CO in the exhaust. so basically your cat needs those 2 chambers to function properly. converters dont "go bad" with time, they get coated in carbon and unburned fuel (caused by other problems upstream of the exhaust) and can eventually become inactive or ignite internally which melts the brick and plugs the exhaust. meltdowns and over heating will cause catalytic converter failure, but normal ageing will not. if cats just went bad or got "used up" with increased mileage then the scrap yard wouldnt give you a dime for them. if you suspect you have a plugged cat, you can run sea foam, run rite, bg cleaner or other similar products to clean up the cat before considering replacing it.

 

[88_Eddie]

yeah they can get clogged up, all this crap poured out of my cat when i took off the flange (minus the ratchet and socket) it was making my b2 run 'a little rough'

 

[truckphone]

if you suspect you have a plugged cat, you can run sea foam, run rite, bg cleaner or other similar products to clean up the cat before considering replacing it.

Thats what I would do if I had the time and not the money.

I have the money and not the time!!

Thanks for the good explanation on the process! Al.

 

[jack13]

yeah they can get clogged up, all this crap poured out of my cat when i took off the flange (minus the ratchet and socket) it was making my b2 run 'a little rough'

that's exactly what mine looked like when i pulled the cat off of my 87 ranger. Been considering an aftermarket cat and either a dynomax super turbo or a thrush turbo.