Test pipe?

Well, I have reason to believe that my cataylic converter is shot. How does a damaged cataylic converter actually affect the performance of the car? (be specific if possible)

Being that it's no good, im gonna have to replace it. I figure, i'll just replace it with a test pipe. I think Megan makes test pipes for the 98 av6 with a bung for the o2 sensor. correct me if im wrong.


Any suggestions/advice/comments? Thanks in advance.

well it still has a bunch of crap in there, so it still restricts flow, i wouldnt buy a test pipe, i just went to the local exhaust shop and have them make one with a O2 cheater and it only cost $40

A test pipe has nothing in it... Its just a straight-pipe. I have a Megan test pipe on my 240sx

quote:

ORIGINAL: j_man_honda

A test pipe has nothing in it... Its just a straight-pipe. I have a Megan test pipe on my 240sx

 
yeah i was referring to his "broken" cat that would still have stuff in it

I always thought test pipes were illegal due to federal emmission laws... 

Depends on the state you live in... ( i think )

quote:

ORIGINAL: 03Sleeper

Depends on the state you live in... ( i think )

as far as i know they are illegal in every state

yeah i think in every state because i live in Florida (we have no emmissions testing or real emmissions laws in place) and i have been told by mechanic friends that they are illegal.

oh yea, no doubt about it. test pipes are illegal lol i remember one of the members on the forum has a signature that says remove your cat to end winter lol
 
 

Yeah i saw that... had a good laugh... a high flow cat should do just as good with sound and still be legal. I heard federal cars actually have "sniffers" equipped on their crs to check the air for stuff like test pipes. I don't know if it's true but suppoedly the can tell and if they,re suspicious they can pull you over and check on your cat. and if you don't have one... bye bye license to drive for a while. but again idk how reliable the source is.

Ive never heard of it being illegal in SC. We dont have emissions checks here so theyre ok i believe. 

they might be legal, but morally, they're wrong lol

quote:

ORIGINAL: j_man_honda

Ive never heard of it being illegal in SC. We dont have emissions checks here so theyre ok i believe. 

most states that even if you dont have emissions checks they are still illegal(like FL and NJ).  how they would ever catch you i dont know

Ditto.  Not legal in FL, but nobody checks.  I put a high-flow cat on my full-size Bronco so my dog, passengers, and I could drive with the tailgate window down and still enjoy ourselves. 

It''s your call, but ebay has tons of Catco high-flow cats for $50 or less (incl shipping), which is what I paid for a big 3" in/outlet Catco on the Bronco.  High-flow cats are cheap, and you''ll have a better chance of hooking up with the cute environmentalist behind you in her Prius.

so test pipes are illegal? and the hi-flow cat converter is legal right? cuz soon im gonna be buying a hi flow cat and i am debating if it is legal or not....

Yes, I haven''t heard anyone complaining about failing the sniffer test in California, etc on the other discussion groups I''ve been on.  It costs a little more for an OBD-II compliant cat for ''96+ models, here''s what a good 2" would look like for the typical Accord:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/2-0-Catalytic-Converter-High-Flow-Universal-DynoProven_W0QQitemZ380030737917QQihZ025QQcategoryZ33629QQrdZ1QQssPageNameZWD1VQQcmdZViewItemQQ_trksidZp1638Q2em118Q2el1247

It''s your call.  If you drive a Jeep, convertible, Bronco or anything with open exposure from the rear, you want a cat.  There really isn''t any difference in power or economy with a high-flow cat vs. a test pipe, just one runs cleaner than the other.