Cats Again!

Hi all,

Been searching but still confused (easily done at my age)

Just failed Portuguese MOT on emissions - apparently at least one of my catalytic converters is cream-crackered according to my mechanic. Local cat prices are ridiculous so have to order online and get it delivered over here. But here's the problem - I don't know which kit to order.

I'm not sure if I have 12mm or 18mm Lambdas with/without OBD. Can anyone help? Car is UK spec 4.6 HSE first registered 1/97; Chassis No. is SALLPAMJ3VA359469 and Engine No. is 46D22585A. I know I don't need a Type Approved one and there seem to be plenty of aftermarket ones from around £150 - £250 through Google and/or eBay. Earlier posts seem to suggest these should be OK; stainless steel outside etc.

Any more views / recommendations?

Thanks

Graeme

speak to bmp42.

cheap cats will get you through this years IPO but maybe not next years, we can certainly help with scourcing either type for you.

They would be 12mm Titania ones,but you can get weld in bosses so its not a big drama anyway.
Are you 100% they are shot ? in my experience most garages blame cats and oxy sensors when a car wont pass an emission test,most of the time its as simple as duff plug leads etc causing a partial misfire.Do you have a print out from the test ?
The original ones are better quality than just about any aftermarket cats,so its better to keep tham if you can,alot of the replacements fail after a very short mileage.

GRC50 said:

Hi all,

Been searching but still confused (easily done at my age)

Just failed Portuguese MOT on emissions - apparently at least one of my catalytic converters is cream-crackered according to my mechanic. Local cat prices are ridiculous so have to order online and get it delivered over here. But here's the problem - I don't know which kit to order.

I'm not sure if I have 12mm or 18mm Lambdas with/without OBD. Can anyone help? Car is UK spec 4.6 HSE first registered 1/97; Chassis No. is SALLPAMJ3VA359469 and Engine No. is 46D22585A. I know I don't need a Type Approved one and there seem to be plenty of aftermarket ones from around £150 - £250 through Google and/or eBay. Earlier posts seem to suggest these should be OK; stainless steel outside etc.

Any more views / recommendations?

Thanks

Graeme

Click to expand...

hi,try using a product called cataclean,i used it on an old car i was selling and it sailed through the emmissions test.it's only about 11 quid on fleabay.

Whoah - good to see so many folks online on a chilly Monday afternoon!

From my MOT/IPO "fail" certificate it says (translated from Portuguese):-

Motor accelerated 2000rpm; lambda value of less than 0.97
Idling: CO content exceeding 0.5% vol
Motor accelerated 2000rpm; CO content above 0.3%

I'm pretty sure my mechanic is straight - he's a well-known specialist independent in the area and has TestBook etc. I asked him if he was sure it was the cat and he said that one of them was definitely broken and rattling inside. Without that being fixed no way to know if any other problems. He did the annual full service just before taking it for the inspection so should have spotted / sorted any other potentially contributory factors.

Unfortunately, mine is the only V8 around - most have the 2.5 diesel, so there are no used original parts options for me.

So what now? I only have till the 22nd January to get re-inspected. My man is quite OK with me sourcing parts from the UK or wherever for him to install - he's done airbags and blend motors etc. so no problems there.

Thanks

was it hot? I expected worse-fiesta's just scrap through
Does cat rattle?

See post 5.tis a fantastic product.

eightinavee said:

They would be 12mm Titania ones,but you can get weld in bosses so its not a big drama anyway.
Are you 100% they are shot ? in my experience most garages blame cats and oxy sensors when a car wont pass an emission test,most of the time its as simple as duff plug leads etc causing a partial misfire.Do you have a print out from the test ?
The original ones are better quality than just about any aftermarket cats,so its better to keep tham if you can,alot of the replacements fail after a very short mileage.

Click to expand...

Thanks 8. Would I be right in thinking I don't have post-cat sensors? That would narrow possible replacements to something like this one. If you have a better solution please let me know. I can't believe an aftermarket replacement won't last at least another 3 years or so, at which point the rest of the car could have fallen apart.

When she gets to 15+ years old anything could happen!

Regards

Graeme
PS I came to your place years ago for a rebuilt EAS compressor - still going strong!

That one would do it,if its a UK spec car it wont have downstream sensors.I'd be suprised if it lasted 3 years tho,I've seen lots of cheap cats fail their test at 1 year old,if you are lucky you can get warranty...If one of your cats is rattling then the matrix is falling apart - this will mean the gases will be able to bypass the matrix and not be treated.
Glad your EAS compressor is still going,the seals that I used to get from Australia became unreliable so they come from the US now same as most others.