General Maintenance & Repairs - Cat question

Guys, my '00 Z28 threw a P0430 code about two days ago and have been looking around for a new cat. I live in California, so my options are very limited. I want to pass emissions test legally, so I really don't want to delete the cats and rear 02s. My question is, what is the difference between 49 state legal cats and California legal cats? I saw some universal cats for the Camaro that are ~$41, but they are not legal in California.

I thought the cars came originally as 50 state legal. Maybe your issue is just with the aftermarket option you are looking at?

My guess:
- The cat probably just doesn't perform well enough.
- The manufacturer didn't want to pay for CA certification.

I haven't got the cat yet. I just pulled the code last night. What would be the simptoms of a bad cat? The Ca. State legal cats are like $300+. What a PITA.:bomb:

Another question, bank two is on the passenger side right?

That is correct.

Look Here for a used cat, I picked up a set here for $75 + shipping. There are some Good people here that probably help you out. Look for a couple of weeks because they come and go from time to time. I believe the going scrap price is about $125. put an ad up in the parts wanted section.

I haven't got the cat yet. I just pulled the code last night. What would be the simptoms of a bad cat?

If you are getting a code, I recall that the O2 sensor is sensing a similar amount of oxygen as the one in the front of the Cat. (I'm not a combustion chemist and really only paid attention to the part where we made alcohol.) Regardless, a Cat code is all about the O2 sensor telling a story.

Typical causes of this:
- A broken substrate in the Cat.
- Contamination of the Cat. (By using the wrong type of RTV on the engine, etc.)
- A bad O2 sensor.

So, you might want to have someone who can do O2 sensor scans to check your stuff out. (A special scanner that shows the sensor waveforms is needed.) I'd hate to pay for a new Cat and then find it didn't fix the problem...

If you tap on the Cat and it sounds like broken glass, loose marbles, or a maraca, its probably an indication that the substrate is bad and needs to be replaced.


The Ca. State legal cats are like $300+. What a PITA.http://images.ibsrv.net/ibsrv/res/src:ls1tech.com/get/forums/images/smilies/LS1Tech/gr_bomb.gif

They are typically made from a ceramic substrate coated in platinum. The better ones have... more platinum - that makes them expensive. BTW - Don't throw your old one away, its worth money!

If you do change it, I wouldn't advertise the fact. Theft of Cats is common and I'm sure people who do that would love to get their hands on a brand new one! (That may be another reason to look for a good used one.)

They are typically made from a ceramic substrate coated in platinum.

That code often appears on these cars when the coating wears off, there was a TSB about this for the '00-'02 F-bodies. Warranty was extended on this to something like 120k miles/10 years, GM sent a letter to original owners of these models years.

Often times the cat material isn't acutually clogged nor broken, it's just inefficient at filtration due to loss of this "coating", and the O2 sensor indicates this through loss of oxygen storage capacity of the cat. The rear O2 sensors respond too quickly (in relation to the fronts) to changes in the A/F ratio commanded by the PCM. This code does not specifically indicate any melted/clogged/broken material (just loss of oxygen storage capacity - hence, "inefficient" as the code states); you will notice driveability and performance issues if exhaust flow is actually blocked by melted/clogged material.

Usually, a cat only becomes "clogged" due to misfires or other conditions that cause large amounts of fuel to be dumped into them, thus overheating and melting the material, and/or weakening it and breaking it apart. Impact damage can also cause them to break apart.

It sucks if you live in a state where you actually have to worry about this. I started seeing that code right after the extended warranty ran out on mine, so I opted to do absolutely nothing about it. O2 sims/custom tuning is all that's needed to pass my local emissions test, so the decision was simple for me....just leave it alone. The cat never became clogged nor broken, driveability/power/MPG never changed a single bit - the cat just doesn't filter properly any more. This happened last summer, I had mostly forgotten about it until reading this thread.

The car performs great. I drove it yesterday on the freeway and the car seemed strong to me. I'll try to go see if I can here any rattling sound. Yup, I'm in good o'l California, so I need cats to pass emissions test. I actually have to smog the car by next month to complete the registration, I just got the car not too long ago with a blown head gasket and PS fluid in the coolant. This car is starting to be a PITA. I really don't want to have to pay someone more $ to pass my car, that's the main reason why I kept the car stock:bomb:.