My catalytic converter on my 2003 neon sxt was clogged up so I basically took a metal rod and cleaned out all the guts and the car ran beautiful after that I drove about 16 miles and then my friend told me that I better get a new one or my valves will fry. Can anything bad happen to my car now because of what I did or is it fine?
95moparracer
05-18-2006, 01:41 AM
no lol ur car should be faster actually lmfao as long as u got no leaks ur car is fine... lol my car has no cat. at all lol and my valves are fine.
HoodooGuru
05-18-2006, 02:33 AM
Fry your valves? lol What tha?
How the hell does your exhaust system affect your valves? lol
rice_eater
05-18-2006, 04:36 PM
The only time an exhaust modification will fry valves is if you are running NO exhaust... that is no manifold, header, nothing. Punching out the cat will give you an check engine light, and the PCM will think your O2 sensor is faulty. This may cause your fuel mileage to decrease, and there is a debate (a rather heated debate actually) on whether or not it will hurt or help performance. There is an downstream O2 sensor eliminator available for 95-99 neons (to fool the PCM), but howellautomotive does not list one on their website for the 2003 model.
You live in California? What you did (punching out the cat) is illegal in all states, but you're going to get caught for it in California, where you wouldnt elsewhere, because of the emmissions inspections. You wont pass the computer check (because the PCM knows the O2 sensor is getting a bad reading) or the exhaust sniffer check. I'd order a new cat for that reason alone. I've got to wonder though, how do you manage to clog a catalytic converter in a 3 year old car?
95moparracer
05-18-2006, 07:08 PM
lol thats a good question... lol ima invest in a high flow cat to go along with my turbo exhaust lol. when i turbo my car gotta get a whole new exhaust ne way was thinking of either goin with 2.5 or 3 inch but idk if i go with 3 inch ima get a high flow cat and prolly a glasspack cause my car as is now with a 2.25 exhaust all the way back ( straight pipe in cat) its load as **** and is kinda ricey for me ne more. i ditched my "rice wing" too for my shaved trunk i got pics just gotta go over to bro's to post em. here are a couple pics of the muffler im thinking of goin with and the cat im thinking of getting ( this is if i get a 3") the cannon type muffler is wat im running now i kinda like that dual tip muffler! i'd go with the srt-4 exhaust/muffler w/e u wanna call it but im tired of that "rice" type exhaust!
dodgeneonACR98
05-19-2006, 04:21 AM
There is a heated debate!!!!!!! LOL Not in here. We don't get heated LOL. We get steamed aint it Rice. LOL.
Good luck with Not getting busted in Cali.You got more Gahonies than me lol.
The car will run better with a Cat installed. The top end is better IMO with the gutted cat but It seems alot more eager to get there with one. Does that make sense. LOL
rice_eater
05-19-2006, 03:38 PM
I agree with what ACR98 is saying, with the cat, more low end. Without that cat more high end. I experienced this when i first installed my SRT-4 rear section (straight-pipe from the cat back). It was just gutless below 4000 rpm (not really gutless, but gutless compared to what it was) but screamed after 5000. Now i have a 17" body glasspack installed after the cat. It still is lacking on git-up-n-go below 3000, and doesnt really come to life until 4k rpm, but its a lot stronger in the midrange (4000-5500 rpm) although it cost me a little bit above 6000 rpm. Still faster at all speeds above 3000 rpm than it was stock though, so i'm not complaining.
BTW 95moparracer.... bigger pipe will give you a lower tone. that is, 3" will sound less high-pitched/ricey than 2.5", 2.5" less ricey than 2.25", etc... Still, i dont know why you're setup sounds "ricey" as you say, I'm running 2.25" pipe with the stock cat, glasspack and header and it sounds sick, not ricey at all. Also remember, having a turbo actually quiets your exhaust, because there is a big tubine between the engine and the tailpipe. :D
dodgeneonACR98
05-19-2006, 03:55 PM
I have the Pacesetter header,flowmaster cat and muffler with custom 2.5 pipe. It sounds good as hell. Loud as hell too. But I can say that I have never had anyone tell me it sounds like Poo or riced out.
The top end isnt as good as it was with gutted cat but it does have the bottom end back. Which is what we really need anyhow. JMO
rice_eater
05-19-2006, 04:33 PM
It sounds good as hell.
:huh:
The top end isnt as good as it was with gutted cat but it does have the bottom end back. Which is what we really need anyhow. JMO
True, very true. These cars are gutless at normal cruising engine speeds. Just the other day some raging guy in a minivan (what the...?) came up fast behind me and tried to pass (4 lane, 2 each direction... i wouldnt do this on a 2 lane) so i dropped a gear to 3rd @ 45-50mph and dropped the hammer. Gutless. I shouldve dropped to second, but as it is i was still able to catch him at his rear quarter panel and pull past him in not too long. Not horrible, considering i waited until we were even and he was going AT LEAST 10mph faster. I wouldnt consider it a race, as I really didnt surpass the average traffic speed by more than 10mph or so. I was in the slow lane, for exactly that purpose :D , plus it saves gas to go the speed limit and not 10 over.
Mopar Ernie
05-19-2006, 06:11 PM
I've got to wonder though, how do you manage to clog a catalytic converter in a 3 year old car?
:gr_patrio
He had to be pouring LEADED fuel into the tank!
:drivingz:
dodgeneon_chick
05-19-2006, 09:12 PM
this is 95moparracer it wont let me log sis n law out for some reason ; ;. yea idk alotta ppl love my exhaust and i dont have a hollowed cat. i have no cat at all its straight pipe from manifold to the muffler. idk if i could post a vid i would its not ricey really but ok its semi high pitch and its real real crackly if i use less then 91 octane... which im only running a stock mtx ecu atm... if i use ne less the 91 octane my exhaust crackles like no other. but with 91+ sounds pretty good and its loud as hell lol idk its ok i just want something for when my car is turbo that it wont be restrictive but it will be quiet below like 3500 and be loud and nice sounding @ 3500+ that way when turbo is spooled u know its fast but when its below 3500 its quiet and not so obvious that its turbo/fast idk my bro keeps trying to talk me into a flow master but im not to sure on that i might just go with another muffler like i got now but a carbonfiber one. and i'll move it to the other side and that will give me about 2 foot more pipe to quiet it down some. also when i turbo it i'll prolly throw in a high flow cat and a glass pack to quiet it some. yea that will slow it down some but when running 20psi+ i think i can give up like 5 or less hp from the exhaust lol. found a set of eagle rods and pistons for $720 shipped to my door i was like damn thats a good deal considering $1000+ for both on modernperformance.
dodgeneonACR98
05-19-2006, 10:52 PM
Quote:
Originally Posted by dodgeneonACR98
It sounds good as hell.
LMAO Oops. Not good comparison!
95moparracer
05-20-2006, 12:29 AM
lol :P well here it is as hot as hell atm lmfao like 95 degress it sux balls.
RadarLove
05-21-2006, 02:52 AM
Your 2003 cat should have been covered under full warranty (parts and labor) for at least 7 years.
The stock cat is less than a 5% flow restriction. Gutting it will do nothing for performance. If anyone has dyno's showing differently, I'd love to see them. There are dyno's on other sites showing no gains or even losses by gutting the cat on an otherwise relatively stock Neon.
