Need advice about catalytic laws - Honda Prelude Forum

leftbrain99 · 05-12-2010, 01:49 PM

This is weird and it's going to make people wonder, but just go with me on it...

My brother-in-law had this Prelude for a few years while I was driving another car full-time. During that time, he had my Mugen header flex pipe replaced (damaged by road rash), and also had a test pipe built to replace the cat.

Three years later, for reasons not pertinent to this issue, I need to remove the test pipe and replace it with a cat, or something that looks like a cat, at least. My old cat is gone, but I found one for $20 off a water-salvaged Prelude. It was nasty, but I gutted it and started to install it. Turns out that the idiot that did the previous work welded the flanges for the test pipe and header A-pipe in a way so that the OEM cat flange doesn't line up.

After about an hour or so of twisting my exhaust, adjusting hangers, and wrestling with it all, I got it to bolt on, but the twin-loop muffler is pressed up against my 28mm sway bar bushing brackets and the resonator is hanging so low that it's nearly dragging. So.... I had to go back to the test pipe and search out options. This is like a 20 minute job, but the one guy I know who can do it at his house has his truck up on the lift waiting on a new tranny and he can't get my car up soon enough. Muffler shops won't do the work because they can't legally install a used Cat, working or not.

That said, if I can go through the trouble of wrestling this gutted OEM cat back on and get it a few miles to a shop, do you think they will do the repair? They won't have to install a used cat, but surely they will notice that it's gutted. I have asked, but they won't give me an answer, probably fearing that I am undercover or something. I just don't want to do this PITA job only to get stuck again without a repair option.

Any advice is helpful. I need this done ASAP. And , if anyone here from the Raleigh area knows someone that can do this, PLEASE let me know!

THANKS!

Kronn 98SH · 05-12-2010, 02:14 PM

Reinstall and take to shop. They will tweak it to fit properly. You REALLY shot yourself in the foot here. It would have been a lot cheaper to purchase a cat, keep it functional, and have it welded in.

leftbrain99 · 05-12-2010, 02:27 PM

Correction, my brother-in-law REALLY shot me in the foot. I was happily driving my e39 540 while he was toying with my Prelude. I couldn't find an OEM cat for cheap, anyway. But, the exhaust work should only be $40 MAX and $20 for a Cat, how is that not cheap?

THANKS! I'm going to give it a try at least.

indylude18 · 05-12-2010, 02:39 PM

Try to find a local "performance" shop. They are often much more inclined to help you out in situations like this.

leftbrain99 · 05-12-2010, 03:22 PM

Good thought. I just don't trust the guys who work there as much. I am considering this, though. I did make an appointment a reputable independent muffler shop and I plan to roll on in there with the cat on and see if they will fix it. I'll just claim ignorance if they ask, and hope they do the same. And hope I don't rip the resonator off the bottom of my car on the way.

pIERCE · 05-12-2010, 03:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by indylude18

Try to find a local "performance" shop. They are often much more inclined to help you out in situations like this.

May I ask why?

Kronn 98SH · 05-12-2010, 03:30 PM

Performance shops are more likely to break the law than your standard muffler shop.

Quote:

Originally Posted by leftbrain99

Correction, my brother-in-law REALLY shot me in the foot.

You BOTH did.

leftbrain99 · 05-12-2010, 03:51 PM

Ok - how did I? My original cat was perfectly good. Not sure why my brother-in-law didn't keep it. Whoever he paid to repair the header A-pipe should have welded it to fit the OEM cat before fitting a custom pipe replacement. That's common sense. (I assumed he had, but again, none of this was my idea in the first place, so I wasn't invloved). The same guy told me where to pick up a cheap salvaged cat that was full of river sludge. Then I found out he had made it impossible to swap it in there myself. Where did I go wrong?

Other options were 1) $350 for an new OEM cat, 2) a high-flow cat that would not have met my needs, but that is outside the scope of the scenereo as I am disclosing it. Any other options will be gladly accepted.

Kronn 98SH · 05-12-2010, 04:05 PM

Why would a FUNCTIONAL $50 highflow cat not meet your needs?

Now, you have to spend money to have it installed, plus you're going to have a CEL. That's more money to fix.

leftbrain99 · 05-12-2010, 04:46 PM

It's been running a straight pipe for 4 years with no CEL. Spark plug defoulers do the trick, pure and simple. Come on, Kronn, you of all people know this.

Again, a highflow aftermarket cat isn't an option I can entertain. It doesn't really matter why, but I eluded to the fact that this is outside the bounds of this conversation in the first post. STILL, with a highflow cat, I would need to pay someone to move the flange to fit OEM specs, which is the way it should have been installed the first time.

Still not sure how I shot myself in the foot. I appreciate all the suggestions, though!

Honda4Life · 05-12-2010, 05:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by leftbrain99

Correction, my brother-in-law REALLY shot me in the foot. I was happily driving my e39 540 while he was toying with my Prelude. I couldn't find an OEM cat for cheap, anyway. But, the exhaust work should only be $40 MAX and $20 for a Cat, how is that not cheap?

THANKS! I'm going to give it a try at least.

OK. So your brother-in law drives your 5th gen Lude and has been for years while you drive an e39 540 and your cheap?

That sum up this thread?

leftbrain99 · 05-12-2010, 09:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Honda4Life.

OK. So your brother-in law drives your 5th gen Lude and has been for years while you drive an e39 540 and your cheap?

That sum up this thread?

What can I say? Times, they have a-changed. That's what the cost of leaving the workforce to go off to grad school will do to a person temporarily. I dumped the payments on the 540i and took back the car I had paid off and kept for track use. Again, outside of scope. Any more BS questions?

leftbrain99 · 05-13-2010, 05:02 PM

The results are in....

After a few hours of late-night driveway work and I got the hollow cat on. Had to remove all the hangers, use a couple jackstands and more muscle than this job should require. Took it to a reputable local shop and had them hack the flex pipe off, let the the cat-back position itself and weld the flex back in place. They did great work, didn't care about anything that was already on the car, and complimented my setup extensively. I'm off and running, no dragging parts.

Thanks to all who listened and helped.

Kronn 98SH · 05-13-2010, 05:04 PM

Good to hear. Hopefully you replace it with a working cat soon. That way you can stop polluting my lungs.