Contour Enthusiasts Group Archives Forums Branches California Confusion about Exhaust....

I am slightly confused. I have read a lot of post here lately, and I have heard reference to two things that I cant seem to figure out. Some people refer to resonators, I assume these to be the empty bulges between the actual head and the boltup to the Y pipe.

I have ALSO heard people talking about pre-cats. I am unfamiliar with this term. I get the impression that a resonator and a 'pre-cat' are the same thing, or am I wrong?

Follow up:

If it is a 'pre-cat', does it have any effect on emissions?

Can it be removed in California?

IE, are there really 3 Catalytic converters in the car?

Second follow up:

If they do effect emissions, that pretty much prevents us from doing any exauhst upgrades foreward of the main cat, right?

Originally posted by 99MercMystLS25:

---

I am slightly confused. I have read a lot of post here lately, and I have heard reference to two things that I cant seem to figure out. Some people refer to resonators, I assume these to be the empty bulges between the actual head and the boltup to the Y pipe.
the resonator is a muffler in between the main catalytic convertor and the rear mufflers, it's basically there to remove DRONE from the exhaust... look under your front seats, THAT muffler is the resonator - if removed or replaced with a high flow unit - you can gain 0-3HP and increased sound
I have ALSO heard people talking about pre-cats. I am unfamiliar with this term. I get the impression that a resonator and a 'pre-cat' are the same thing, or am I wrong?

the "pre" cats are located on the actual "headers" or exhaust manifolds (as most people call them) - they are there for emissions - they are HEGO (Heated sensors) which is a bit different from the standard cold cat

Follow up:

If it is a 'pre-cat', does it have any effect on emissions?
sure does!

Can it be removed in California? personally - i wouldn't but some have and passed

IE, are there really 3 Catalytic converters in the car?
yep!

Second follow up:

If they do effect emissions, that pretty much prevents us from doing any exauhst upgrades foreward of the main cat, right?

---

you are correct, but if you can do the mod without visual changes most places (hole in the wall SMOG stations) will pass you becuase your pipes emit clean air

Thanks for the info, that's what I was afraid of....

Damn environazis dont want to breath bad air.... SOOOO lets plug up the engine so it wastes more gas

Anyway, I apreciate the info, BTW, where is Cameron Park, CA and how did you get a picture into your profile, I can't figure out how to do that !!

no problemo

just modify the catback, it'll give you 5-7HP, and you can breathe easy knowing you're saving seagulls or something by not puttin out bad N02

Cameron Park is about 40 miles east of Sacramento up Highway 50, just moved here about a month ago

and no pics in the profile... admins not approving that for now because of bandwidth concerns

Have you actually LOOKED at the darn things, thoose pictures of the header in the group buy have really disturbed me What the H*** was Ford thinking?

Seriously, I would like to get the Y pipe fixed too, thats another WTF were they thinking.. it really DOES look like they just shoved two pipes into one hole!

Later!

BTW, my uncle lives in Elk Grove, he has a T-bird though.

did the Y-pipe mod i took my car to get smogged at a "legal" place, and they flagged me - bastargs!!!

so i went to my usual spot, i passed with flying colors! i mean, who gives a rats ass what my exhaust looks like!?!!?! it's how it works!!!

Originally posted by Toadster:

---

did the Y-pipe mod i took my car to get smogged at a "legal" place, and they flagged me - bastargs!!!

so i went to my usual spot, i passed with flying colors! i mean, who gives a rats ass what my exhaust looks like!?!!?! it's how it works!!!

---

I agree, CA has some funky rules. I say, if it's putting out clean enough exhaust, who cares what you've got underneath the car.

OH it goes far beyond that....

Here are things I know you cannot do in CA:

Remove cats, gut cats, replace cats that work if less than 5 years old (luckily that ones hard to prove), change a single or dual exhast into the other kind, IE, if you have dual it has to stay dual, if you have single it has to stay single and you HAVE to have mufflers.

<rant>
It's practically a Fascist State, I mean seriously, we gotta get these libercrats out of office!! Now they want to destroy all pre-smog cars... forced state buyback...they honestly think that will fly!!!

They can pry my 65 Mustang out of my cold dead hand...

But seriously, then can fine you for smog on ANY year vehicle. They have started installing "polution detectors" on the freeway, and when yoiu drive by it wiffs your exhast, and if you fail, it snaps a pic of your plate, and sends you a summons that you must take your car to be smogged. This applies to ANY CAR, reguardless of year. If you have a pre-smog car, you simply get a fine for poluting.

I mean, serioulsy people, I know smog is bad, but lets go after the oil companies and the manufacturers to make more effecient cars, we know we can do it, we just need to get the cost down, and as long as there is oil involved, it will never happen. Why pester the average citizen with this crap?

Maybe its just me!
</rant>

I agree completely that if the car is putting out clean (according to their guidelines) air, who should care what is under the hood and belly of the beast?

Cheers,
Tom

Originally posted by TWK89:

---

I agree completely that if the car is putting out clean (according to their guidelines) air, who should care what is under the hood and belly of the beast?

Cheers,
Tom

---

yep - very strange, the one garage dinged me on a "visual" inspection... they thought they knew my car, they thought it had O2 sensors in front and behind the main cat... my sho-shop pipe threw them off... what dumbasses.

the "other" place simply put the sniffer in the exhaust and asked "what i got dinged on" - he just laughed... it's not like i'll get pulled over by a cop (or the DMV in general) for having part of my exhaust looking newer than the rest... doh!