Rattling Cat Converter

So after going to Cars and Coffee on Sunday, about a 100-miles round-trip in 100-degree heat, I heard a rattle from under my 96 Roady Wagon when my son got out.    On sticking my head under the car, it sounds like the converter on the driver's-side in the down-pipe off the manifold is broken loose inside.   I was REALLY hoping it was just a loose heat-sheild, but don't think so.

ANYWAY is there a better or worse brand/replacement folks here have used.   This one lasted 135,000 miles and 22-years, so hard to complain.    I looks to have two (!) O2 sensors on that pipe??   How nice.   Guess that's the joy of having a '96 OBDII car?

Also, should I replace the passenger side at the same time? I know these get clogged over time, and putting a new one on the driver's side, will the motor have less restriction on one side, being that these are true-duals?

Would love any recomendations!

-Texas Mike

'96 is the only year for upstream/down stream oxygen sensors.

Can't say for these cars, but I put a Walker replacement cat from AutoZone on my little S10 and it was just fine. The original one was clogged completely after 150k.

RedandBlack wrote:

'96 is the only year for upstream/down stream oxygen sensors.

Can't say for these cars, but I put a Walker replacement cat from AutoZone on my little S10 and it was just fine. The original one was clogged completely after 150k.

It looks like I have to buy the entire downpipe...and I'm debating about buying both sides...just to keep the backpressure even on my 135K-mile motor....

I don't imagine you'd want to delete the cats on your car, especially since it does see occasional usage of the 3rd row, so you might as well. On these, the cats are part of the whole unit yes. Flange to manifold, cat, flange to intermediate pipe.

when you had the car tuned, did you ask to remove the rear O2 codes as recommended ? If so you can either just delete the cat, install a 94-95 cat, or plug the rear hole in your new 96 cat with a plug (or just reinstall the O2, doesn't matter if it's not working anymore).

jasonlachapelle wrote:

when you had the car tuned, did you ask to remove the rear O2 codes as recommended ?  If so you can either just delete the cat, install a 94-95 cat, or plug the rear hole in your new 96 cat with a plug (or just reinstall the O2, doesn't matter if it's not working anymore).

He would not delete the rear ones because I told him I still drove the car on the street... A little frustrating but I didn't argue...

81X11 wrote:

He would not delete the rear ones because I told him I still drove the car on the street...  A little frustrating but I didn't argue...

any modification to the emissions system is for off-road use only...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4U0AqxlxfBs

They are 166 each from Rock Auto. Same part can be found on eBay for a lot less.

jasonlachapelle wrote:

81X11 wrote:

He would not delete the rear ones because I told him I still drove the car on the street...  A little frustrating but I didn't argue...

any modification to the emissions system is for off-road use only...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4U0AqxlxfBs

Excellent use of reference.

Found a pair of Magnaflow cats on Ebay, 23470 and 23471, with the pipes and all, for $100 less than RockAuto wanted...which was the going winner, so I ordered them and should have them next week. Only one was rattling, but I figure the other is at least a bit clogged after all these years.

I did go to my local Mom-and-Pop muffler shop here and he wanted $425 to replace both converters, but that was cutting the pipes and welding in universal ones, so I passed on that.

Have a project weekend-after-next.

-Texas Mike

Nice score.

They are pretty easy to change.

^ Especially on rust free Texas cars lol