need help with xj exhaust!

[BREEZE1]

My catalytic converter has been making all sorts of radling noise and with 235k + miles on it I'm sure its hurting my performance and gas mileage. So this weekend I tried to remove my catalytic converter from my 98 xj. Witch I was unsuccessful!!! I unbolted every thing then I yanked, wiggled, shooked, beat, kicked, and I couldn’t get it to budge. That damn thing is on there for good. I was planning on hollowing it out. But I just can’t get the dang thing off. So I didn’t hook up the o2 censer on the catalytic converter to see what it would do if I replaced it with a straight pipe. I drove it maybe 10 miles or so yesterday with out the o2 censer plugged up and I didn’t get any lights on the dash. But this morning the light came on first thing. I just filled it up this morning to see if there is any difference in the mileage would be. I didn’t disconnect the battery, so maybe if I did that for 30 mins it would make the light turn off on the dish. I have read that a lot of people have had no problems with running no cats but is there an easy fix for the dash light???

 

By the way I live in south Carolina and they aren’t too stricted about running with out a converter around here.

:ack:

[bigd44889]

u still need o2 it controls fuel air mixture

you don't need the cat

but it helps with back presser on motor for low end torqe

[1974CJ5]

you still need a O2 sensor in the exhaust pipe to keep your CEL from coming on. You can put a test pipe in it, just take it to a muffler shop, that isn't scared to do a test pipe and have them weld a sensor bung on it and screw it in. (Your best bet would be to take them your cat when you finally get it off, tell them you are making a trail rig that will never ever be driven on the street, and ask them to make you a test pipe to replace your cat with a sensor bung on it)You could also find a O2 sensor delete/simulator if you didn't want to do that, but they are expensive, and I don't trust them. With the O2 sensor out, you are running in open loop mode, which is not good for all circumstances, it probably won't hurt anything but you could be running rich sometimes, and lean others, and your efficiencies will suffer. OBDII vehicles will often still throw a CEL with o2 sensored test pipe, but these old trucks will probably be fine.

 

bigd44889 said that you will lose some low end torque and you will, it should be minimal, but you may notice it.

[jtdesigns]

Have you done a recall check on your XJ yet?? My 96 had a cat recall and I got a new one installed for free.. Worth calling your dealer about..