Cats?

[MoparMagic'00]

Catalytic converter or no? pros & cons? o2 sensor relocation's?

 

[dodge dude94]

Unless you're a broke-ass, leave the cat on it. It doesn't affect performance enough to warrant ditching.

 

[MoparMagic'00]

worried more about fuel consumption... any good cheap ways to test if its getting clogged?

 

[MoparMagic'00]

cat ?

can anyone explain a decently solid way to check if my cat is clogged? or getting clogged? I don't really want to do exhaust yet when its needing a heater core... advice is appreciated..

 

[dodge dude94]

When cold, remove the pre-cat O2 sensor and see if runs any better. If it's a performance issue, before this test, start the engine, put the trans. in neutral and give it gas. See if you can make the engine climb above 3k rpm. If you can run to about 4k, the cat is good and you have a problem elsewhere more than likely.

 

[MoparMagic'00]

im not really having any issues other than fuel consumption ( i partially blame the plenum repair that is badly needed) but Im told if the plenum is blown it will cause it to burn oil and therefore clog the cat.. I have no issues going to 4500 rpms at all.. even had the rev limiter hit a few times
just was mentioned to me the cat is something to look at

 

[dodge dude94]

Light misfires and a blown plenum can cause poor fuel consumption.

Or you could be like me and rocking 33s on 3.55 gears with a stock engine....which = 13.5 on a good day.

 

[ParrotHead FA]

Catalytic converter or no? pros & cons? o2 sensor relocation's?

Others may not agree, but I used to work in a shop with some guys that did a lot of performance rebuilding, modding, and aftermarket exhaust stuff. We removed the cats and put high flowing true duals on many of these 2nd gen rams & dakotas, and it always resulted in about a 5-7 mpg increase in fuel economy on an otherwise stock engine. Depending on how much driving you do, this alone could warrant changing the exhaust. Performance was always noticeably better as well, with a marked improvement on the dyno in both horsepower and torque over the factory exhaust. However, if you need to repair your plenum gasket, I doubt you would notice much improvement in performance or mileage, even with headers and straight pipes. Relocating the O2 sensors wasn't too difficult, when using longtube headers we simply used collectors with built in O2 sensor bungs, and when using shorties or stock manifolds, we welded an O2 sensor **** into each exhaust pipe. (or in one if there was only 1 sensor) Again, whether it's worth the upgrade or not is probably a matter of personal preference and/or driving habits. If you use the truck once in a while on a weekend, it might not be worth it to save a few gallons of gas here and there. But, if you drive it daily, or make lots of long trips in it, then even an increase of just 5 mpg could save you hundreds over the course of a year.
Dave

 

[MoparMagic'00]

So Dave it has been your experience that removing the cat results in increase of power and fuel mileage? My '00 has a pre cat and aft cat O2 sensors... it is and will remain for a while at least my DD.

 

[BBartow]

I would fix the plenum then replace the cat with a hi-flow one. Along with a tuneup.