Hi all,

any idea what's the factory specs lifespan of the main cat converter in our IS200 ?

mine lasted 1 year, the precats 6 months

hi Supracharged-IS340,

that's fast. btw, how to tell whether the cat converters r 'dead' ?

on mine when the precats failed, the car became sluggish.......

when the main cat failed the engine warning lights along with the Trac/Snow/ABS lights all illuminated

Is this something I've got to look forward to Mat ?

Hi Supracharged-IS340,

thanks very much for the info

the life of all cats is mileage not age dependent under average driving conditions, eg the original cat on a merc is good for 100k miles in the uk. cheers gds

if your car is supercharged the higher EGT's get through the cats much more quickly.

chris you dont have pre cats

I meant the main cat Mat

supercharged or not mileage is about fuel burnt which is about gas created, in any case, the question was about an is200. if the toyota cat spec is up to mb the life should be 100k miles but why not ask toyota/lexus, cheers, gds

the pre cats are known to break up prematurely, thereby blocking the exhaust causing hot spots on the main cat.

chris you should be fine

i know of two is200's that have had problems with the cats' after very few miles, both of which were supercharged - think the extra heat causes them to break up

imagine a toilet roll,.......push the cardboard tube in the middle, it starts to extend and uncoil.

thats what happens to the pre-cats, and not just on S/C cars

quite a well known problem in Germany, this then generates more heat...causing them to break up........

the main cat is of a honeycomb construction, so doesnt suffer the same strsses, or weakness's

Questions for Mat or Chirs:

1st, how did you remove the pre-cats?
2nd, what difference does it make?
3rd, is it recommended to get them removed?

thanks

Mine were removed by TTE when I had my compressor fitted

Chris,

did they use a certain type of replacement pipes for these or can we get them done from any local place who customize their own exhausts for you (i know a place who make a Powerflow set up)..

No they just took the insides out of the original system

Any idea how that is done then Chris?

Also how can i get mine checked out if the pre cats have gone or not, as i am just past the 70K mark?

(sorry for the 50 questions)

Mats the best one to ask, but I do know the manifold assembly has to be removed

If they're broken up, then you 'might' be able to knock them out ..
if you have a very long implement that goes round bends

Otherwise, cut the cannisters open and remove the contents.
Then weld them closed again. Looks nice and standard

Actually, thinking about it, pipework is probably aluminised ...
So, you'll probably need to braze it back together rather than weld

by removing the precat, will it make your exhaust louder? and will it affect the emission?

i have had the precats removed, didn't notice any change to the exhaust sound. emissions are not a problem - i had an MOT a few months ago and passed without any problems at all so the main cat is ok on its own. These were the apporimxate numbers for the MOT, can't remember what the tests measure but anyway:

Test 1
Pass = 1.5% mycar =0.3%

Test 2
Pass = 200ppm mycar = 68ppm

I will be changing the main cat to an HKS sports model shortly (just waiting to get it fitted)

Dark IS, where di you get the pre-cats taken out from?

You can also remove all three cats, but probably won't pass the tests ?
I have no problems on this matters where I live.
By doing so you will need an o2 simulator or equivalent; it is sold in the USA by Toyomoto:
www.toyomoto.com

Removing the precats makes no difference to the exhaust noise and all as precats do is control the emissions until the main cat is up to tempreture.
This does not effect the MOT as the test is done when the car is at normal running tempreture anyway

TDi removed the cats when they did the supercharger and exhaust manifolds

i wonder what would happen to our car if one does not get a O2 simulator when all three cats are removed.

Will the check engine light comes out ? damage to engine in the long run ?

hi,

did TDi take out the main cat too ?

that won`t fool the gas analyser at a uk mot station and don`t forget if you have to take part in a mot roadside check and fail it is no defence to have a current mot certificate, cave, gds

talkin *****, the precats are not required for an MOT.

the pre cats only alter exhaust gas on initial warm up untill the main cat reaches full working temp,

when is a MOT done on a cold engine in the UK or anywhere in Europe.

NEVER

they have to be carried out on an engine at working temp

nope, still got the main cat in, i have an HKS high flow cat waiting for fitting to replace the standard one

what is required for a valid mot cert for a modern car is for the gas analyser to issue a pass of the exhaust gases at the date of the test. it is then the responsibility of the operator to see that it does not fail the pollution levels. gds