CAT replacement HELP!

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Toddman
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CAT replacement HELP!

Post by Toddman »

Hi
Some of you will know Julek our friend and member from France well his cat equipped valver needs a new cat, a repair has been attempted but sadly it has failed to hold.

Ideally a full replacement front pipe would be sourced but so far the only on ehe has found is £600 so a little on the steep side.

Can anyone offer any help or suggestions - he takes the car all over Europe so removing the cat isn't really an option.

Thanks
Luke
Please call me Luke :)
1989 BX 16valve White 70k almost up to scratch
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Adrian E
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Post by Adrian E »

It would be interesting to know what the emissions are like without the cat - so long as it passes the annual inspection in the country of registration then it isn't required to have a cat in any other European country you travel through.

Unfortunately I don't know what happened to my old phase 2 with cat, aside from knowing it isn't registered any more. I suspect the cat will have gone in the skip.....

I suspect the best alternative would be to acquire a bolt in cat from another car (Pug 306?) and have the existing downpipe modified to have a bolt on flange. Then modify the exhaust section to be a flanged fitting also. The rest of a 306 system should supply the necessary bits.

So long as the bore of the cat is correct the overall size won't matter too much.

Adrian
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Timmo
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Post by Timmo »

Luke, ive no idea if its any good or not But!
online automotive have this
Image

comes up as cat for 1.9 petrols under Citroen Bx,
direct link - dont know if it will work as they like you to fill in all the details first!!
http://www.onlineautomotive.co.uk/Produ ... yID=114063

now, ive had a down pipe for the wife's car form them and its been Spot on, brothers had a back box and our mechanic has had a few bits too, generally they are good kit, but, cant say what the downpipe and cat will be like!
Timmo 8)

After all i am the Cornish one!

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ollie
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Post by ollie »

AS the front pipe is so simple anyway and yoiu wnat to keep the front divided section, just buy a front pipe for a big 306 and cut and shut the front pipe onto that, its acouple of simple welds on a staright pipe!
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Adrian E
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Post by Adrian E »

Tim

From memory that cat doesn't look quite right - think the lambda probe mount was further up on mine, plus it looks quite long overall? Might be for an 8V?

Ollie - wasn't sure if 306 cat was bolt or weld in? My mate had a 1.6 XS which I thought was bolts for the cat? Either way - simplest option IF a cat is required.

If not, should've said - remove cat, or fit non-cat downpipe BUT make sure lambda probe is tapped back into downpipe or ECU will go skitz!

Adrian
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Toddman
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cats

Post by Toddman »

Thanks chaps - I did think maybe a universal cat was the way to go but sadly Julek is completely in the hands of local garages and as we all know sometimes finding a mechanic who can and will think for themselves can be difficult.

I will pass on your comments and let you know how he gets on.

Cheers
Luke
Please call me Luke :)
1989 BX 16valve White 70k almost up to scratch
Julek
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Post by Julek »

ok, great. Many thanks for the advice.

General tip: today police in many more main cities in Europe (e.g. Berlin, Munich among others)will fine you on the spot in a non-cat car.
(their excuse to foreigners is that it's "common knowledge...")

My 1990 valver, being first registration Austrian, always had a cat, so I carry a green category 4 (highest) decal on the windscreen, which means emissions- wise I'm allowed to drive anywhere. (It costs 6 quid at any German garage).

Secondly, thanks Timmo very much for the tip with On-line Automotive - I
called today and they have 16v front pipes in stock.

So I'm very tempted to buy the pipe and have a replacement cat welded in. The price for everything would still be lower than the original Citroen cat price which was always nearer 250 pounds... (!) Any comments on downside, please? (obviously the bore has to be the same and the cat, I am told, should be 400 cells p.sq.inch...)

Julek
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Adrian E
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Post by Adrian E »

In the UK it's only a requirement to pass the applicable emissions test for the age of vehicle, iresspective of whether it had a cat originally, or if it has been removed.

If your car is legal to use in France without a cat (in other words it has a valid annual inspection certificate issued in France with an emissions test carried out without the cat and passed) you are entitled to drive that car through any country in Europe without penalty, even if it doesn't meet the local standards. I can't recall the exact name of the legislation, but we get these kind of questions all the time at work (I work for the UK Department for Transport)

Having said all that, I'm well aware that local interpretations of what's allowed and what is not are subject to the vagueness of the local authorities knowledge....... :?
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