Catalitic converter

zappi · Post by **zappi** » Tue Dec 11, 2007 12:44 pm

Just a quick question. How low should the catalitic be hanging below the car? It is very visible from the side. I Have to go very slow over speed bumbs or else. Any information would be appreciated. Thanks.

mbouse · Post by **mbouse** » Tue Dec 11, 2007 3:18 pm

i feel your pain. Yes, unfortunately, it is all too visible beneath the vehicle. However, saying that, we have not established if you have the correct mounting hardware in place

your OEM cat should have two mounting ears in the middle of the assembly that each have a spring. that spring should be connected to a tab (one tab, one spring per side of the cat) on the underside of the floor pan.

properly mounted, there should barely be 1/2" of clearance between the top of the catalytic converter and the heat shield riveted to the floor pan.

If you do not have the springs (common) they can be purchased from our standard Fiat parts vendors. Also, any medium duty spring purchased from Home Depot that is roughly 2" long and gets you enough clearance to keep the cat from rattling on the floor pan....will work just as well.

If you are not living in an emissions testing area, you might wanna consider a cat eliminator pipe. does not protrude as low when properly mounted. and if your cat is restricting exhaust flow, a pipe will substantially increase fun-ability of your drive.

secondly, does your downpipe bolt to the tranny case? it is designed to. if that nut has fallen off its stud, that will allow the front half of your assembly to hang too low.

Gotta believe that the resonator pipe is sufficiently suspended above the axle, or you wouldn't be able to drive far. but, i'd check that out too. is there proper clearance at that part of the assembly? You can add a bracket at the e-brake cable to aide in suspending that part of the exhaust. buy the bracket at AutoZone. Has a pipe clamp at one end and a thick chunk of reinforced rubber in the middle.

ga.spyder · Post by **ga.spyder** » Tue Dec 11, 2007 5:57 pm

One of our vendors; bruces@fiatparts.com sells a test pipe to eliminate the cat. I plan on installing one this winter. Craig

mbouse · Post by **mbouse** » Wed Dec 12, 2007 8:38 am

I have one of those pipes on each of my Spiders. I am VERY happy i pulled the cats in their favor.

It is an economical, asthetically pleasing step toward improved performance.

But, don't assume it is legal to do so until you check.

So Cal Mark · Post by **So Cal Mark** » Wed Dec 12, 2007 10:35 am

catalytic converters are required by federal law, so even if your state doesn't require smog checks anymore it's still illegal. But, the feds don't enforce the law so unless you're on the wrong side of the US Attorney General there isn't much reason to keep the car hidden in the barn out back

mbouse · Post by **mbouse** » Wed Dec 12, 2007 11:09 am

So Cal Mark wrote:catalytic converters are required by federal law

for most vehicles

as the gendarmes get younger and younger, they haven't the experiece to know when the CATs came into existence anyway. Yup, enforcement of many a Federal Mandate is fruitless. that is why we pay our Senators and Representatives so much money....to create laws they cannot enforce.

But, our post originator is not subject to US laws.

So Cal Mark · Post by **So Cal Mark** » Wed Dec 12, 2007 1:23 pm

not subject to federal law? has he already been pardoned?

Danno · Post by **Danno** » Wed Dec 12, 2007 1:34 pm

So Cal Mark wrote:not subject to federal law? has he already been pardoned?

Not subject to US laws, he's a Canadian.

So Cal Mark · Post by **So Cal Mark** » Wed Dec 12, 2007 3:33 pm

oh, THAT Montreal! Well, some crummy border hasn't stopped us in the past. I'm sure we could round him up if we really wanted to

mbouse · Post by **mbouse** » Wed Dec 12, 2007 4:58 pm

BADGES? We dun need no stinkin' BADGES!!

zappi · Post by **zappi** » Thu Dec 13, 2007 9:19 am

Thanks for your replies guys. Here in Montreal we have no smog laws as of yet. The polution is there, you can smell it and see it on the really hot summer days. However my bordering province of Ontario does have some serious anti-pollution laws, and I do tend to go often.

I am missing a spring on the driver side of my cat. All pipes appear to be oem except for the tail pipe.

I am a mechanic so I know what to look for, but right now I am recovering from knee surgery and thus cannot go and diagnose any further.

Again thanks for the info.

Jon

mbouse · Post by **mbouse** » Thu Dec 13, 2007 12:49 pm

As you will discover, if you haven't already...those springs do NOT have to come directly from a Fiat parts supplier.

Any stout spring from Home Depot or the like will work. just keep enough clearance between the cat and the heat shield to keep it from vibrating.