Ok, my mechanic tells me that he thinks my cat(s) may be clogged, as the car is hard to start and has NO power anymore. Apparently it's been running lean for some time and the O2's are shot. There are 4 of them I hear? Sounds expensive.

The car is exceptionally quiet now, even for a stock exhaust. I'm beginning to think he may be right.

Since it's a 97 with dual cats, what are my options for replacing the cats or exhaust?

I know that one cat is integrated with one of the manifolds, but here's what I'm looking for:

1)Maybe shorty headers
2)Fairly inexpensvie
3) Relatively easy install (no LT's)
4) At least close to smog legal.

I live in California, and need to have at least one cat to sneak through a sniffer. I have heard BBk and Edelbrock headers are junk, and that SLP shorties aren't bad. What are my options for a cat an Y-Pipe then? Will I need to convert my whole exhaust to run a single cat setup?

Help! I'm not a complete mechanical moron, in fact I know a ton about Mustangs and Nitrous, but these Camaros are a whole new breed of weird.

Thanks for any help guys,
Chris

 

Your car has 2 cats, and both of them are integrated into the 'Y' pipe, not the manifold(s). You do have 4 O2 sensors. 2 on each side, one before the cat and one after the cat. The ones before the cats are used by the PCM to tune the air fuel mixture. The ones after the cat are used by the PCM only to see if the cats are functional, no A/F changes are made if they are bad. The rear O2s can also be used for emission reporting, if the service station has the appropriate equipment.

As far as replacing the cats, the only 2 options I can think of that will retain 2 cats, is a factory replacement Y pipe (2 pieces, aprox $550 each) or a random technology Y pipe with built in high flow cats ($499 - $550).

The third option is going to a single cat. For this, you would need an aftermarket Y pipe with no cats built in (ie: an offroad pipe (ORP)), and a single cat.

Thomas.

 

Ok, so I don't necessarily have to replace the manifolds right now? Because much as I'd love to, I'd rather buy food and pay rent.

So I could just get an offroad Y right now and bolt it up (with a pair of MIl eliminators I assume) while I save up for a proper dual cat Y? (likely a Random Tech) Where would I get a cheap O/R Y?

It also sounds like I might be able to get away with replacing just the two forward O2's right?

Lastly, is swapping the stock y pipe out for an offroad y easy to do? Or will every bolt disintegrate when I touch them. This is a dry California car with 51,000 miles, no rust or salt here.

Thanks again,
Chris

 

Summit sells a Stainless Works OR Y pipe (aluminized steel) for the 95-97 cars for $199:

STW-CA957DCOA Y Pipe, Offroad No-Cat., Camaro/Firebird LT1 1995-97, Aluminized Tomorrow $199.95

I know this is basically like throwing $200 away, but I can't afford $550 for the right pipe right now, and can't drive it in the meantime!

Unless I could have my old cats replaced for that much, but last I saw they were about $150 each and needed to be welded in...would the precats or regular cats be the ones most prone to clogging?

 

You definitely do not need to replace the manifolds right now. I wouldn't even unbolt them if I were you.

You could get an OffRoad Y pipe to bolt in for now, allthough I do not know which manufactures make them or how much they are.

When I was shopping for a Y pipe, I only looked at dual cat setups, which is why I went with the Random Tech. I would guess a Y pipe with no cats is going to run you between $100 - $200. I do know that SLP has a Y pipe with no cats for the '93 - '95 Camaros, but you would need some custom exhaust work done to mate it up to the factory cat-back. www.LS1Speed.com carries the SLP pipe for around $200.

When I replaced my Y pipe, I only replaced the front O2s and just swapped the stock rear ones to the new Y pipe. This works to correct any air / fuel issues (assuming your lean problem is in fact a bad O2). A problem I am running in to now, is that one of the rear O2s has gone bad and It's throwing an SES code. I'll replace that sensor just to clear the code, but it still drives just fine. A pair of O2 simulators will run you approx $90 new, maybe cheaper if you can find them used. But I dunno if O2 simms are Cali legal?

The Y pipe is pretty easy to swap, but this really has to do with what you call easy ..... Depends on how mechanically inclined you are. As far as the bolts breaking, just spray all of them down with PB blaster, or some GM rust penetrant and inhibitor (stuff works awesome!) about 30 min's before you start wrenching; they should all come out without breaking.

On a side note, It's kind of strange that your cats would fail at 50k miles? I think there is some federal law out there that mandates a factory cat must last x number of miles; and I'm pretty sure that x number is more than 50,000 miles. Of course, I could be completely wrong on this, but it's definitely worth you looking into.

Another option for you is a used Y pipe. Wouldn't you know it, I happen to have a factory Y pipe sitting in my garage . Both cats are there and have aprox 85k miles on them. I changed them out in preperation for a complete exhaust upgrade, I'm just doing it one step at a time (Y pipe 1st, then shory headers, then a cutout). At one point I thought one was clogged (due to a foul odor), but that turned out to be a burning AIR injection hose, not the cat. If you are interested in it, just let me know.

Thomas.

I don't understand what you mean (precats and regular cats)? There are 2 cats total, one on the passenger's side (right under where the passenger sits) and one on the driver's side (right below the exhaust manifold)

 

Yeah, OS Sims are no more illegal in Cali than an offroad pipe. heh

So it looks like I'd be into it $300 with a pair of sims, or $550 for the replacment Random Tech piece. Sheesh.

Yeah Thomas, PM or email me what you need for your stock pipe, I might just need to take it off your hands!

I believe the law just stipulates that the cats can't be replaced if they have less than 50,000 miles on them. Is the factory responsible for them until 50,000 miles? Not that it would matter, my car has 51,XXX miles on it now. Figures.

 

SWEET! Just talked to the service department at Jimmy Vasser Chevy in Napa, the cats are under a 7 year, 70,000 mile warranty!!

I'll replace the forward O2's this week then get the car down to them pronto.

Thomas, I'm sorry I may no longer be in the market for your pipe, but I owe you HUGE for mentioning this! If you've ever in Northern California the beers are on me.

Cheers,
Chris

 

LOL! No problem, glad you found a reasonable solution to your problem. My brother has a '97Z also, that's why I was hanging on to the Y pipe .... ya never know when a spare Y pipe for a dual cat Z will come in handy

Thomas.

 

If you hadn't been covered under warranty another alternative is www.cheapexhaust.com . They sell the 2 pieces of a factory type dual cat y pipe for the 96-97 separately with a combined price of about 420.00 for both.