John Q

I took my car into the shop because it would not pass emissions for anything, and I needed to have it hooked up to the diagnostic machine to try to find the problem. After checking everything and finding no other problems, they suggested replacing the cat to see if that would help because everything else was fine. I just picked up the car (it finally passed after changing the cat), and they showed me my old cat (a random technologies "high flow" convertor), and all but ONE of the plates was burned completely out, disintegrated. I was told it was due to the nitrous. I've only run ONE bottle of nitrous through the car, with a 150 shot, and it destroyed my convertor completely? Anybody else have this experience, is this what ate up my convertor, or could it have been something else?

roguedriver

John, same thing happened to me. I had the same converter as you and a 150 dry shot. Ran 2 bottles through it and one day when I took it off because I made a straight pipe with a cut out, all my converter stuff was completly gone! I just laughed and though, "well, guess I already had a straight pipe in it!". What I would recommend is that you make a straight pipe or buy one and keep it installed on there most of the year until you need your smog check, then get under there and put your converter back up for the check. Don't know why mine blew out or yours, but why risk it again and waste the money. Good luck.

Ken R. 95Z

rskrause

My twin Random Tech kitties are still intact after multiple years of boost + N2O

Rich Krause

John Q

If it wasn't the nitrous, what else would have burned it out so bad? Maybe it's just a fluke thing that happens to some and not others? I only went through a single 10 lb bottle on it, so I dunno.

Either way, the nitrous came off and a fresh cat went on.

Mikie

Ive never heard of nitrous doing that. What may be the case here is the fact that you own a 95 model and after 9 years it was just the cats turn to die. Ive seen a local guy have to take his in for warranty after his cat did the same thing on a 2001 model!!!! The dealer gave him a lecture on what type of fuel to be running and said it had alot to do with that???

John Q

I've always ran 92/93 octane gas since I've had the car (since 1998), and the random tech cat wasn't even 2 years old (installed in August of 2002).



From what you all are saying, doesn't sound like this is a common occurence, so I'd assume there were other contributing factors I'm not aware of. I just found it strange, and wondered if anybody else had the same experience.

94DROPTOPZ28

The same thing happened to me

One day I was driving and it sounded like there was a rock in my exhaust. So I put the car up on the lift to see what it was and pieces of my converter were rattling around in there. I always run 93 or 100 octane in my car & I was told that it was the sulfer in the nitrous that did it...

Now I only run good (medical grade) nitrous in my car