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Old 02-20-2021, 12:04 AM   #21
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Aftermarket cats can pass if they have the right ID numbers stamped on them. If not they're not supposed to pass, but if the tailpipe test passes a lot of gas station smog check places won't bother to look underneath.

I replaced the cat in my Del Sol with an aftermarket one. It's CARB approved and I mounted it with the numbers visible, but I never saw them check it. Even a cheap cat will test well when it's new, some of them just wear out faster than the stock ones.

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Old 02-20-2021, 07:44 AM   #22
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Sounds to me like the OP's troubles weren't from going to this shop, but from leaving the van there in their 'capable' hands. Especially with the language barrier I would've pulled out a chair and a Corona and watched them from start to finish. No way I would've left.

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Old 02-20-2021, 07:51 AM   #23
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...I replaced the cat in my Del Sol with an aftermarket one. It's CARB approved and I mounted it with the numbers visible, but I never saw them check it. ...

I had a '95 del Sol VTEC back in the day, and it was a very fun car to throw around a curvy mountain road.


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Old 02-20-2021, 12:07 PM   #24
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Sounds to me like the OP's troubles weren't from going to this shop, but from leaving the van there in their 'capable' hands. Especially with the language barrier I would've pulled out a chair and a Corona and watched them from start to finish. No way I would've left
I have to agree. Fortunately, in Mexico you won't hear, "sorry, our insurance won't let you into the shop" A couple mexico trips back my exhaust pretty much fell off so I found the nearest muffler shop and tried to explain what I wanted. To make sure, I got down in the pit with the guy and watched / helped him make the repair as best as he could. He made some pretty crappy welds, but I had no complaints as nothing was hanging down anymore. As a side note, it was really interesting that when the pipe from the rear of the muffler, and over the diff broke off, it got much, much louder. I didn't expect that since it was after the muffler.
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Old 02-20-2021, 08:07 PM   #25
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I had a '95 del Sol VTEC back in the day, and it was a very fun car to throw around a curvy mountain road.
It's a pretty nice touring car for two people. Both the leg room and the trunk space are surprisingly large. My wife and I have gone all up and down the west coast in ours, as far north as Vancouver B.C., and as far south as San Diego. It's got 316,000 miles on it.
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Old 02-21-2021, 05:19 AM   #26
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The new cat looks like a MagnaFlow universal cat.
you are one of the people on here that I would never ever second guess, but that piece looks more like an inline resonator (specifically a magnaflow brand), or a “faux” cat/test pipe then one of magnaflows converters. their converters look like stock setups, just usually a little smaller. I specifically do not use magnaflow inline resonators because of the squared off design like pictured. it’s not a low rider friendly design

regardless of what it is (or isn’t), the welds/repair look decent enough and as long as it gets you back home, it shouldn’t be an issue till you have an inspection. even if you get a check engine light due to insufficient or ineffective cat converter(s). not sure what other cel’s are caused by lack of a cat though.

orv & herb, either of your del sol’s have the dohc motor?
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Old 02-21-2021, 07:21 AM   #27
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...orv & herb, either of your del sol’s have the dohc motor?

DOHC VTEC, yep. A lot of fun when you got up over 5500rpm.



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Old 02-21-2021, 09:17 AM   #28
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Okay here’s the story... I’m wondering if I should be worried or not.... wondering what you all think...

So I Have a 2002 v10 e350 with 120kmiles on it.

I am down in Baja and needed to fix my sway bar and control arms.

Took it to the nearest shop.

They did the job. Albeit pretty janky... I.e cutting the control arm bolts and welding them back... guess they didn’t have the right hardware.

My exhaust was also loose. Meaning the brackets that hold the whole exhaust system up had broken in a few places. I asked him to fix this also.... also it had been dipping a little water which I hadn’t noticed and the dude pointed it out. I asked him in my crappy Spanish to fix the brackets that hold the exhaust on.

When I came back to the shop to pick up the van. He had cut out my Catalytic Converter and replaced it with one that seemed handmade ... the weld seams looked like that....

He said he can sell the one he cutout for $120 so he would knock $40 off the repair price. Which he asking $180 for total for (replacing the gromets on the sway bar, fixing the control arm connections, which were done badly before, and replacing the catalytic converter...

Here is what he cutout and what he replaced with.

What do you guys think!!?

These guys trying to steal my Catalytic Converter and charge me for it? ?!

Also anyone know how can I test if the converter they added to see if it is actually doing anything or if it is just a fake?

Thanks for anyone’s help!!

I'm on the other side of this... from the pics, the shop looks about average by Baja Mexico standards.



If I understand right, the mechanic was trying to get you in and out, back on the road, by fixing your broken exhaust and replacing swaybar bushings, front control arm (bushings?). While you were at lunch, he replaced your catalytic converter. Usually when the hangers are broken, the exhaust system is pretty beat up from heat cycles. My guess is your cat case was broken, as they do, high heat item that lives a hard life in a heavy van. It's a service item. I've rewelded them myself to get by, but they just crack in a new place. I can't tell from the pics, but it's common with exhausts, if there's nothing to weld to but cracked broken steel, it's just gotta go.



From what you describe, it sounds like the mechanic was honest with you, evidenced by him telling you he could sell the cat guts (to some scrapper that will recover the platinum) and he'd get $120, so he would credit you $40. Sounds legit to me, you'd never have a muffler shop in California offer you a credit for your old cat... more like he'd charge you a $40 disposal fee, then he'd sell it to a scrapper for that same $120, sell you a new cat for $500, making $$ on both ends of the deal. But I digress.



As others have pointed out, that's not some hand build POS cat or muffler, it's an aftermarket unit (let's assume for a minute it's a legitimate aftermarket replacement cat). The welds where he spliced the new cat into your system look better than average for a muffler shop, new bolts too. Once you get home, you can take it to a muffler shop and have the cat work inspected. They can open up a hole and insert a camera to look at that new cat, weld it closed when finished. It might need a new heat shield (between the cat and body. If that one in the pic is off your van, I bet they removed so it doesn't rattle. A heat shield over the cat does keep the floor from getting hot, and from hurting your flooring.



Being you aren't very mechanical, post up some pics of the cut control arm bolts and welding them back This would be your safety item
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Old 02-21-2021, 09:25 AM   #29
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that piece looks more like an inline resonator (specifically a magnaflow brand), or a “faux” cat/test pipe then one of magnaflows converters.
You might be right. I looked up the unit I was thinking of (Maganaflow CARB-compliant for Ford pushrod V8s) and it does look a little different.
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Old 02-21-2021, 09:26 AM   #30
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Not to flog a dead horse but it's worth jacking up the rear of the van and sticking a bar in wheel. Move the pry bar up and down to see if you get any movement. It will be obvious if the bearings are shot. I've had two semi floats go tits up. They're just not rated for how heavy these things are.
This is a serious issue because when they fail completely the only thing holding the wheel on will be the brake caliper.
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