Removal of Catalytic Converter?

[Belize]

I have a 2006 Ford E350 SMB with 6.0l. I just drove the van from Dallas to Belize without any problems. Lots of power and gas mileage around 16 MPG. A number of mechanic friends I have shown the van to here in Belize have mentioned that removing the Catalytic converter and replacing with a straight pipe will improve performance and allow the engine to run cooler (there is no emission requirements in Belize). But checking with a muffler guy here, he said just the opposite, the van performance will lessen, the MPG will drop, your engine light will come on and the noise will increase. He says if the van is performing well, don't touch the muffler, and if the converter gets clogged due to the high sulfer fuel here, just replace it with a new one. Does anyone have experience with removing the catalytic converter on this type and year of van and the effects of doing so? Thanks!

[JoeH]

Not getting into the emissions side of things killing the kitty will:


-improve performance slightly
-lower EGTs
-increase mileage? Doubtful
-no engine light
-more noise


A more free flowing exhaust will help the engine run cooler which is impt if you plan on doing other mods like a bigger turbo, bigger injectors, and PCM/FICM tuning. The 6.0 in a van does run hot. The radiator is smaller, the transmission cooler is smaller, the engine bay is cramped, and most of us put big aftermarket bumpers on the front blocking the airflow.

[simplesez]

No check engine light? How so?

[JoeH]

Originally Posted by simplesez

No check engine light? How so?

Removing the cat doesn't trigger a check engine light on the 6.0. Disconnecting the EGR valve will on some years.

[WhitH]

No emissions sensors on the 6.0 past the cat, Joe’s right. My fell off at one point when I had mine and it spooled up quicker and EGTs were lower. It still had the muffler so I didn’t find the sound to be problematic, rather it sounded pretty awesome.

[simplesez]

Oh ok. I'm used to cars giving CEL when cat goes bad.

[Ron_Nunan]

Same principals for the 7.3? Or is the 7.3 cat any different?
Following..

[shenrie]

My 7.3 didn’t have a cat when I got it and I highly doubt that South Carolina electronic and gas removed it so I’m guessing it didn’t come with one.

[Steve Hunt]

Originally Posted by Belize

I have a 2006 Ford E350 SMB with 6.0l. I just drove the van from Dallas to Belize without any problems. Lots of power and gas mileage around 16 MPG. A number of mechanic friends I have shown the van to here in Belize have mentioned that removing the Catalytic converter and replacing with a straight pipe will improve performance and allow the engine to run cooler (there is no emission requirements in Belize). But checking with a muffler guy here, he said just the opposite, the van performance will lessen, the MPG will drop, your engine light will come on and the noise will increase. He says if the van is performing well, don't touch the muffler, and if the converter gets clogged due to the high sulfer fuel here, just replace it with a new one. Does anyone have experience with removing the catalytic converter on this type and year of van and the effects of doing so? Thanks!

I don't have the first hand experience yet but i was just at a tuners shop Friday basically asking these same questions. His business heavily leans Ford and he certainly was quick and confident in his answer. I told him i had a 2008 E350 6.8L V10 and wanted it very quiet just slightly more alive sounding than stock but also wanted to "uncork" the stock setup since I'm having a 4x4 conversion done and the exhaust has to be reworked anyway. He said keep the OEM converters for 2 reasons...it will sound crappy without them as the V10 is just not a great sounding exhaust and his experience has been that people smell the gas smell too often when the cats are removed and think their tune is not right plus who wants to smell gas.

Steve

[jimtmcdaniels]

I’ say your sweet spot is:
Leave your cat on while it’s working and so do your part of helping our planet’s pollution and something might happen where you sell to someone who expects or needs the cat on.
Now if the cat eventually plugs or becomes a problem if the inside starts to break down, THEN you can make the decision to just remove it and see what pros and cons you experience with it removed.
I don’t think you’ll experience much of a difference because they have been making cats for decades now and have made them flow much better.
Take care