Ok so I am wanting to get a new muffler system and I am going to get a magnaflow muffler and run 2.5" pipping. I don't like having that usless third cat on my 04 ranger so I am going to cut it off and just have the other 2 cats on it and have the shop put in straight piping and a new muffler in place of the Cat-Converter. My questions is for all you CA or others that have to smog their vehicle every 2 years and got rid of this third Cat: Will I pass the visual inspection? Are the smog dudes going to look up my truck and figure how many cats I have and fail me for not having a third cat? Will I pass the emissions test?

So if your running only 2 cats on your ranger and get smogged every 2 years like in CA. Let me know your results.

 

Come smog time you will fail. That will be next year for you.

 

i want to get an exhuast aswell but idk whats legal or not in this stupid state

 

So I would fail because of not having that useless third cat, visual or the actual test. I just don't get how if you already have 2 cats on there and if you get rid of the third one then you fail the test? I hate CA.

 

Leave everything as is before the muffler. I have a catback exhaust and they didn't even question it.

Removing a cat won't give you power. You would have to tune for it.

 

take it to an Armenian smog place they dont care if you pass or not they just want the money thats what my dad does with his 87 rolls. you can stand behind the thing and swear that raw gas is dripping from the muffler

 

No I'm not expecting more power out of it. Trepaul got rid of his third cat and his engine runs a lot better and says he gets about 2-5 mpg better then before. I'm just looking for less restrictive and better flow. No power gains are expected. Have you tried to smog your truck or know of people that have tried this and fail at the smog station?

American smog place huh? I look into it I guess. But I do have another year so I could just try to do it and see what happens at the smog place.

 

If you lived closer my buddy knows a guy that would pass anything. You just have to pay a bit more to get it done.

If you want to try a legit place take it to a pass or don't pay place.

 

You mean on anything, or just a ranger? Me and my brothers all had the cats cut out from under our 4.6 liter mustangs, and you could tell a big difference.

 

Taking them out may give you more top end but you lose some low end to mid range power. Tuning for this will solve this problem but you still don't get all of you power back since there is no backpressure to promote exhaust scavenging.

 

I was thinking about cutting out my cats so i checked into the emissions regulations and testing in Alberta (just moved here a few years ago) and it turns out there are none. As long as it's not too loud which they are cutting down on hardcore now especially with crotch rockets you can do what you want.

 

You can make your truck sky high in CA, you just cant make it fast or modify the way it runs whatsoever. It's retarded.

 

im glade we dont have a smog test here all we have is the obd2 test as long as my check engine light isent on then i pass. i took one cat off my truck and left one.

 

Yes it is retarded. Alot of ppl have to compensate for something in CA.

 

That's why we drive rangers lol

 

You think they compensate in Cali? U should see the trucks in Alberta. Everybody who works in the oil fields drive massive trucks. Every other truck on the road is a Full size diesel lifted as high at they can get it with tires the size of monster truck tires! a friend of mine was driving a chevy 2500 w/ 10" lift and 44's. And they are all straight piped and chipped, spewing black smoke everywhere. They always have to one up the other guy and find some new totally unnecessary way to make their truck bigger and louder and crazier electronics. They are cool to look at but what the he!l is the point? most of them don't even leave a gravel road.

 

I have no cats on my truck, i have never owned a vehicle with converters on it for more than 6 months. Every vehicle i removed them from i have noticed a performance and/or fuel mileage increase regardless of what everyone else says. if you run a muffler that is too free flowing and eliminate all your back pressure, you may notice a decrease.

The reason you may fail emissions with only the pre-cats on, is because the pre-cats remove the NOx emissions and the after-cat (thew one you want to remove) eliminates the CO emissions. So when they test your vehicle, it will be too high in CO emissions.

 

I have the same feelings as you about them. I think they are cool too look at but all they all are show crawlers and mall rollers. When I see them pull their ski boat and have it sag 20" in the rear I just laugh at them. I think it's a waste of a perfectly good truck (Dogde Cummins, Ford Super Duty's, Chevy Duramx)


Ok. Gotcha. But isn't there a cat that can reduce both the NOx emissions and the CO emissions in one setup. I was just curious of why Ford wanted to put on 3 cats and not just one or 2 for each side of exhaust manifold?
Couldn't I get one that does it all and replace all three and run one? Or am I just not getting it and am stuck with the 3 cat-converters since CA is the only liberal state that puts a law on every thing.

 

you can buy converters that do both but i dont know if california will like them

 

does removing the cat mess up the last 02 sensor?