Catalytic Converter's on Rock Auto

In theory I believe you're right re looking for clearly hacked stuff, at least in the past.

About 3 years ago MA went to video monitoring for inspections. Still have a tech go through the steps but they are watched on video by someone elsewhere from the state who can talk to the tech and tell them to look at this or that closer etc.

As of now my truck is technically 13 years 9 months, I'm hoping to keep it much longer. Were it that my converter croaked I would definitely just get it replaced with another converter, emissions testing or not. Easier to just do that versus what you said about tricking the brain and all that, plus as a 4 cylinder I'm not a race truck.

 

Interesting.. I knew they went to pictures a few years back... I had my 95XJ and the more casual shop I took it to made me put the bumper off my 00 TJ over the welded steel bar in the front for that reason... even though there wasn't a whole lot of difference between the bumpers.

If they had video the past 2 years, it still doesn't guarantee much though, IMO. I needed tires on the family car last year... pretty badly and it passed with the promise to get new tires right away (which I did, of course) and my truck just passed without so much as a comment less than 2 weeks ago despite the parking brake not holding... (that's next on my list and probably means the A/C stuff I need to do as well will have to wait). My truck is a 5spd, so the parking brake matters to me a good deal.

The thing that would have stopped me on screwing around with the cat, beyond the law of course, is fear of temps and going out of spec over time without the exhaust functioning within spec.

I too have a 4cyl, so performance is definitely not a concern for me. If it was I would have put a new transmission and horn in the Jeep and fixed the rotten rockers... I used to think that thing was a dog-like tractor.. but compared to the smaller engine in the heavier Tacoma, that Jeep is downright sporty!! Lolol.

I can definitely appreciate that someone would consider that kind of hack though. I replaced my Cat at the absolute cheapest way to do it properly without junkyards or welding - entirely my own labor, aftermarket part from RockAuto - at a cost of about $400. Hacking as theorized would have been roughly $50-75 and also without dubious used parts or welding.

 

True, if the monitoring person doesn't prompt the inspector to do something that they overlooked. I know my truck failed for no middle belt at the dealer and I had to get a "referee" to pass it and tell them to sticker it a couple of weeks later. That was right at the start so I understand it, the dealer was almost apologetic but said with the enforcement they would be risking their inspection privileges.

Hell, the secondary cat on my wife's old Rav4 was I think $250 installed. Short enough money to just do it right and not have issues.

 

Ohh interesting... So did someone remove the middle belt and never put it back in or something?

 

Correct sir