Cat removal

Site Subscriber Joined: 10 Jun 2004 Posts: 2317

Got the 4 rear bolts off, easy, front ones causing trouble, whats the best way? Drill the tops off?

Cheers

Forum Moderator Joined: 02 Mar 2004 Posts: 19978

I used a grinder on mine. But on the laguna cos it was far away I had to resort to the hacksaw.

The front bolts go into threads on the actual cat itself so if you chop then heads off which you will have to do anyway you will also need to drill out the cat itself so you can use nuts and bolts on it.

Site Subscriber Joined: 10 Jun 2004 Posts: 2317

Thought so, only worried about getting the cat off and the decat on. Will worry about the cat afterwards

Forum Moderator Joined: 02 Mar 2004 Posts: 19978

I got the cat thats on mine off the hatch angle ground the bolts off then paid a guy a tenner to do it. He wasn't happy as he used 3 bits to drill em out.

I need a de-cat or even a pipe to sleeve the cats shell inside. Its just hollow, must have been hollowed out years ago.

B&Q is a good source for nuts and bolts, thats what hold my cat on and the lagunas as well now.

Mr Quoter-vator Joined: 16 Feb 2004 Posts: 7405

i tookmine to ats...cost me about a tenner, put down as tracking.

he just played a torch on them for a while then they came out....these guys do it everyday for a living.

Forum Moderator Joined: 02 Mar 2004 Posts: 19978

yeah but quite often they need tp chop through them.

Torch can only help if theres a head to grip onto. Most of the time the bolts just a round lump, when you chip away the rust its a small round lump in my experience.

Site Subscriber Joined: 10 Jun 2004 Posts: 2317

Bah, managed to snap one of the remaining 2 off, so thats just 1 to go, which is refusing to budge and my hacksaw aint doing much, I wonder if heating the first one with a blow tourch yesterday made it brittle.

Site Subscriber Joined: 10 Jun 2004 Posts: 2317

Hmm, the other nut is now rounded off, my hacksaw is useless and i cant get a drill on it. Fun. Managed to get a screwdriver in the other side of the cat where the other bolt has come off and wedge it open a little. Wondering if i should just trying and snap the other bolt off that way?

Forum Moderator Joined: 18 Feb 2004 Posts: 7432

will probably bend the flange mate... borrow a grinder

Site Subscriber Joined: 10 Jun 2004 Posts: 2317

Don't know anyone who's got one.

Level 5 User Joined: 06 Oct 2004 Posts: 119

My cat snapped off .....bonus......engine side of flange....bummer..now im strugling like f*** to seperate the downpipe from the springy things on the manifold think i've shagged the nuts. theres just no room to do anything,have u guys got any idea's ?

Mr Quoter-vator Joined: 16 Feb 2004 Posts: 7405

go to fecking ats!!!! they do it for a bloody living! and if u cant move ur car u just have to settle for the hacksaw...try taking the blade out to get it into small areas...but u will be at it for hrs. a dremel with a grinder attachment may be a good idea

Site Subscriber Joined: 10 Jun 2004 Posts: 2317

Car is immobile, how am I supposed to get it there Razz

Wouldnt trust my local ATS with a pushbike, let alone me car Razz

Forum Moderator Joined: 02 Mar 2004 Posts: 19978

get down B&Q, 17 quid for a grinder, thats where I got mine and its chopped up an entire clio and all sorts of crqap and its still going strong.

Like neal said you'll prob end up buggering the flange as they bcorrode and get quite thin.

manifold to down pipe nuts are 13mm, they rust a lot though so no screwdrivers gonna touch them.

Best method is a few extension bars a UJ and a 6 sided 12/13mm socket. Lying under the car.

Mr Quoter-vator Joined: 16 Feb 2004 Posts: 7405

exactly how i do it...i also went to ats and got them to free the downpipe bolts off for me Very Happy

anyone would swear i work for ats or something

Level 5 User Joined: 06 Oct 2004 Posts: 119

A mate has just dropped of the dremal, so "OFF WITH THE NUTS" i say.....
still got a problem thou...cause once i've done that ..fitted the downpipe and exhaust of the pre-cat ph1....i then have to do somthing with the lambada,.....if i swapped the comp over would the wires from the lambada go to the newly fitted mixture pot that would sit next to the map sensor ...see i might be wrong but the way i see it is that they both do the same thing ..one's electrical the other is manual...... Confused

Forum Moderator Joined: 02 Mar 2004 Posts: 19978

the engine looms are different so you need to swap em over to did I not mention that?

Level 5 User Joined: 06 Oct 2004 Posts: 119

NOOOooooooooooo u did'nt Crying or Very sad

now im really woed Crying or Very sad

it gets worse..how hard a job is that ? mabey run it rich 4 a while till i can source a down pipe off another ph2,and just tape the sensor up?????

Forum Moderator Joined: 18 Feb 2004 Posts: 7432

tape?? what sort of tape are you thinking of mate... dont think sellotape make anything that will take exhaust manifold heat...

Level 5 User Joined: 06 Oct 2004 Posts: 119

lol......tape it out of the way silly....the downpipe of the ph1 dosnt have a sensor hole Laughing

so ill stick it somwhere in the bay...............and dont say "biscay" Laughing

Forum Moderator Joined: 18 Feb 2004 Posts: 7432

oh ok...well im sure sellotape make something that can do that for you Wink