James TenCate writes:
> My TR8 needs new catalytic converters (they've got LOTS of miles on 'em
> and their insides are really starting to rattle around a lot--its annoying).
> In Texas, the cats HAVE to be there (even if they're non-functional).
> Visual inspection only. No sniff tests here in TX (yet).
> I thought about punching the insides out but I've heard that's hard to do
> (and probably illegal too). TRF has cats but at like $600 a side,
> no way!
Shhh, don't tell anyone, but I've done it before. Its hard to do in that
it is very dull work for an entire saturday afternoon, but it is certainly
within the technical capability of anyone who works on their own car.
Just be careful not to put the screwdriver through the the side of the
casing. Incidentally I've only done the honeycomb kind. I thought the
other kind just had a bunch of pellets in it which can be emptied out through
a convenient service hole.
-----
Scott Fisher writes:
> There's also a somewhat suspect technique that I've read but never
> tried, so get out your salt shaker for this one. Supposedly, if you
> squirt a thin stream of water into the carb while the engine is
> running, the resultant steam and vapor will clean deposits off the
> inside of the combustion chamber.
:
> (Has anyone on this list done this trick? Does it really work?)
Boy, I'm admitting to doing all the scumly things today. Yes, I've done
it many times. I must say that I can't always tell the difference after
doing it, though. It doesn't seem to cause any damage, and it sometimes
helps. I wouldn't hesitate doing it with any of my cars. And, no, I
refuse to put a ball bearing in the combustion chamber :-).
Joe
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