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Hi there, I had to do this job about 2 months or so ago.
ensure that if you do this on your driveway, that you put the car on ramps.
have good socket extensions and sockets like these ones
the cats are a 2 piece part - driver side and passenger side.
there are 13 bolts all together (not including the sensors). The bracket you see in the middle does not have to come off since it is attached to the transmission - just remove the bolts on the side.
I found out that removing the 2 pieces as a whole is better than trying to remove the driver side or passenger side first.
Once you drop down the whole piece - ensure to remove the sensors (if not replacing) and relocate them to the new unit
good luck.
p.s. if you have a buddy that can help you with an extra set of hands when installing the new one - that would be best. I had to place the unit on my chest while trying to align everything correctly. that was a PITA!
you have to remove the plastic covers from underneath and you also have to make sure to disconnect the sensors and remove them from their mounting points on the transmission so when you drop the cats the sensor come down without damaging them.
I got the OEM unit form the steelership. it was cheaper there than having them ordered through my regular muffler/exhaust guy. you do have to pay a deposit
On my 2002 C240, it was my right side cat that started to rattle first. Replaced with a OE catalytic converter purchased from one of the online vendors. 8 months later the left side started to rattle. So I ordered the left side OE cat and replaced.
Want to mention that before replacing the cats, I checked out other companies that supply the same looking direct fit replacement catalytic converters for our vehicles, but for a bit less money. I noticed that the flanges that bolt to the exhaust manifold and to the rear muffler section are not as thick as the OEM.
In the photo I have circled where my exhaust started to rattle. Not the main cats near the exhaust manifolds, but downstream of the post cat O2 sensor.
I saved my old exhaust and stuck long a pry bar up the pipe to break up all the material that was loose. Eventually broke all the material and shook it all out. If I ever need to replace those rattling cats again, I'm going to see if these will work and not set off any codes.
01-28-2016, 03:28 PM
