1988TSI1998SVTC
CEG'er
i have a 98 svt and i was wondering if i could replace the cats with test pipes even tho its obd2, i know the check engine light will be stuck on but any other problems?
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cat converter
- Thread starter 1988TSI1998SVTC
- Start date
striker2
Official CEG Vendor
i have a 98 svt and i was wondering if i could replace the cats with test pipes even tho its obd2, i know the check engine light will be stuck on but any other problems?
well you can replace the main cat with a test pipe easily and not get a CEL since there is no O2 sensor that monitors that cat.
the pre-cats however are monitored by the 2 downstream O2 sensors, but the cats are built into the exhaust manifolds and cant just be replaced with a straight pipe. to get ride of these you have 2 options. the first, and cheapest, is to just gut them. the second is to install a set of headers. in either case you can install some MIL eliminators into the O2 sensor harnesses to trick the PCM into thinking the pre-cats are still there and working. there is also a power gain that comes with both options, but the headers are significantly better.
1988TSI1998SVTC
CEG'er
Ill prolly just gut the cats bc I'm on a very tight budget right now, and what would be the easiest way to gut them and what would I use to do it? ad would the. Exhaust sound raspy?
SVTMiG
CEG'er
Everyone has their own idea of acceptable, but I did not find the sound of a gutted main cat appealing. My pre-cats are still intact, PO gutted the main and cabin resonance was horrible 2k rpm +/-. I replaced it by welding in a high-flow universal cat and find it much more acceptable now. Outside sound was fine IMO, just couldn't take cruising at low speeds from inside.
DirtyBird
CEG'er
I don't have the svt, but with the SE I just cut out the resinator, then unbolted the flange for the cat from the y pipe, I then cut the flange off of the cat and welded it onto a glasspack. I then welded straight through pipe to the back (no muffler). It is a bit loud for everyday driving, but it sounds good at WOT and cant beat the flow! But I will eventually put a muffler on