Hey guys, looking for some advice here. My cat was stolen today (1995 4Runner) while I was in class. I'm wondering if I should replace it with an aftermarket or just run a pipe instead? The crackheads that took it made 2 clean cuts and it was off. I hear this is a national epidemic now, and for what? Scrap metal? I hope they die driving to the scrapyard. I'm in Miami and Florida has no emissions test so it's technically legal. Will I need to replace the muffler too? Any thoughts? Thanks.

Jeff

 

If there is enough pipe in front of the muffler you should be good with just replacing the cat, provided your muffler is in good shape.

Catalytic converters are federally mandated emissions equipment, not state law. Even though your state doesn't have an inspection you are still technically required to run one. An aftermarket, free flowing cat isn't going to hurt the performance of your engine one bit. It *may* even have more pep with a new cat.

G/Luck

 

Excellent, thanks for the help. Any recommendations on a free flow cat other than what has already been mentioned in previous posts? Thanks again.

 

You can pick up a freeflow universal cat for around 80 bucks online. I got myself a nice stainless magnaflow for around 120 (local). Get one thats long enough to clamp over your exsisting pipe.

Stock pipe is 2 1/8th, get a 2 1/4" cat.

The crackheads love our trucks. They are high and easy to get under, and the stock toyota cats have a small ammount of platinum inside. Worth about 100 bucks for scrap (amagin what they are new!!).

 

if you're not going to do anything else to the exhaust, just get a decent aftermarket one welded in (i don't like clamps- they tend to leak around me), otherwise you can step up to a bit larger exhaust pipe, maybe 2 to 2.25" and get a high flow cat and better muffler for a couple of bills at the muffler shop.
and if it makes you feel better, aftermarket cats aren't stolen very often if ever.

 

Yessir, the aftermarket ones doent have as much of those preshisss (spelling? i know, IHML!!) metals that the crackheads are looking for.
Aftermarket would be a good idea

 

u would just run a pipe instead it flows better. thats what i do on all my trucks. i think the reason people steel cats is cause they resell for a lot

 

i had my cat burn out and my buddy got hers stolen... bith of us went to the same shop, i got a chevy half ton cat on mine for 80 bucks, and she paid 500 dollars for a new Toyota cat, and mine actually passed the CA smog emissions test better than hers did... plus she got hers stolen about 4 months later... mines still in place...

 

The exact same thing happened to me while I was at work. Two simple clean cuts and off they went. Bought a straight pipe, clamps, and high temp. sealant to fix the problem temporarily. I am in CA so eventually I had to get a new one when registration renewal came around to pass the smog test.

When this happened to me, I did some research on the internet and discovered I was not the only one. One city only 20 minutes away had 5 stolen in less than a two hour time span. It is the platinum they are after and the contents of a typical converter are worth $40 to $100 to scrap-metal dealers. Toyota 4Runners are a favorite target because we are so high off the ground it makes their job easier.

Eventually I bought a new catalytic converter at Kragen's for under $100 because an unexpected opportunity to have it installed presented itself so I needed the part right away. The part is readily available and the price ranges from $50-$175 at various auto part retailers online. The installation cost me $40 and a six pack of beer. The entire ordeal ended up costing under $150. This was better than great compared to the dealership quote of $700, not including labor costs.

This has become an epidemic that is spreading across the nation so keep an eye out!


1995 Toyota 4RUNNER
SR5 * V6 * Manual * 4x4
31" Yokohama Geolandar A/T-S

 

I feel your pain, left my 4runner in my parking deck while traveling on business... I'm in Richmond VA, sometime Tuesday night a G.D.P.O.S. did the same thing to my '89.
It's sad enough they defiled my girl with theft, did they have to cut her too?
I hope I catch someone pulling this crap one night.

 

Regarding which cat, I have the 2.5" magnaflow that came with my Downey exhaust system. I admit, the system is loud but on my otherwise stock vehicle, which includes a 4" cone filter and 2.5" exhaust, I actually got 22.5 MPG on the highway. Prior to that I got 19.5 MPG.

Your old cat was probably on the tail end of it's useful life.

 

That's brutal.

 

I just bought 2 converters from summit for $56 each...plus free shipping but $11 handling

 

It finally hit here in the Islands,you dont hear it as much but couple people have had theirs stolen. I just took mine off, motor seems to rev up little quicker now.

 

I wonder if you etched your phone number and a murderous threat on the heat sheild, if that would serve at all as a deterent.

 

until they grind it off with an angle grinder

 

That's one more step, and its pretty obvious it was stolen then.

 

The magnaflow cats work well for $100 (shipped from jegs) and look like OE for toyota. Not sure if i'd run a Chevy Cat they break apart too easy (different internal design than Toyota or aftermarket) and actually are more valuable to Cat theives

 

im surprised the frickin tweekers have not broken into a shop and stolen all the new cats yet. (maybe they have???)

 

use a plasma cutter and cut "if you didn't remove this converter yourself, it is stolen" into the heat shield, along with "call the police and call me to report it" and your phone number.