After a bunch of reading on the forums and CARB's site am I correct that the only two options for cats for the 2000 4runner with the 5ve are either the Miller or Toyota cats? The Millers are $700 installed, the Toyotas are $2500..... Anyone find something different? I checked Magnaflow and they freaking skipped the 4Runners and got all the Tacomas certified. I'm in California.

 

That's the problem

Check your local muffler shop for ideas too. Actually I'm surprised there are 2 choices.

 

If you really want to know, go here:

CARB CAT PAGE

Then you can go to the attached documents to find all the approved cats. They go by the alpha code on your emissions sticker in the engine compartment. It is NOT easy to use as it is not listed by vehicle model. As far as I remember (I did this a while back for 1999's), you have to look at each manufacturer, look for Toyota SUV cats, then see if one of those is approved for your application. Major user unfriendly--sorry.

 

Just found out that its possible for you to have a matching engine family number with a C.A.R.B approved cat and still fail because your vehicle is not specifically listed in the applications list....... This of course being applicable when yore looking at a cat approved for the tacoma but not for the 4runner of the same year with the same engine. Why does California hate the 4runner?

 

California hates everything except illegal immigrants.

 

See my post above. The approvals are according to the emissions code (string of letters) on your emissions sticker. These are specific to engine, year, model, and other emissions stuff and all related to the actual tests done. Nothing else matters.

 

If you replace the cat with one that simply works and you pass emissions are they really going to check the part? In Colorado if you pass the test they don't question anything else.

 

You will fail 100% of the time unless the tech doesn't look at your cat. According to the few techs I've talked to they say the first thing they do is grab the EO number if the cat doesn't look stock. If the EO number doesn't specifically list your vehicle's year, make, model, and engine type, you fail. EO means executive order and is what C.A.R.B. gives all the cats that get certified to identify them as legal. In California they dont give a crap about whether or not you pass the sniffer if they can fail you on the visual.

 

That is easy to understand. no doubt all the state workers are doing everything to increase revenue for the state.

 

Talk about politics gone wrong. That sentence is the perfect example of why America is so screwed up financially and politically right now.


Good luck getting it squared away.

 

I have a 2000 Limited and live in Seattle. I am planning on moving to CA and am lucky that my truck happens to be a CA model by chance. BUT, what would I have to do if my 4runner was NOT a CA model?? (as it stands now, i'll just have to pass emissions and get new plates, right?)

 

I live in CA and my '97 is a non-CA (originally sold in OK). I've never had any problems passing smog. If I ever need to replace my cat though, I can't get a non-CA cat shipped to CA so I would have to convert (or get buddy in another state to be a middle man).

 

That's too bad,I don't even think they do a visual here and the underhood seems to just make sure all the hoses and such are properly connected but if you pass you pass.

My Eclipse even passed a quick 10 second lookover and I'm not really sure they knew what they really were looking for. While my car never failed it's emissions Cali air-Nazis would've been all over my car.

 

Just wanted to bump this because I stumbled on this same irregularity while looking for a cat for my 2000 4runner. I was told over and over that the only option was OEM and that Miller was out of business and would not send me a cat. What I found out is that the 2000 Tundra 3.4 has the same engine family as my truck (maybe yours too) and can be used (from ARB under the Catco EO number). My muffler guy laughed when I pointed it out and said the fact that the engine families matched would be enough that they could install it and it would be legal. The one I found was a Catco 710000 for engine family YTYXT03.4FFR

Heres the info
http://arb.ca.gov/msprog/aftermkt/de...o/D-280-42.pdf

 

My 00 4 runner with 200k on it now was throwing catalyst efficiency codes for a few years randomly at least a few times a month. And it's a California emissions truck even though it was sold new in New Hampshire. I actually made a spacer plate for the rear oxygen sensor last winter out of an old toyota 02 sensor I had laying around. So the rear sensor hardly protrudes into the exhaust stream at all. The light hasn't come on since and it's been about 9 months. As long as it sees a different reading than the front sensor it seems to be in the clear.

 

My 00 tacoma had a worn out cat(CEL) and couldn't pass smog without a new one. I took it to the mom and pop muffler shop next door and they installed a new cat for $200 and I took it back to the smog shop and it passed.

 

I don't mean to be obnoxious but how is this supposed to help anyone? First of all, you have a tacoma....we're talking about 4Runners which are completely different when it comes to emissions. Second, we're talking specifically about CA and you don't mention where you're from or where your truck was bought. Don't you think that if the problem this thread is about had a $200 fix that anyone could find that someone would have noticed? There are plenty of "$200" cats out there, the point of this thread is that none of them will work for anyone with my specific truck.....

 

Hey would you mind posting some pictures/more info about this fix? Very interested.

 

I'm not sure on this, whether or not you're CA spec you just have to smog and pass when you move here. If you were not CA spec they don't make you replace everything if you don't have a CEL. If your truck is 49 state spec and then throws a cat CEL when registered in CA, I think you get to use 49 state parts but again, not sure. You may have to convert to a CARB cat when it comes time to replace it.

 

I thought the Tacos were the same since the engines are the same. No??

You can use another 49-state cat and the smog place will never know that it isn't original. However, you can't buy a 49-state cat anywhere in CA and no one will ship it to CA. So you'd need to have it shipped to someone you know out of state and then have them ship it to you.