I need some help!!! My cat is plugged and i dont have the money to get them replaced will it hurt my truck if i hollow them out? Any info on this would be great.

 

Wont' hurt it, probably have a check engine light though... I run without any CATS and it runs better than with. Although things did change alot in the ten year difference between our rides

 

A 2002 will probably have a SES light after it's all said and done. Shouldn't really hurt anything though. All the light is sayin is that your cat conv. isn't doing its job. Of course, it won't be doing its job if it aint there. My 1998 is running w/o cats and it doesn't have a problem. It sounded deeper when I took the cat off. The light wasn't on at all for about two months but then it came on but came off after a day. So the light might not have even been about the cat. Go ahead and do it. The exhaust smells so much better without a cat.

 

thanks for the input i am going to cut them out this weekend

 

Here in nh, if your vehicle fails the emissions test, you can't get an inspection sticker until its fixed. With a check engine light on, thats a big flag right there. Do you guys not have emission testing where your located? We have to get our vehicles registered/inspected every year on our birth month. Won't removing the cc throw a code when they hook up the emissions thing? Or am i missing something here. I have a catback system with flowmaster 50 series, but the cc are still there. Jim

 

Michigan is so dadgum broke they couldn't afford to run anything like that, Hell half our vehicles would fail because their CATS got knocked off by potholes and the like

 

Up here in North Dakota we dont have inspections

 

Take those cats off! I live in california and passed a smog test without any cats on my previous vehicle. So if I can do pass a california test, I think anybody can. But since you don't need a test or anything you should be fine. Don't worry about the check engine light if it comes on because it should go off.

 

It you are going to the extent of hollowing out your cats... then why not just cut them off and replace them with a stright pipes instead of wasting your time. If you are worried about your check engine light coming on and failing an inspection... then get a tune and delete the cats sensors...

 

yeah, if you just simply hollow out your cats you'll end up with a ridiculous "tinny" sounding exhaust note... or even worse, some rattling.
Just remove them and get a custom tune to delete the rear 02 sensors out.

I'm running my 2002 5.3l with thorley long tube headers, and "off-road y-pipe" (or ORY) which basically means no cats (if you ask any reputable exhaust/hot-rod shop to cut out your cats they'll frown at you and refuse, but they can technically make an "off-road only" or "test-pipe" for you!), all hooked up to a DMH e-cutout and a Corsa Sport midpipe and muffler dumped right before the rear axle. Sounds sweet and no SES or codes. Even though I'm in MI, it could easily pass emissions testing, as long as that cut-out stayed closed!