2000 Trans Am Dillema

[JaMichaels]

:fire

Bought a Trans Am, and it threw a SES light. Code came back to being the driver side Catalytic Converter. It's going to cost $350 uninstalled for a OEM replacement, and that seems stupid to me since I am doing custom exhaust as soon as it passes emissions. What can I do to get it to pass the emissions, and still take a step towards custom exhaust, without going overboard price wise? Any ideas are appreciated. Thanks!

[PB86MCSS]

Change "where the vehicle is kept" to a non emissions county. Not sure the best way to do that if you just bought it, it's easy to do when purchasing it (on DMV form) and on your renewal card thats sent in the mail.

[subliminal1284]

Get an OBD scanner, go to the emissions test place and right before you pull in pull over and clear all the codes then continue to the emissions test station. It usually takes 15 minutes or so for the computer to throw the code again so as long as you delete the code and get tested right after deleting the code you have a good chance of passing. They dont do sniff tests anymore they only check for codes.

[Waver]

Either that or get the exhaust done and take it to West Bend Dyno and have Tom tune it for emissions.

[03Seville]

Get an OBD scanner, go to the emissions test place and right before you pull in pull over and clear all the codes then continue to the emissions test station. It usually takes 15 minutes or so for the computer to throw the code again so as long as you delete the code and get tested right after deleting the code you have a good chance of passing. They dont do sniff tests anymore they only check for codes.

That doesn't work, the car has to complete its cycle to check for codes otherwise it reports an error and you have to come back later on. At least that's what happened to me when I tried that

[Dr.Buick]

bring ot over and i can weld in a new one

[GTSLOW]

Also doesn't the car have to have so much logged time or what not on the pcm. I'm pretty sure you cannot reset the codes/computer and go test right away.

[Crawlin]

can't you just pay someone with HPTuners(i.e. Tom/BADLS1) to delete that code all together so it doesn't throw it? Then drive the car around for a bit, shoot up to the emissions place and you should pass. It's an OBD2 car so they don't do the sniff test, they only do the plug and play to check for codes.

Or just buy the rear 02 simulators that you can plug in so it looks like the cars are actually working and that will eliminate the codes and again, plug and play OBD2 emissions will pass

[JaMichaels]

can't you just pay someone with HPTuners(i.e. Tom/BADLS1) to delete that code all together so it doesn't throw it? Then drive the car around for a bit, shoot up to the emissions place and you should pass. It's an OBD2 car so they don't do the sniff test, they only do the plug and play to check for codes.

Or just buy the rear 02 simulators that you can plug in so it looks like the cars are actually working and that will eliminate the codes and again, plug and play OBD2 emissions will pass


The O2 Sims was my most recent thought, but a lot of people haven't had reliable luck with them so didn't want to stick the 40$ into a non-permanent fix.

Can't change the county, too late.

AutoZone has universal "performance" cats for 67$ that you can just weld into place, but I don't think that'd be very easy with the driver side cat placement on a 2000 Trans Am.

I think i'll just have to suck it up, buy the $351 direct fit cat replacement and pass the emissions. Thanks for the ideas guys, and if you have any new ones I'm open to hearing them.

[Car Guy]

Place an ad on CL to borrow (or buy if cheap enough) a stock converter. There should be more than a few available seeing is how many are removed completely and never used again......

[05caddyext]

Haha I post this same thing every time someone has a STUPID problem like this. You should have just registered the car in a non-emissions county. I still don't understand why people don't do it. But whatever, now you are all worried about a dumbass problem that has been posted on here 10000 times before. And the fix was the same and always will be the same.

[Crawlin]

The O2 Sims was my most recent thought, but a lot of people haven't had reliable luck with them so didn't want to stick the 40$ into a non-permanent fix.

Can't change the county, too late.

AutoZone has universal "performance" cats for 67$ that you can just weld into place, but I don't think that'd be very easy with the driver side cat placement on a 2000 Trans Am.

I think i'll just have to suck it up, buy the $351 direct fit cat replacement and pass the emissions. Thanks for the ideas guys, and if you have any new ones I'm open to hearing them.

On all my LS1 cars I havent ever had an issue.

Then your second option is just to have Tom turn off that code with his software. It will be cheaper than buying the cat.

If he could get my old car to pass emissions with the plug and play/no codes being thrown, then I'm sure a stock LS1 is gonna be no problem

http://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i209/z28kid98/myz/P1010380.jpg

[Undertaker]

You could make an ODBII Sim for around $15 with parts from Radio Shack. I use to build them when I had my 2000 SI and I never had issues passing emissions with no cat. Here is the link:

http://www.mkiv.com/techarticles/oxygen_sensor_simulator/index.html

[GOOD LS1]

You could make an ODBII Sim for around $15 with parts from Radio Shack. I use to build them when I had my 2000 SI and I never had issues passing emissions with no cat. Here is the link:

http://www.mkiv.com/techarticles/oxygen_sensor_simulator/index.html

you would:durr

[Waver]

I have no cats on my car and sims between the cat monitors (2nd o2 sensors). Haven't had a problem with them 25000 miles later

[JaMichaels]

I ended up buying a direct-fit Cat from "dropshitparts.com".. by far the cheapest replacement cat I could find at 169$ shipped to my door. Thanks for the help.

[05caddyext]

So how exactly did we help you? You didn't do anything that anyone told you...

[GOOD LS1]

Hahaha could've been done for $20.

[Z28Envy]

Hahaha could've been done for $20.

hahaha no shit WTF???? Who the hell needs cats?

[J-Bru-Ha Z-28]

If you are getting a custom exhaust anyway you will be getting an SES light if you are taking the cats out. Best bet would have been getting it tuned (Tom could have helped you out) and then have it tweaked once the "custom" exhaust was completed...that would have saved you the $169 plus whatever they charged for shipping and your time to put the thing in.