Exhaust System - Ford Forums - Mustang Forum, Ford Trucks, Ford Focus and Ford Cars

06-18-2002, 17:44

Hey guys, i was talking to a exhaust guy about getting a 2 1/4 or 2.5" exhaust put on an EA.
He said that because my exhaust looked like the original one that came with the car, maybe the CAT converter was blocked? Have any of you heard of that happening? Cause i dont want to go out and get a whole new system if its not going to do what i want it to.

Thanks.

speedy · 06-18-2002, 22:48

The one on my car is original and hopefully this Friday I will be getting my new 2 1/2" system from the cat back. How could the cat get blocked there is nothing before it that can cause it to be blocked but I could be wrong.

XplodEd EA · 06-18-2002, 23:43

The cat internals itself can collapse and block it up. Mine was nearly stuffed apparantly when I got mine done. If you get the cat done the same time as the exhaust they usually put a cat with with bigger flanges on it to match the 2.5" piping. I paid $380 for cat back 2.5" system 1 muffler, it's really burnt in now and sounds great. You'll notice if your old cat was stuffed when you drive it hard after you get the zorst done

LTDHO · 06-19-2002, 02:51

Ideally, the ultimate thing to do is a head back exhaust. Pricy, but it makes the mod worth while, you notice the difference. Also you know that there will be no power loss in the exhaust.

It's what I'd do.

06-19-2002, 02:57

Yep. there is no point wasting time pulling it off again - just pay the dollars ONCE do it right - the cat will only restrict your new system WHAT A WASTE! - get a high flow cat fitted - for 450 big ones they are still worth it IMHO

CATman · 06-20-2002, 01:09

i'm gettin a new cat back system for my car tommorow morning, 180 wif a single muffler, and i'm installing it my self. if the cat is ****ed i'll b puttin on a stocky... i just want it to sound better, and a little of performance wouldn't b too bad but i dun wanna spend a shit load.

EA90 · 06-20-2002, 05:31

True to benifet from a Exhaust system you need extractors , high flow cat and 2 1/2 inch. Ive got 2 1/2 inch cat back with single ARB muffler straight through. It sounds good and i felt a bit of a performance gain. But the engine fells no where near as choked as it was.

So in a way its good to do it in parts, But hey my car has a good note around 3,500 rpm now. :)

Thanatos · 06-20-2002, 17:24

It's very common for the cat's to get blocked, as XplodEd EA said, the internals break down a block the cat. If you're real unlucky, they can actually break free and travel into your muffler. Then you'll have a nice, loud rattling sound upon decelleration - NOT PLEASANT! When I bought my EA, the cat was stuffed, so the first thing I did was to rip it off and replace it with a high flow cat - and even with an otherwise standard exhaust, you could feel a big difference!

As for the rest of your exhaust (cat-back), have you done any major mods to the engine??? If not, then I'd HIGHLY recommend going for a 2.25" exhaust with a single high-flow muffler. On a standard EA, 2.5" is too big. 2.25" will give you a noticable increase in power at high revs, but more importantly will give you a large increase in torque in the sub-2000 rpm range (one of the EA's major downfalls).

Dave

Thanatos · 06-20-2002, 17:26

Oh, and 2.25" has a better note (IMO), and doesn't drone as much inside the cabin, also....

Dave

Knight · 06-21-2002, 07:08

guys.. i had my exhaust changed Cat back
When i was inspecting it, after the Cat, it still has the original piping for a few inches, where it then is welded to the 2.5" pipe.

this means that exhaust has to flow 5 inches of standard piping before it even hits my new system.

Is this a major downfall?!

eg.