plug in bottom of cat

[vortec]

on my 82 k5, the cat has a plug in the bottom that looks as though it's been pulled with pliers. why would the po open it up? i've never heard of cleaning out a cat, and there isn't any reason it should need a drain. if he gutted the thing, it could explain why i didn't pass emissions inspection.

 

[1979jimmy350]

that hole was put there so the material inside of the cat could be replaced, so if the plug was removed it is very likley that the catlyist is all gone and that would cause you to fail emissions

 

[diesel4me]

clogged??...

If its the BIG cat they used back then,it was filled with about one gallon of platinum pellets --some converters clogged up ,and rather than just eleminate it,folks often just emptied them out,(sometimes a crowbar had to be used to break up big chunks of the pellets,in order to get them out!)--and left the "shell" so it would pass visual inspection!...

BTW--one of those catalitic converters are now bringing 60-80 dollars in scrap,if you cash them in at the right place!...I sold the one off my 79 C10 I had removed 4 years ago,figuring I'd never put it back on,since they don't "sniff" any trucks older than 1984 here..I screwed myself,it only brought 15 bucks last year when I scrapped it!..

--My older brother has a full can of those pellets GM used to sell in gallon paint cans at dealerships--he found several in the dumpster at the dealership he was working at!--I told him to hang on to them,they are probably worth 100 bucks now.. ..

I've read about theives using cordless sawsalls to chop off catalitic converters in Wal-Marts parking lot not long ago here! ..people come out, and get in their car to leave,and VROOOMMMM!!!..OPEN HEADERS!!..

 

[vortec]

i wasn't sure if they were still using the pellet style, then. but, that makes a lot of sense. i'll pull the plug out tonight and see if i have a cat or a huge cat-shaped waste of space. yeah, it is the really big flat kind.

 

[vortec]

ok, i pulled the plug out and can't find a single pellet in there. i even had a bucket underneath, in case they spilled out. i've never actually seen a pellet-style open before, but they should be obvious in there, right? i guess the po did empty it out. i'm surprised CO is the only thing it failed. hydrocarbons and nitrous oxides came out great.

so, it looks like i'll hunt for a good price on a new cat, then whip out the reciprocating saw (woohoo), since the po welded the dang thing on.

 

[3rdshiftdesign]

I've heard that the plug on the big one will pop off if it gets clogged, as to not fully choke out the engine and allow you to drive a safe distance. Could be BS, I'm not sure.