Protege5 Cat Replacement

tangra

Member
:
2003 Mazda Protege5
I recently (1 year ago) inherited my dad's old Mazda Protege5 and lately, the P0241 code keeps on popping up. I replaced my O2 sensors in March, my spark plugs in July, so naturally, the last issue I need to address is the cat. Anyways, I went to three places today and two of them underestimated me cause I'm only 17, and tried to convince me that I had to pay $1,445. I got a referral from one of the more honest mechanics there that pulled me to the side and the other guy is only charging $225. Whoo!
 
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Or you can install a new C.A.R.B. compliant pre-cat for around $250 US plus labor...

 
I swapped my cat out recently for one I got off of eBay. It said 49 state compliant, but passed California smog just fine. It took me about 1 hour total to swap them in my backyard on Rhino Ramps.

https://www.ebay.com (commissions earned)

in that p5 gallery on cars domain, what headers are you running?
is there a pre-cat on the end of them?
does it smog in CA like that or do you have to swap back to stock every 2 years?
 
cat-under-car-hood.jpg



Found one. This might be what you're looking for.
 
I swapped my cat out recently for one I got off of eBay. It said 49 state compliant, but passed California smog just fine. It took me about 1 hour total to swap them in my backyard on Rhino Ramps.

https://www.ebay.com (commissions earned)

I know this is a few months old but please beware...

The person doing the smog check should have verified the Executive Order number on the cat against the "approved" list. Sounds like they overlooked it. When you reach your next smog check, it *might* fail due to "tampering".
 
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