Catalytic Converter replacement

[maskedSONY]

Does anybody know if the Protege5 and Protege ES from 2001-2003 share the same catalytic converter? The reason I ask is because my car (2001 ES, manual) just had its cat break and now I have to replace it. I could get an OEM one from a website online, but I'd really rather not and just pull from a junkyard. However, I don't think I'll find very many catalytic converters in junkyards if they were specially designed for the manual tranmission models.

Advice/suggestions welcomed.

 

[maskedSONY]

Ok, so I found the OEM one at http://www.nymazdaparts.com/ for roughly $790. And then I go onto ebay and I come across this:

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

And I have to ask, is this for real? only $130 for the cat plus pipe?

 

[azuelke]

Yes, its not nearly the quality the OEM cat is, but it will work. I would rather buy 5 of the cheap ones and save money than the 1 OEM, but thats just me.

 

[MaxPower]

A. The front catalytic converters from the Protege/Protege5 are the same -- they have the same part number.
B. Often members on line here sell used low-mileage front cats because they installed a header. You may do well to place a wanted-to-buy ad on this site and could pick up a used cat for $50-100 or so.
C. RockAuto.com carries new aftermarket front cats for $250-300. Unless you plan to drive your Pro for another 150k, you should look into going the cheaper, lower-quality (but still ok) aftermarket route.
D. The ebay cats are known for being garbage. From people I trust on the forum, I've gathered that those are not worth the trouble.

If it were my car, I would try to either get a used OEM cat from this forum or get a new aftermarket unit from RockAuto.

 

[MaxPower]

And before you replace the cat, you should also replace the coils to make sure the new cat isn't instantly destroyed. This is cheap, effective prevention.

 

[maskedSONY]

I'm drawing a blank when you say "coils." Maybe it's sunday and football is distracting me, but what coils are you referring to?

 

[CheeseHelmet]

I'm drawing a blank when you say "coils." Maybe it's sunday and football is distracting me, but what coils are you referring to?

The coilpacks that sit on top of the spark plugs. When they go bad it tends to kill the pre-cat.

 

[maskedSONY]

Really? Never knew that. Are the coilpacks sold on rockauto.com? (Can't find them there.)

 

[maskedSONY]

Ok, I'm not sure what the risk that coilpacks pose to the new cat. Can anybody elaborate on this?

 

[CheeseHelmet]

Really? Never knew that. Are the coilpacks sold on rockauto.com? (Can't find them there.)

I've looked there too but couldn't find them, Autozone has them for $30 iirc (you need 2).

 

[CheeseHelmet]

Ok, I'm not sure what the risk that coilpacks pose to the new cat. Can anybody elaborate on this?

Bad coilpacks cause no spark, which causes unburned fuel to get into the pre-cat. That unburned fuel ignites in the pre-cat which causes the catalyst metal to deteriorate at a much quicker rate.

 

[maskedSONY]

If coilpacks are less than $50 then I'm doing it. The cables and spark plugs are in fine shape anyways.