Aftermarket Cat Converters - worth it?

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by Christopher Armes, Jun 5, 2020.

  1. Christopher Armes

    Christopher Armes New Member

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    2009 Prius
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    Hey guys,

    Real quick. I live in CA and my '09 needed a new CAT after 235,000m. It threw the dreaded p0420 so instead of shelling out the 2g's for a legal one, I went to a junkyard operation and had them install a new one you'd get in any other state for $350. A thousand miles later the p0420 comes back. My mileage is still good at 43-47 hwy although it does burn a fair bit of oil. Maybe 1/2 qt every 1500 miles? Took it to a mechanic and he said they sold me a bad CAT. So my question is, is the CAT going bad because my car is burning so much oil? Or was it just a bad CAT? Your thoughts? Is it worth getting another CAT or will that one just go bad too? Are CAT cleaners worth it? Thanks.
     
    #1 Christopher Armes, Jun 5, 2020
  2. Leadfoot J. McCoalroller

    Leadfoot J. McCoalroller Senior Member

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    when you burn a lot of oil, the engine only burns a little of it. The cat has to burn off the rest. They have their limits. They can be overwhelmed trying to re-process the half-burnt oil coming out of the engine.

    Fix the oil burn or replace the car, and keep in mind that your car will no longer pass CA smog with that aftermarket cat in there. Get your moneys worth out of it before that date.
     
    #2 Leadfoot J. McCoalroller, Jun 5, 2020
  3. Christopher Armes

    Christopher Armes New Member

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    One
    Thank you for the insight. I'm wondering how much that cost to fix. $1500 range?
     
    #3 Christopher Armes, Jun 8, 2020
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