Catalytic converter plugged?
 

Hi everyone,
I have a 2001 monte carlo ss with the 3.8 ltr motor. I notice when i pull out to pass someone that the car doesn't seem to have any pickup, or power. It revs all the way out, but doesn't pick up speed near like it should. I took it to a gm dealer, and they told me my catalytic converter was plugged. I assume they put it on their testing machine to find this out, because the check engine light was on, and they charged me for it. How much is a new aftermarket cat, and where could i find one? Also, could you just delete the cat, and weld the o2 sensors back in the exhaust, or does it have to have one on it to run the way it should. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks again

first does it feel like it looses the power band at about 3-4000 rpm when you floor it?? does it do this randomly? like does it have good power sometimes, then not have teh power other times?? i had this problem for a while turned out it was a clogged EGR. But if it is the cat, your here in illinois so you probably dont have to go through the emmisions test right? id go with an off road down pipe insted of a catalytic converter. have your egr checked first.

heres a couple links where you can get the downpipe be it with a cat or without.

ZZPerformance http://www.zzperformance.com/

milzymotorsports http://www.milzymotorsports.com/
im not sure if milzy has any of them for the 3800 though

Any exhaust shop will have replacement cat's- just have them stick one back on that is the same size.

You can delete the cat, but that is illegal, and practically no exhaust shop is going to do it (they can be fined big time if they get caught). If you don't have emissions in your area, you can get rid of it (and hope no cop ever checks), but you'll need either an O2 simulator or a pcm tune to get rid of the code for the rear O2.

You could also take this opportunity to buy an aftermarket downpipe- like one from ZZP, that'll give you better flow and fix your cat problem (either with a cat delete or a high flow cat)- and you can bolt it in yourself so you won't have to worry about trying to find an exhaust shop that'll do the work under the table.