De-cat......

snakebite15

Graham from Cornwall
Jan 1, 2006
172
0
Cornwall
has anyone done a De-cat to their Seat Leon because i took a look under the car today as i want to get rid of the cat and it looks like a mission!!?
 

mmfb

Full Member
Feb 12, 2003
149
0
Berkshire
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I did it on a 1992 Corrado, and that was the last year it wasnt a MOT requirement on a car. So my car could actually pass the MOT without one. Your Leon will fail the MOT without it - so Keep the removed CAT handy to swap back on before the MOT, unless you know a freindly garage.

I had mine tailor made and fitted by a VW specialist in High Wycombe, I think it was about £50.

Its not particularly eco friendly though.
 

dannyk

leon cupra
Oct 3, 2004
478
0
Aberdeen
As said the car will fail an MOT without the cat, you could swap it each time the car went for an mot but the cat and downpipe are one piece, this makes it a nightmare to swap over and sould be left to the pros! If you can afford to pay a garage each time then go for it.

Personnally i'd go for a 100/200 CEL cat, as these are hi-flow and will pass an mot, altho a they are quite expensive.

Cheers

Danny

Edit: Just realised you have a 1.6S, don't know what the downpipe cat setup is on that so could be different, sorry!!
 

Reg

Professional Detailer
Oct 10, 2005
962
0
Berkshire
Is it really worth the hassle on a 1.6? Even on the turbo cars, I understand its only worth doing with the big turbo conversion, and it still causes grief.

Not knocking the fact its a 1.6 at all, just really think it would be a big waste of time, effort and money mate. Save it for the monster ICE your sig mentions!
 

snakebite15

Graham from Cornwall
Jan 1, 2006
172
0
Cornwall
Ye true! I had a think about it today and yep, ive decided not to get it done, and yes i knew it would fail MOT but was gonna replace it but sounds bit pricy so sod it. And yes, a 1.6...there is no point! lol
 

danthemanwhocan

Full Member
Jul 19, 2005
141
0
Somerset
It shouldn't fail the MOT. My 306 Hdi had the CAT removed, and the car was fine on emissions when MOT'd. I just sprayed a can of 10k boost into the engine the day before the MOT to make sure she was clean.

They don't check for the physical presence of the CAT, only the emissions (which obviously the CAT is resposible for keeping in check).

However, modern diesel engines are pretty clean (hence lower tax brackets)and most of the smoke is soot. So is not that risky removing the CAT imho.

Of course my 306 was as common rail engine, not a PD, but that shouldn't make too much difference...
 

Reg

Professional Detailer
Oct 10, 2005
962
0
Berkshire
I admit I don't really know a lot about diesel's, but with petrol engine's the cat has a big effect on the emissions. Some of the BMW lads reckon to give the car a good thrash just before taking it for the MOT to get the cat super hot and it will pass, but I'm not so sure myself. Nearly did it with my beemer (where I've been lead to believe up to 15bhp difference for the M3 engine), but couldn't be bothered with the hassle come MOT time.
 

dan leoncupra

Guest
you can do it if your car only has one sencor befor the cat if it has one befor and after the cat your car wont work very well i no on the turbo one it cuts the turbo out puts the engine into safe mode i got told when i wanted to do it.i got the ihi conversion and jabba put a racing cat or some thing on it. as far as im aware it wouldn't pass mot because all car after august 1992 on wards have to have one.
 

douglasgdmw

Guest
Have you thought about getting a sports cat. Do not know whether they do them for the 1.6 but it is worth a hunt around if the reason you are changing is for a bit of performance (however do not know how much extra you will get out compared to the standard one).

I know they do them for a variety of sports cars and also has the benefit of not having to change the cat fro the mot.

DMW
 

Muttley

Catch that diesel!
Mar 17, 2006
4,987
31
North Kent
The presence of a catalytic converter is not specifically checked at MOT, you just have to pass the emissions test.

For a petrol engine this includes CO, Hydrocarbons and lambda, measured by probes stuck in the tailpipe. I think it would be pretty difficult for an engine designed with a cat to meet emission standards with it removed.

For diesels, the only emission tested at MOT is particulates (smoke). It looks like you could de-cat a diesel, with a remap to take account of the reduced back pressure, and still pass MOT.
 

mmfb

Full Member
Feb 12, 2003
149
0
Berkshire
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dan_leoncupra is spot on - i think its the bl00dy lambda probe which manages the feed back on exhaust mixtures (I think) - I reckon ive had problems with them on every car i had with a cat. It does need to be on a section before the cat, unless you want a custom fitting for it (added expense). But with the info from dannyk about the down pip & cat being one section I think youll have little choice about custom fitting the probe.
 
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