| 86560SEL |
12-03-2008 12:58 AM |
I dont think its "legal" to remove them if your car was orignally equipped with them and it probably was if its a 1975 or newer model (which was the first year they were put on USA sold cars) and I do not think any muffler/repair shop will remove them. I guess if you did it yourself and there were no emission testing in your area there would not be a problem, but on a car designed to have them, without them could cause even more problems with performance, etc.
I had a 1987 Toyota Camry in 1997. It had 219K miles and ran like new, but it was getting low power. One day on the freeway, my CEL light illuminated. I never thought much of it, but someone told me to check for airflow at the tailpipe. It was minimal. I took it to a shop and they checked the "front converter", which on that car came right out of the front of the engine at the exhaust manifolf area. They apparently "beat out" the insides of it, as it had became completely clogged. They were amazed the car was even still running. The car ran like a brand new car after that and was quite powerful. I was amazed, but the car was very loud, because the mufflers on back were bad, but I never knew it because there was no air/exhaust getting to them for me to hear it. I had new mufflers installed and it was quiet and smooth. I sold the car in 1999 to a older gentlemen and to this day nearly 10 years later, I still occasionally see the car going down the road, purring like a kitten. :)
I simply recommend having the converters checked on your car and if they are bad, just replace them. I think aftermarkets (universals) are available for a much lower price.
Good luck.
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