Has anyone replaced this cat on a 1997 Honda Civic LX:



It looks pretty straight forward from looking at the service manual, but is there anything anyone can contribute, any risks, suggestions on what not to do?





I looked around on the forum but i wasn't able to find anything specific on the removal process.

Thanks.

 

Why do you think the unit needs to be replaced?

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-Use a good penetrating oil to avoid damaging or breaking rusted nuts and bolts. Take your time and be patient.

-Replace all gaskets.

-Be careful not to damage the O2 sensors, which are expensive. Don't get oil on the O2 sensor wires. Purchase an O2 sensor socket or wrench.

-Torque nuts and bolts to spec using a torque wrench.

 

Check Engine light came up, took it to two shops and it came up as the Catalytic Converter. The light has been reset twice but it ends up coming back so its for sure the CAT. We reset the light took it to take a smog pretest and it barely passed lol. I guess that means I'm going to have to invest in a good torque wrench. Ah i also need to get some sensor sockets :\

 

I think the code is P0420, correct? In some cases, this code can be thrown due to an exhaust leak in the header. You might want to check for such a leak. Otherwise, the code would indicate a bad cat, as you mentioned. One socket should work for both O2 sensors.

 

Yes correct, ah ok i'll look in to that. What socket/wrench size would i need for the sensor is there a standard?

 

The O2 sensor socket size is standard.

 

Ah ok thank you, i'll go ahead and purchase one.

 

i have done it with the exact same car. 97 civic lx. i hope yours isn't silver or i'll be pretty freaked out. but yea i have done it just make sure to get a direct fit, or if you want to replace the entire exhaust system, get an EX header, direct fit magnaflow cat, and an EX exhaust system. it's pretty straightforward

 

lol hah my friends car is Black, we bought the OEM stock cat.

 

is it a 4 door?