[Bulletproof]

Hey guys, I bought a used f150 ecoboost with 160k miles. Runs great aside from the occasional IWE grinding (I replaced the solenoid and check valve, which helped, but didnt fix the issue btw)

I started getting a check engine light so I plugged in my scanner and found out I have at least 1 bad cat.

So after pricing catted downpipes, I was wondering If I should just get an O/R downpipe and tuner, get the extra HP and tune the impending code out (due to lack of cats)

Is this even possible by purchasing these two items out of box and installing myself?

FWIW I live in Missouri, where no one gives a damn about cats, and they dont even check for them. We dont have smog tests here, just an annual or biannual 'safety' inspection.

Please, those with REAL KNOWLEDGE help! (I cant afford to make a mistake based on 'I think' or 'maybe' type responses, this stuff is expensive!)

Thank you so much in advance!

And the reason I am asking is catted DPs are the same or more in cost than a tuner and OR DP.

 

[mass-hole]

Catted DP’s very likely won’t fix the issue. People tend to get CEL’s with them anyways.

The way around this is O2 extenders or to program it out, which most tuners won’t do.

 

[Bulletproof]

Thanks for the response.

So you think that my stock catted DPs are fine? Or I should just go ahead and replace the unit with something else?

From my research It seems like people still get CELs with catted DPs too.

Im just not sure what the best option to take is.

How long do the stock catted DPs last? As I said, my truck has 160+k miles.

 

[socal1200r]

Just replace the bad cat with a free-flowing cat, that should get rid of the CEL code. Like has been said, catted downpipes can throw their own codes, so that won't be a step forward. I'd get that CEL resolved first before doing anything else.

 

[Bulletproof]

SO why would a catted DP throw a code, if it has functioning cats on it?

 

[mwemaxxowner]

SO why would a catted DP throw a code, if it has functioning cats on it?

Because the pcm is very picky in regards to what it looks for from those downstream o2 sensors. Often times a catted downpipe still does not satisfy it. I don't know if it's because they don't burn the gasses as completely as the oem cats, or if it has something to do with the increased flow.

To the best of my knowledge, the downstream o2 sensors can only report stoich, rich, or lean. I don't know if they can tell any info about flow, but I do think they report temperature. Perhaps the temperature it sees is "wrong".

Baaaaaaaaaaa