Hey guys. Prepping to sell my mini here pretty soon and I was driving 65-70mph on the freeway and my car becomes suddenly very loud. Towed it home and realized that the exhaust section coming out of the first catalytic converter is detached. Im guessing the cat is clogged and heated up that part so much that it popped out. Has anyone cut out that section and put in a universal cat? seems like the cheapest option at this point and I don't have the time to install the entire cat/exhaust manifold. Any problems (in CA) with installing a universal cat? Thanks for your help in advance.

 

Mine did the same thing...... I pulled the exhaust, took it to a welder ..... $60 he welded the heat shield all the way around ( where the weld broke )
No more problem, nice and quite

 

I feel like if it is getting that hot, the cat has to be clogged. Should I replace the cat or just reweld it?

 

If the cat were clogged, your car would've run as though it had COPD (cough, cough) and would've probably thrown a code. One way or the other, you'll have to pull the header. If possible, I'd try to have it repaired.

 

Not clogged, they do that stainless steal to normal steal = poor weld. Both mine have done it, pop it off, weld it up, easy fix.

Nik

 

i have a stock header if you wanted to buy it; if you dont go the repair route.

 

Good to know. The header has to come off the car in order to weld it, correct?

 

My cat split apart and my mechanic welded in a steel collar ( made up of two "c" sections ) to join the cat back together. If it's not a clean split you may have difficulty.

This was done with the cat and header on the vehicle.

Five minutes, $60. Better than new !

 

You didn't say how many miles you have but I recall that the CAT has a longer mileage warranty for some reason. Call your dealer and ask first. It may be covered.

 

got it fixed for $40. Thanks for all of the information, guys!