No catalytic convertor before the muffler

[RiverDawg24]

In the 2002 Jeep Tj I just bought, a previous owner has cut out the catalytic converter that is just before the muffler and replaced it with a straight piece of pipe. I’m just curious if anyone has an opinion on this?

Should I put a cat back in?

Is it causing or going to cause an unknown problem?

Currently I have no CEL but I haven’t had a code reader on it to see if there are any stored codes. And I live in a state that requires no inspections or anything.

Thanks

 

[Chris]

Removing the third cat will not cause any CEL or issues, I did it on mine.

The only thing it will do is make the vehicle significantly louder. So if you like the current noise level of the exhaust, keep it. If not, put a cat back in there and it will quiet it down quite a bit.

 

[RiverDawg24]

Removing the third cat will not cause any CEL or issues, I did it on mine.

The only thing it will do is make the vehicle significantly louder. So if you like the current noise level of the exhaust, keep it. If not, put a cat back in there and it will quiet it down quite a bit.

Thanks. Glad I don’t need to spend the money.

I actually have been impressed with how quiet the Jeep is. Of course my other long armed jeeps always had exhaust placement issues so I ran a glass pack in the space provided.

 

[Chris]

Thanks. Glad I don’t need to spend the money.

I actually have been impressed with how quiet the Jeep is. Of course my other long armed jeeps always had exhaust placement issues so I ran a glass pack in the space provided.

In that case, I think you're golden!

 

[Goatman]

Why does a cat make the exhaust system quieter?

 

[Chris]

Why does a cat make the exhaust system quieter?

It acts like a resonator basically. Without the cats there will be a louder sound when revving it, and it's usually a bit more buzzy.

 

[Brianj5600]

@Chris do you have any catalytic converters? Removing mine made it only a little louder. Maybe because the rest of my exhaust is stock.