I have a Prius with 160K miles on it, Hybrid battery was replaced at 135K miles. I need a new catalytic converter that my mechanic says will be about $2400 to replace. I have this car mostly for my teenage daughters to use, so probably not putting much more than 5K a year on it. Im wondering if I should keep it. Curious if I had the car in a different state could I just replace the catalytic converter, thinking of driving it to Nevada to sell it. by the way last year when smog was due I had same issue and was able to clear codes and drive it for a bit to reset and get it to pass smog. This year the check engine light seems to come on much sooner after I clear codes so I might not be able to get away with it this year.
yes, some states do not require oem cat. it's not that high in mileage, and if it's a toyota battery, there isn't too much else to go wrong. maybe an a/c compressor or brake actuator? does she burn any oil?
Hmm... Tough situation... I'd do everything possible with induction cleaning, sensor cleaning, exhaust system inspection to find anything that can improve the situation without replacing the catalytic converter in hopes to get it to pass a smog test and then plan to do the catalytic converter in a couple-few years when the test requirement comes back around again? In general your odds of success are better with a clean burning Prius than with another car. So start calling around and see if you can find a smog tester willing to take this approach with you and work with them?
There is no CARB approved aftermarket Cat for a Prius. Aftermarket Catalytic Converter Database If you take it to NV, you can get a cheap Cat installed and sell it legally. As an example: www.amazon.com/dp/B076TZX3H6 (Read the reviews, this not quite as easy as they claim.)
I ask this because I honestly don't know... This wouldn't be an issue if one could simply buy a new CARB cat for a Prius. Apparently federal law requires that a used cat must be tested/certified for resale. Meanwhile, a dead HV battery on an otherwise good drivetrain would yield a viable cat. Maybe you can get one off of someone parting out their car on craigslist - just take the entire system from the drop pipe on back? Maybe you can find a junkyard that doesn't care if the whole exhaust system you're pulling happens to have a cat on it? Is there something about the prius cat that makes it specific to the prius? Can you find another cat that is CARB approved that somewhat matches the exhaust pipe diameter? Is there some other specification such as flow rate or back pressure? Would the inspector bother? Looking at an original exhaust shows the same dirt/wear/rust on the entire system - nothing to see here. If the cat is shiny and new, wouldn't they just look for the cat certification and move on? My current state does not require emissions testing for any hybrid. There is an annual safety inspection which would fail if any warning lights are lit, but they don't hook up a computer to see if the car has incomplete readiness sensors. I could clear the codes while waiting in line for the inspection. Luckily everything is fine with the ICE. Regarding CARB cats... I have a 1997 BMW that was originally a California car. I replaced the entire exhaust system including the cat. It wasn't a CARB cat and my current state just cares that it has a cat. Obviously CA wouldn't register this car (I kept the old system just in case.) I believe that NY will not accept a California car without a CARB cat, but will accept a non-California car. If a CA or NY inspector looked at the cat and it has the CARB certification on it, I'm not sure that they would check whether it was specified for the vehicle.
With all the posts about Catalytic converter thefts on here, I saw an ad on Craig's list for someone who buys old catalytics and was contemplating reporting this person because they're in a line of work that can likely be funding grand theft type criminal activities? What you say?
