Which Aftermarket Catalytic Converter To Buy for Lexus es300?

I am particularly interested in this problem and the answers you may receive.

I did some scanning of the web, and found a lot of options, but most of them were marked "49 state legal", or such. California, clearly, is the state that approves little.

I have been warned before that many of the aftermarket units do not work well nor last long.

Maybe some of the pros here can give a better answer than "use Lexus parts only". We'll see.

Best of luck.

Mark wrote in news:062972ab-be79-4f85-bb51- snipped-for-privacy@64g2000hsu.googlegroups.com:

p0420 does not mean to replace the convertor! it means the processor is picking up to much activity from the post cat 02 sensor (which should read a realitive flat signal compared to pre cat 02 sensor)...many things can cause inefficient convertor conversion...........keep diagnosing unless you enjoy throwing bucks thru the tailpipe.............

Do you plan on keeping the car? How long? If you are going to keep the car for longer than a year then I would recommend the factory cat. If you put an aftermarket car on the light will be back on sooner than later. The OE cats are made specific for the car. The aftermarket cats are universal and don't have the same amount of prescious metals as the OE. I know it's a lot cheaper, but you get what you pay for.

I found some aftermarket units guaranteed for 5 years, or 50,000 miles. That is enough for most people. Any comment?

"HLS" wrote in news:GQNKk.1168$8_3.112 @flpi147.ffdc.sbc.com:

About as good as you'll get.

I recently had my OEM cat replaced because it rusted out (yes it did, and I have pics).

The independent garage that did the work is well-known in my area for this sort of repair and has an excellent reputation. Their tech told me most of the aftermarket cats are just fine for at least two years/24K miles (which is one emissions test for most people). After that it's iffy.

I went with the a Walker, reputedly one of the few good aftermarket cats that are available for my '91 Acura, and Honda's OEM supplier (Futaba?) no longer makes cats for this car anymore.

If you've found a maker that warrants its cats for 50K miles, I'd love to know who that is. With my luck they don't sell into Canada, or don't make cats for my car...

In this case, it was made by Eastern Catalytic. Dont know conditions, or whether they sell into Canada.

Did you go with the "walker universal" or the "walker premium". I am also leaning towards going with walker, simply because that is the only aftermarket brand name I keep hearing about.

I plan to keep my car for as long as I can, but at the same time just don't feel like spending $1.5-$2K on the OEM cat. If I had to spend that kind of money on my cat, I'd rather keep spending $200-300 on aftermarket cats every 6 months, than $2K all at once. Just another way to look at it.

A quick tip to keep exhaust system components from rusting (this is best on a new car or new parts) - get some 1,200 degree clear coat paint. Wash the exhaust pipe/muffler/catastrophic converter off real nice. Brillo pads work good for gunk and to shine them up if you want it to look pretty...just make sure you wash all the soap off. Now make sure it's dry - a quick way to do that is to drive around a few blocks. Now spray it. No masking off is necessary. The stuff has ceramic in it, and it will cure next time you heat it up real good. It will also shine because the clear coat is glossy. If small rust spots appear Brillo pads or light sandpaper can take it off, followed by more clear coat.

"HLS" wrote in news:QAPKk.989$% snipped-for-privacy@flpi144.ffdc.sbc.com:

Hm. Nobody mentioned that company.

In any case, the Walker appears to be doing its job, but apparently not as well as the OEM cat did. I get a hotter output than input only after extended running (as measured with an infrared thermometer). If I let the engine idle for five minutes or so, it cools off so output and input are close to the same temp. Not good. The OEM cat was hotter on output even when idling.

Lots of water gets spewed out the tailpipe, more than the OEM cat made, so maybe there's hope anyway.

I go for smog in the spring. We'll see what happens then.

Mark wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@g61g2000hsf.googlegroups.com:

It was a "direct fit", about $300. Supposedly it was the higher-end cat.

The thing fits OK, but it's ugly to look at.

I figure the heat shields will rust off in one or two winters.

That's the only way I can look at it now.

OEM cats for my car were $1,100 when you could still buy them, but mine lasted 17 years and 300K miles before the oxidation side rusted through. Pretty good, I'd say.

"Craig" wrote in news:gdgr1f$lkf$ snipped-for-privacy@aioe.org:

The problem is not external rust, but INTERNAL rust. Cats make /lots/ of water, which rots everything out no matter what you do.

The reduction side of my old OEM cat was still solid, with no apparent weaknesses in the body no matter where I tapped with my ratchet handle. Got a nice "ding" sound all over it. The oxidation side (where the water is made) was a mess.

Plus I've found that external rust is primarily on the weld seams where hangers and flanges and the like are joined to the pipes. I think it would be difficult to seal that properly without removing the system from the car entirely.

Does all of that mean every few years people have to shell out a lot of money for a new catalytic converter? cuhulin

snipped-for-privacy@webtv.net wrote in news:998-48FCA76D-99@storefull-

3253.bay.webtv.net:

That's what I'm afraid of with the aftermarket stuff.

I'm the sort that wants to fix it once and be done with it.

Well, sooner or later you have to change out the catalytic converter. Dont know the statistical mean on the number of years. Changed my van converter at 10 years, when the innards collapsed.

It was a cheap change, because it was an early application.

My old vehicles are not newish enough that they have factory catalytic converters. cuhulin

Both your 78 and 83 vans probably had catalytic convertors when they left the Chrysler plant... Can't say what's happened in the meantime. Actually, the 83 DEFINITELY had a cat, but the 78 may not have because some classes of truck were exempt in '78, such as the Lil' Red Express sport pickup. But even it got them for 79, which is why '78 Lil Reds are more desirable thn 79s (and were quicker in the 1/4 mile than a '78 Corvette...although that's not saying much.)

You may want to check EasternCatalytic.com and download their catalog to check for fit. I don't know how good their cats are, but they are made to be OEM fit, although the pipe flares for mine stuck way beyond the flanges and required thick spacers or washers to keep the joint from wobbling. Eastern cats are sold by several online dealers, including PartsTrain.com (look for discount coupons, regardless of the seller).

You may be fixing a non-existing problem. Be sure to reread "bill's" response to your message:

"p0420 does not mean to replace the convertor! it means the processor is picking up to much activity from the post cat 02 sensor (which should read a realitive flat signal compared to pre cat 02 sensor)...many things can cause inefficient convertor conversion...........keep diagnosing unless you enjoy throwing bucks thru the tailpipe............. "

Can you give me some examples of what can cause inefficient cat code? What is it that I need to look for? I have discussed this before and was told the post-cat sensor cannot be a problem. If it was, I would have a different code, not P0420. It is highly unlikely that the ecm is reporting a false P0420.