How the heck do ya remove the cat? I've been under my truck for an hour now and reviewed the Helm manuals and can't get the darned thing out.

There is a cross member in the way that looks like it supports the tranny, so I don't think I should be removing it.

The Helm manual says "just unbolt it and remove it" and shows a picture of it being slid forward gently and out. No mention of any cross member in the way.

:help:

Cal - unblot the bracket that is fastened to the trans...after you do that, it will slide right out.....:)

I've got an '02 that I removed the cat on earlier this week. It took about 10 minutes to unbolt it, but I wrestled with it for about an hour before I got it out. :mad:

Finally, after a few drinks :ro) , I got it!

You can make it happen -- good luck!

-Jeff

The tranny wont go anywhere! you'll be alright

Thanks guys - I jumped the gun. You *DO* have to remove the crossmember and it *does* support the tranny. Should have read the Helm manual just a bit more. Trick was to jack up the tranny a bit to support it, then remove the crossmember, and then slid the cat right out.

Noticeable difference in the exhaust sound now. My jet has arrived. ;)

:confused: I'm not sure why you had to remove that crossmember Cal...Unless the california converter is somehow different from the federal emmisions trucks.....Oh well, the important thing is you got it in there :D

Cal
What down pipe did u decide to go with? Your one step ahead of me !!!

Cal
What down pipe did u decide to go with? Your one step ahead of me !!!\


Nice truck...what part of nor cal???

cal congrats on the removal

cal- I guess you probably havn't had time for codes yet? Any light ses light action? Is it noticebly louder in the cab? Sorry for all the questions. Just debating whether I should go for it or not.

Madcat....you will get codes but no light....Being in virgina you have a federal emmissions truck. You can get rid of the codes by doing the finger's stick mod....you can do a search for it and it will tell ya how to get one.

I just replaced mine with the MBRP stainless($130 from sponsoring vendor). I found it impossible to remove pipe without removing trans support. If you plan on doing this job, just remove the 6 bolts and make it easy! I've noticed a louder whistle from the turbo, but I don't have a pyro to check temps(yet).

I just replaced mine with the MBRP stainless($130 from sponsoring vendor). I found it impossible to remove pipe without removing trans support. If you plan on doing this job, just remove the 6 bolts and make it easy! I've noticed a louder whistle from the turbo, but I don't have a pyro to check temps(yet).How about the tone out of the tailpipe, is it louder or has noise level inside the cab increased?

:thankyou2

Nice truck...what part of nor cal???
I'm in Fresno. You and I have twins NorCal - I've been reluctant to post pics till I get her "done" (I know, there is no such thing, but I can get close). My lift is finally going on next week and then she'll be a proper truck. It's amazing how long this project has taken me - I've basically had an open checkbook for this but I'm at 1 year and 18,000 miles and just now getting my tires/wheels/lift installed. Kinda by design though - wanted to get some mileage on the factory tires, and get a good feel for how she rode pre-lift, so that it might help me identify if anything gets weird post-lift, I can probably conclude what caused it. But I went with the best (according to most here) and bought the CST. Had a lot of problems post-lift on my last truck but it was a ProComp.

Cal
What down pipe did u decide to go with? Your one step ahead of me !!!
Went w/ the MBRP. P/N: GMS9401. Bought it from ETR Diesel Performance (http://www.etrdieselperformance.com/), who's a supporting vendor here.

cal- I guess you probably havn't had time for codes yet? Any light ses light action? Is it noticebly louder in the cab? Sorry for all the questions. Just debating whether I should go for it or not.
Go for it - but buy the Fingers stick and install it first. That was my first step, then EGR blocker plate, then ditched the cat.

I'd already replaced the factory cat-back with a 4" Banks Monster back at around 3,000 miles (@ 18K now) and that, along with my Juice/Attitude never threw a code. I'm sure I would have with the cat/egr plate if I didn't have the Fingers stick though.

What they say is true - roll down your rear windows and listen to the idle - once the turbo boost kicks in (even when it's low), it sounds like a jet. It rocks.

And without the cat, you can actually hear the truck *exhausting*. It's amazing to think of how much soot and crap was getting jammed up in the cat. The guys here that aren't in California sure have it good without all this crap on their trucks.

How about the tone out of the tailpipe, is it louder or has noise level inside the cab increased?
Tone has changed (see post above) in a good way. Noise inside cab is not noticeably louder but then again, I say "what?" a lot. ;)