cat woes

g-volvo · Post by **g-volvo** » 13 May 2011, 05:01

Hi folks-
a couple of years ago the original cat on my 96 850 cracked at the ball joint with the resonator so I replaced it with a Davico one from FCP. That lasted about 1 year, but has been sounding like a box of marbles for some time. I don't drive the car that often so I've been limping along with this problem for some time. Recently I flagged a P0133 slow rear O2 response, which is probably expected with a bad cat.

An oem cat costs $1200
eerie vovo doesn't have any used stock and says they are pretty rare items.
I don't want to buy another Davico

Can any suggest alternate sources for a used OEM cat?

many thanks
Cat-less

Post by **jblackburn** » 13 May 2011, 06:41

Try Vands Auto Dismantlers in California. They're a huge junkyard that specializes in only Volvos and Saabs.

Post by **Ozark Lee** » 13 May 2011, 12:02

It largely depends on where you live and the level of scrutinizing that you have to go through to renew your plates. In California the bar is much higher than most states.

There are a number of new aftermarket catalytic converters that will sell for less than a used OEM due to the platinum content in the OEMs but most of them won't pass the tailpipe test in CA. Speaking of which, don't bin your old one, it is worth a chunk of money at the metal recyclers since the current price on Platinum is around $1750/Oz.

...Lee