My ZZP high flow cat went bad after only 1,200 miles
07-18-2007, 09:43 AM
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My ZZP high flow cat went bad after only 1,200 miles
is this a common problem? how can they sell pos parts like that for $200? do i need an entirely new downpipe now? where can i get one that will match up to my ZZP header. (never buying ZZP garbage again)
07-18-2007, 09:50 AM
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I have the same one and so far it is excellent. How do you know it went bad? I'm sure I put close to 800 miles or so on mine and it works great. Its a magnaflow cat, they are top notch.
07-18-2007, 09:50 AM
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07-18-2007, 09:53 AM
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I'm not gonna be ghetto and hollow my cat. i want the car to be emissions legal.. otherwise i wouldn't have opted for the cat..
Last edited by chevysalesman614; 07-18-2007 at 12:54 PM.
07-18-2007, 09:53 AM
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07-18-2007, 09:54 AM
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07-18-2007, 09:56 AM
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i doubt it, unless i ship them this one, and they replace the cat on my downpipe(and sent it back to me).. not a new one.... because, unlike most, i chose the "weld in" option.. they would never be able to re-use the part if they re-furbished it or whatever.
07-18-2007, 10:02 AM
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That sucks. I hope mine lasts a long time. Hell a cat should last a long time right? I had 20,000 on the stock downpipe with no problems. How do they just go bad? Heat?
07-18-2007, 10:06 AM
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07-18-2007, 10:09 AM
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07-18-2007, 10:13 AM
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hell no. i'm not giving them any more money. i'll just deal with it till i get my email telling me my turbo swap has shipped. then i will be throwing all of my current mods in the trash can
^^^ unless you guys know another place where i can buy a d/p that will fit to my crappy ZZP (pacesetter) header.
^^^ unless you guys know another place where i can buy a d/p that will fit to my crappy ZZP (pacesetter) header.
Last edited by chevysalesman614; 07-18-2007 at 10:13 AM. Reason: Automerged Doublepost
07-18-2007, 10:13 AM
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If you knew you were going to do a turbo swap why did you buy those parts to begin with? I saw you asking before for a 2.7" and 60s. Just thought you would have thought this through better so you don't waste money.
07-18-2007, 10:14 AM
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Your cat went bad because your running too rich. Cataylst Converters don't go bad just because. I went thru 5 Cataylst Converters (stock units OEM) from GM before I straight piped it. Couldn't be happier. My problem was the result of my intake throwing my AFR mixtures out of wack. This before I pullied myself this year.
Adjust your tune when you get a new CAT.
Here is a snippet on why they go bad:
Why do converters go bad?
There are two ways a converter can fail, it can become clogged or it can be poisoned.
When catalytic converters fail they normally clog up with debris and block the flow of exhaust gas from getting out of the system. This will cause tremendous performance problems. In extreme cases it will prevent the vehicle from starting at all. Most of the time it just limits engine performance by choking the flow through the engine. So how do you check a catalytic converter without removing it from the car?? Sometimes an indication that a converter is clogged is that you don't go any faster when you push the gas pedal down. In addition there usually is a noticeable drop in fuel economy associated with a clogged catalytic converter. A totally clogged converter will cause the engine to die because of the increased backpressure.
There is no way for anyone to actually see a clog in a converter. Usually the only way to tell if a catalytic converter is clogged is to remove it and check the change in engine performance. When a mechanic suspects a clogged converter they may remove the O2 sensor from the exhaust pipe and see if there is a change in performance.
A catalytic converter relies on receiving the proper mix of exhaust gases at the proper temperature. Some engine oil additives or engine problems that cause the mixture or the temperature of the exhaust gases to change reduce the effectiveness and life of the catalytic converter. Leaded gasoline and the over-use of fuel additives can shorten the life of a catalytic converter considerably. Even some gasket sealers and cements can poison a converter.
A catalytic converter can also fail because of certain other factors. A number of problems could occur to the catalytic converter as the result of an engine that is out of tune. Any time an engine is operating outside proper specifications, unnecessary wear and damage may be caused to the catalytic converter as well as the engine itself. The damage is often the result of an incorrect air/fuel mixture, incorrect timing, or misfiring spark plugs. Any of these conditions could lead to a catalytic converter failure or worse.
Adjust your tune when you get a new CAT.
Here is a snippet on why they go bad:
Why do converters go bad?
There are two ways a converter can fail, it can become clogged or it can be poisoned.
When catalytic converters fail they normally clog up with debris and block the flow of exhaust gas from getting out of the system. This will cause tremendous performance problems. In extreme cases it will prevent the vehicle from starting at all. Most of the time it just limits engine performance by choking the flow through the engine. So how do you check a catalytic converter without removing it from the car?? Sometimes an indication that a converter is clogged is that you don't go any faster when you push the gas pedal down. In addition there usually is a noticeable drop in fuel economy associated with a clogged catalytic converter. A totally clogged converter will cause the engine to die because of the increased backpressure.
There is no way for anyone to actually see a clog in a converter. Usually the only way to tell if a catalytic converter is clogged is to remove it and check the change in engine performance. When a mechanic suspects a clogged converter they may remove the O2 sensor from the exhaust pipe and see if there is a change in performance.
A catalytic converter relies on receiving the proper mix of exhaust gases at the proper temperature. Some engine oil additives or engine problems that cause the mixture or the temperature of the exhaust gases to change reduce the effectiveness and life of the catalytic converter. Leaded gasoline and the over-use of fuel additives can shorten the life of a catalytic converter considerably. Even some gasket sealers and cements can poison a converter.
A catalytic converter can also fail because of certain other factors. A number of problems could occur to the catalytic converter as the result of an engine that is out of tune. Any time an engine is operating outside proper specifications, unnecessary wear and damage may be caused to the catalytic converter as well as the engine itself. The damage is often the result of an incorrect air/fuel mixture, incorrect timing, or misfiring spark plugs. Any of these conditions could lead to a catalytic converter failure or worse.
07-18-2007, 10:15 AM
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this is why i HAD to buy a header and downpipe
07-18-2007, 10:18 AM
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Oh yeah, my bad, I forgot you said it broke. I apoligize. Well I don't blame you for getting an aftermarket DP instead of a stock replacement. The running rich thing does make sense though why so many stock people blow cats, we do run really rich.
07-18-2007, 10:24 AM
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The very first thing on everyones modding list should be to get a full header back exhaust system that deletes the cataylst converter. The stock LSJ converter doesn't flow fast enough nor is it designed to take on premium fuel. The converter is the same one you can find on all Cobalts, Ions and Pursuits of any make, displacement etc. I know this because the part numbers seem to match on both my sedan and my SS/SC. Look the same and of course have that same shitty OE quality.
As long as you keep a converter on your car with the tune you have and the spark plugs gapped the way they are it will continue to have problems. With my converter deleted you can smell the richness even more and some people say at WOT my exhaust smells delicious!
The best way to find out if it failed it to beat on the bottom of it with it still attached and disconnected from the down pipe and take a peak. If the matting inside falls down or already has fallen it's destined for the trash. Another clear indicator is the abnormally high amount of carbon in the entrance of the converter and nothing on the other end of the converter.
As long as you keep a converter on your car with the tune you have and the spark plugs gapped the way they are it will continue to have problems. With my converter deleted you can smell the richness even more and some people say at WOT my exhaust smells delicious!
The best way to find out if it failed it to beat on the bottom of it with it still attached and disconnected from the down pipe and take a peak. If the matting inside falls down or already has fallen it's destined for the trash. Another clear indicator is the abnormally high amount of carbon in the entrance of the converter and nothing on the other end of the converter.
07-18-2007, 10:26 AM
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The very first thing on everyones modding list is to get a full header back exhaust system that deletes the cataylst converter. The stock LSJ converter doesn't flow fast enough nor is it designed to take on premium fuel. The converter is the same one you can find on all Cobalts, Ions and Pursuits of any make, displacement etc. I know this because the part numbers seem to match on both my sedan and my SS/SC. Look the same and of course have that same shitty OE quality.
As long as you keep a converter on your car with the tune you have and the spark plugs gapped the way they are it will continue to have problems. With my converter deleted you can smell the richness even more and some people say at WOT my exhaust smells delicious!
As long as you keep a converter on your car with the tune you have and the spark plugs gapped the way they are it will continue to have problems. With my converter deleted you can smell the richness even more and some people say at WOT my exhaust smells delicious!
07-18-2007, 11:27 AM
#22
yea... ummm so you bash zzp for a magnaflow cat .. unfortunately it seems the quality of magnaflows things have been going downhill.. i've heard alot of problems with the resonator in the magnaflow cat back
any reason you equate the zzp header the the pacesetter? the build quality on the zzp looks about a million times better man.. just because you had a problem doesnt mean you need to bash it right away..
any reason you equate the zzp header the the pacesetter? the build quality on the zzp looks about a million times better man.. just because you had a problem doesnt mean you need to bash it right away..
07-18-2007, 11:34 AM
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yea... ummm so you bash zzp for a magnaflow cat .. unfortunately it seems the quality of magnaflows things have been going downhill.. i've heard alot of problems with the resonator in the magnaflow cat back
any reason you equate the zzp header the the pacesetter? the build quality on the zzp looks about a million times better man.. just because you had a problem doesnt mean you need to bash it right away..
any reason you equate the zzp header the the pacesetter? the build quality on the zzp looks about a million times better man.. just because you had a problem doesnt mean you need to bash it right away..
i have every right to bash ZZP. i have spent more money there than 95% of the people on here. their service is fantastic. as well as the pulley system. i also love my springs.. but the exhaust is sub-par
p.s. i choose not to list all of my mods. just the important ones.. i also have alot of minor mods i purchased from ZZP. i think i will be sticking with HAHN racecraft for all of my future modding needs.
i know that problems are to be expected when modding, but this is rediculous. i do not want to spend any more money on the stock s/c setup. as it is getting me nowhere. I think I'm just gonna park it and drive my s-10 till i get my e-mail.
Last edited by chevysalesman614; 07-18-2007 at 11:34 AM. Reason: Automerged Doublepost
07-18-2007, 11:36 AM
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first off. if you have modified the stock ecm, your car will not pass emissions.
sorry.
it barely got by with the stage 2 stuff, and that was pushing it.
second, contact zoomer, he WILL get it taken care of. unlike some other cobalt parts people, zzp is not like this.
BTW, spending x amount of money with someone means nothing.
i have spent enough with them with my past cars, but that does not mean i will get better service then anyone else.
customer service is customer service.
sorry.
it barely got by with the stage 2 stuff, and that was pushing it.
second, contact zoomer, he WILL get it taken care of. unlike some other cobalt parts people, zzp is not like this.
BTW, spending x amount of money with someone means nothing.
i have spent enough with them with my past cars, but that does not mean i will get better service then anyone else.
customer service is customer service.