Catalytic Converter Theft / Help

Hi,

It's exploded recent years, and they finally got me. Heads up, if you own a post 2001 s85 Hijet or Piaggio Porter, you're apparently a high target, due to the amount of metals in the daihatsu cats from those years.

Pre 2001, the cats were euro2, so not attractive to those retard thieves. I'm UK based, so you may have different emission standard names in US, Australia, etc ,

Long waiting list for Piaggio original parts, as they only produce a small replacement batch once a year. I have got a euro4 certified aftermarket replacement and new muffler instead, that is much cheaper, but you have hassle of registering vehicle modification and sending off detailed MOT emissions test and you STILL may get a DVLA emission center test later on, as it's not original manufacturer part. I'll be a good boy and play by the rules.

So anyway, I have a lambda oxygen sensor plug at the bottom of the cat, and a second one on the muffler. I thought this was the upstream and downstream sensors. But I noticed there is also an oxygen sensor right before the cat, on the exhaust manifold connection to the engine. I also only seem to have one oxygen cable connector hanging under the van.

The manual suggests there are oxygen connectors on the cat and the exhaust muffler.

Anyone got any pictures underneath their euro4 post 2001 s85 hijet or (better) 2001-2010 Piaggio Porter, so I can figure it out? Obviously my whole exhaust system has gone now, and the manual is not clear. Below is a picture of original part from mondoporter, you can see an O2 plug, but the exhaust back box also has an 02 plug. Does the manifold sensor do something else? It will be right next to the cat sensor, doing the same thing? The muffler O2 sensor makes sense, after the cat. Or do I fit the cat with sensor before muffler, and block off muffler sensor with the screw cap?

Sorry for long post. This is increasing, and I'll update how I get through this, to help others out.

Thanks

Sorry to hear you experienced this, lowlifes are everywhere

I could get some pics under my '08 Porter if it ever stops raining - exactly what do you want to see?

PFM wrote:Sorry to hear you experienced this, lowlifes are everywhere

I could get some pics under my '08 Porter if it ever stops raining - exactly what do you want to see?

Hi,

Fantastic! I am a 2007 Porter.

I'm looking for O2 sensors to the exhaust. The way cats work is by monitoring the oxygen levels before and after the cat. So I'm looking for cable connections around the cat - or just before the muffler box.

The porter part shown in the above post has the sensor plug on the cat, and the manual has it that way, but I don't ever remember seeing it on the cat. I think I had one connection on the manifold (still there), that's the bit of the engine that the cat and whole exhaust connects to, coming off the engine itself, before the exhaust underneath - then one just before the muffler back box.

This is what an O2 sensor looks like. It will have wires leading up to the van floor or engine bay, with a connector at the other end. Wherever they are, there will be two plugs with cables underneath your van, connected somewhere on the exhaust system.

Thanks ever so much.

This is where I think you'll find one of the O2 sensors - after the cat converter, on the muffler itself, with cables going up to a plate on the van floor. I think the other O2 sensor will be coming off the part of the exhaust directly coming off the engine, so the cat itself will not have any O2 sensors at all.

It might be dry tomorrow. Am I right in thinking you need to know if I have a sensor in the rear box (I think so) and another in the cat (not sure) as well as the one in the manifold?

PFM wrote:It might be dry tomorrow. Am I right in thinking you need to know if I have a sensor in the rear box (I think so) and another in the cat (not sure) as well as the one in the manifold?

Hi,

Yes, that's it.

But I think you may not find a plug and cable into the Cat, even though the manual says there is. I don't ever remember seeing one, but maybe there are three in total. You can let me know.

Unless it's possible the exhaust doesn't use it's screw plug connection. Maybe it's an optional thing. You can block them with a screw cap, in case you don't see a plug and lead to the muffler. Then a cat plug would be used, as there has to be at least one connection before and after the cat body.

Thanks again.

Here's my manifold (yes, I know I have a slight oil leak) showing the sensor:

This is the cat, I couldn't even see a take-off for a sensor.

Here is the rear box, you can see the cable coming in to the inlet pipe.

From underneath:


Maybe their corresponding aftermarket rear silencer does not have the spigot for a sensor?

Just looked at the manual - page CO-EM 62 shows the same as my van, so it looks like your cat may not be as compatible as it should be.

PFM wrote:Just looked at the manual - page CO-EM 62 shows the same as my van, so it looks like your cat may not be as compatible as it should be.

Hi,

Thanks so much for that.

This looks identical to my van, and how I remember the cat (as not having a sensor plug - downstream sensor coming off the pipe attaching to the backbox).

The cat I have has a screw cap in the sensor, if you don't want to use it. The exhaust back has a sensor in the same place you show. The manifold exhaust sensor is still there, same place you showed.

What confused me was that the Piaggio original cat shown above has a sensor plug, and my daihatsu manual downloaded showed a cat and exhaust connection, but no manifold sensor. You only need two sensors, either way, anywhere before and after the cat.

So I can crack on now by ignoring the cat connector, using the other two.

Any certified universal euro 4 cat should work (some say odbII compatible too, but if you're not using the plug on the cat and only the ones on the manifold and exhaust pipe, that shouldn't make a difference).

Strictly, you are supposed to register a vehicle modification if it's not a manufacturer replacement, but I've seen people say they've just done it anyway. As long as it's euro4 certified, it will pass emission testing on MOT.

I'll post up the process for anyone else. Exhaust back boxes are available, cats are difficult to get unless you buy the (cheaper) universal ones and weld flanges to them.

Cat converters are approaching 50% of all insurance claims now, from 1% a decade ago. It's getting worse. The losers have started taking EV batteries too now. The Police aren't bothered anymore. We're on our own now, but hopefully I can make this as easy as possible to know what to do. Cat locks will deter or seriously slow them down, parking with the passenger/nearside out to the road (so cat side is not by pavement, try to park in busy areas near people, houses, shops, etc. All you can do.

Thanks for the help.

Happy to help. As a matter of interest, where did you get your back box from? Had mine welded up a while ago as new ones were north of £250 at the time.

PFM wrote:Happy to help. As a matter of interest, where did you get your back box from? Had mine welded up a while ago as new ones were north of £250 at the time.

eBay.

And I did pay £245. Ouch. I had thought about buying a new exhaust a year earlier - there were a few for £105 on eBay, but I thought I'd leave it, as my exhaust wasn't that bad yet.

Now I had to just bite the bullet.

I've seen them pretty easy to get on AliExpress for the £100-150 mark, if you don't mind a long shipping wait. And you may get a 20% customs charge from China shipped goods - sometimes they do, sometimes they get don't.

They seem to still make a lot of them in the East, and you'll see them also appear on eBay from time to time in batches, at that price. Just keep checking regularly. But they sell quickly .
Cheers.

Hi,

Just an update - I finally got around to my annual vehicle test (UK MOT), and the van passed.

The cat I used was the JMJ10METS-50-E4 JMJ I, shipped from Germany, around £140 GBP, plus £60 welding flanges. Comes without flanges, picture attached.

You can get a really cheap pre-2001 Hijet cat on eBay for £70 or so, but it's euro2, so will fail emissions on later models (like my euro4 Piaggio).
You can also buy that other, expensive, well known after market German brand (can't remember name now), but I was quoted around £400. They are apparently as good as the original part, so you pay for what you get.

My cat just passed emissions testing for euro 4 standards, and I know these cheap cats only have a useful life of a few years. But I'd rather replace a cheap cat every few years, than worry about thieves all the time. They don't apparently bother with the cheap after market cats. The original part is closer to euro 5 standards, so there is a gap in quality, but it meets testing standards, so I'm happy.

Hope this is useful for anyone out there. Relief that I didn't have to write off my van for a cat theft, especially as the van still meets our UK EULEZ standards, so has useful life left in her.

Glad to hear you got a pass. Did you see that van back boxes are now on ebay for £110? I have one on the way to me.

PFM wrote:Glad to hear you got a pass. Did you see that van back boxes are now on ebay for £110? I have one on the way to me.

They do come up from time to time at that price, and sell out quick.

You did the right thing - you have to buy one as soon as they appear.

Back box arrived swiftly from Regis Exhausts' Ebay page. Well packaged, made by GT exhausts, and a perfect fit.