3rd Gen Protege Catalytic Converters Interchangeable?

[Protege25]

Hi mates,

new to the forum here. I have a 2002 P5 with the infamous rotted front cat. Unfortunately, being in Cali doesn't help as the smog issues are as strict as ever. I think it's absurd that the oem parts from the dealers are priced the way they are. I was quoted $1000 for a new one, and thought it was ridiculous. The auto industry is becoming a dictatorship of a monoply here on the west coast. Have been researching like crazy, and with a good head on my shoulders, I'm sure I can find some used oem cats that are still passable. So I researched on here, and got pretty close to the answer I wanted. However, after looking through all the info I've read, I wanted to confirm a few things.

1. Are all the 3rd generation Protege/P5 front cats compatible (99-03 Protege & 02-03 Protege5)?

I've been on the mazda dealer sites. Under application fits, I've seen the cats listed under all the 3rd gen Proteges.
However, I've seen two different part numbers listed according to the liters; 1.6L, 1.8L and 2.0L. I've even seen them listed differently under the transmission of the car, which I thought was odd since the transmission has nothing to do with the cat.

I've looked head over heels, and have found some cats, but from different Protege models. If indeed, the cats are direct replacements, I'd be happy to snag one then give Mazda $1000 I don't have. Thanks for all the help guys and gals!

BTW, car is going over a complete combustion makeover. New 02 sensors, new coil packs, new spark plug wires etc...

 

[tweety2300]

Not sure if you can get away with it in Cali but look into the non fouler trick. But at the very least all 2.0 protgs should use the same precat

 

[Protege25]

Not sure if you can get away with it in Cali but look into the non fouler trick. But at the very least all 2.0 protgs should use the same precat

Thanks for the reply. The non fouler trick won't work here in Cali. Plus it's not something I wanna do, given the health of the car at the moment. That's a bummer. Found a nice looking precat from a 2001 1.6L Protege...

 

[njaremka]

not 100% sure, but i think you need to have one from a 2.0l vehicle. i don't think the 1.6 and 1.8 models are interchangeable with the 2.0l

 

[rit14623]

Have you checked rockauto.com for OEM replacement pre-cat or autopartswarehouse.com for magnaflow pre-cat. They are around $300 plus you'll need to get gaskets which should be around $5 to $10.
Is the california-only pre-cat different?

 

[Protege25]

Have you checked rockauto.com for OEM replacement pre-cat or autopartswarehouse.com for magnaflow pre-cat. They are around $300 plus you'll need to get gaskets which should be around $5 to $10.
Is the california-only pre-cat different?

Major legal restrictions. No aftermarket cats are approved to go into California. Only OEM parts from the dealer. Or you'd have to buy a used one off of someone, which makes it hard because nobody in Cali is willing to sell a good stock cat converter. Thanks for the input. Much appreciated. It's so confusing how they list all the parts on the catalogs and at the dealer sites.

If anyone knows someone willing to sell their stock cat, I'd be interested in buying it. My car's CEL is flashing and I've stopped driving it until a full tuneup. She's an amazing car though. One of the best I've had up to date.

 

[CTt3P5]

Damn, that really sux. You might get lucky and find someone who has a stock one laying around. Have you checked any junk yards?

 

[Protege25]

Damn, that really sux. You might get lucky and find someone who has a stock one laying around. Have you checked any junk yards?

It is mandatory by law that all junkyards in California take out catalytic converters, and are not able to sell them. They want us to run good working catalytic converters, but don't even give us the chance to acquire one when necessary.

 

[tweety2300]

What you can do is buy one used here on the forum and have it shipped, no one would know

 

[rit14623]

Magnaflow makes CA-only catalytic converters. www.magnaflow.com
I don't know if they'll be cheaper.

 

[Protege25]

Magnaflow makes CA-only catalytic converters. www.magnaflow.com
I don't know if they'll be cheaper.

Thanks for the link. I got to the point where it said there were 15 available, but couldn't get to the buying process. It only lead to distributors, and nothing listed for the car after...

 

[CTt3P5]

Wow...bad deal about the junk yards.

Ok, so you got to the link where it listed number available so you got the part #454031? If so, I plugged it into Summit Racing's site and got this. No pic to verify from but the part # is the same. Might be worth calling them to verify? http://www.summitracing.com/parts/mpe-454031

 

[Protege25]

Wow...bad deal about the junk yards.

Ok, so you got to the link where it listed number available so you got the part #454031? If so, I plugged it into Summit Racing's site and got this. No pic to verify from but the part # is the same. Might be worth calling them to verify? http://www.summitracing.com/parts/mpe-454031

Thanks a ton! Looks like it might be legit. I'll hold out for a while to see if I can pick up a cat on here. If not, that's my second move. Really appreciate all the help guys. I am a member on numerous car forums, and the community here is on it's own scale. Thanks, all.

 

[ilparadosso]

Major legal restrictions. No aftermarket cats are approved to go into California. Only OEM parts from the dealer. Or you'd have to buy a used one off of someone, which makes it hard because nobody in Cali is willing to sell a good stock cat converter. Thanks for the input. Much appreciated. It's so confusing how they list all the parts on the catalogs and at the dealer sites.

If anyone knows someone willing to sell their stock cat, I'd be interested in buying it. My car's CEL is flashing and I've stopped driving it until a full tuneup. She's an amazing car though. One of the best I've had up to date.

There are two aftermarket cats available in Ca. Magnaflow just put one out on the market last month (Part #454031)
http://www.magnaflow.com/02catalytic_converters/02product/displaydirectfit_obd.asp?directfit=454031
which may not be available through normal distributors. Walker also has one (Part #82578 ) http://catalog.walkerexhaust.com/catalogPart/walkerPartSearchFromQuickLink.do?locale=en&methodName=initialiseWalker&partNumber=82578#
which is also not available through normal distributors. None of the auto parts stores (NAPA, AutoZone, O'Reilly, etc...) will sell them. You have to go through an independent muffler shop, many of whom won't install them. After lots of research, I ended up going with the OEM one from onlinemazdaparts.com. It was $832.31 shipped +$17.99 for the upper gasket, $7.77 for the lower gasket. Everyone I talked to said that the OEM cat has more catalyst in it and will last MUCH longer. The aftermarket ones will only last about 4 years. In terms of the out of state cats, they will not match your VIN and cannot be sold in CA. Believe me, I tried to find a way around it, but ended up just biting the bullet. And, yes, CARB and the CA DMV etc.. SUCK!!!

 

[Installshield 2]

I'm almost positive you'll need a pre-cat from a 2.0L 3rd gen...The 1.6L and even the 1.8L have shorter deck heights, which if using the same 2.0L exhaust manifold and pre-cat would mount the down pipe way to close to the ground on those cars...it is possible that only the stock manifold is different, and the pre-cats themselves are identical...but i highly doubt it...

 

[Protege25]

There are two aftermarket cats available in Ca. Magnaflow just put one out on the market last month (Part #454031)
http://www.magnaflow.com/02catalytic_converters/02product/displaydirectfit_obd.asp?directfit=454031
which may not be available through normal distributors. Walker also has one (Part #82578 ) http://catalog.walkerexhaust.com/catalogPart/walkerPartSearchFromQuickLink.do?locale=en&methodName=initialiseWalker&partNumber=82578#
which is also not available through normal distributors. None of the auto parts stores (NAPA, AutoZone, O'Reilly, etc...) will sell them. You have to go through an independent muffler shop, many of whom won't install them. After lots of research, I ended up going with the OEM one from onlinemazdaparts.com. It was $832.31 shipped +$17.99 for the upper gasket, $7.77 for the lower gasket. Everyone I talked to said that the OEM cat has more catalyst in it and will last MUCH longer. The aftermarket ones will only last about 4 years. In terms of the out of state cats, they will not match your VIN and cannot be sold in CA. Believe me, I tried to find a way around it, but ended up just biting the bullet. And, yes, CARB and the CA DMV etc.. SUCK!!!

That's great information. I've never had a car older than a 98 until the P5. Do they actually check all VINs for all parts during smog testing?

 

[ilparadosso]

That's great information. I've never had a car older than a 98 until the P5. Do they actually check all VINs for all parts during smog testing?

No, they don't check the VIN, but you cannot get one here unless you go out of state to pick it up or get a used one. I had no luck getting a used one, and like I said, the normal parts stores won't even sell them. When you order from a dealership, the want your VIN to make sure you get the actual OEM part. They don't want to be held responsible for a part not fitting. The lame thing is that the out of state aftermarket ones are about $200 and the CARB aftermarket ones are in the $400 range. Not worth it in my opinion.

 

[lostmybook]

Feel you about CA laws in this... Sidenote: for such an environmentally "concerned" state, it's rather difficult to find the purported hazardous waste facilities here to get rid of ones coolant v but I digress.

I'm here to propose another option. Talk to the mazdaspeed protege people and try to buy their mid pipe, which has both cats in the pipe. Delete or gut your precat, extend your secondary o2 sensor, install the midpipe, and pass smog. I did this 2 weeks ago. The caviat is that one if the cats sits on the cross member, causing some vibration. I ended up taking it out after I passed.

Little more involved, but I got a midpipe on here for under a hundred bucks.