Cel fix?

[Tonyespo]

Ok. To start I have an 05 Mazda 3 and I installed an obx header and downpipe. I knew this would cause my engine light to come on because it would remove the first cat, but now I can get an inspection sticker, is there a way to fix this w/o reinstalling the stock header? Could I place a high flow cat where the down pipe is or does that just not work? Any help would be greatly appreciated

 

[flatlander937]

I don't know what your state's requirements are... but when I was a state inspector in VA they have to physically be there... I didn't live in an area that did smog checks, but in northern VA I know they had the sniffer test so you need a cat to pass that, the CEL cannot be on(and all of the emissions checks have to have been completed... usually takes a few hundred miles to run all the self tests after you clear the CEL. They are the O2 readiness monitors, O2 heater monitor, catalytic monitor, EVAP leak test, and one or two more which I can't remember off the top of my head).

Best bet is to move. Or reinstall your old header w/ cat.

I googled a quick link for you about the readiness monitors that looks mostly correct to me... I'm not about to try and type out everything here myself:

http://www.aa1car.com/library/ic10224.htm

There is no legal way around it AFAIK... cat needs to be in the stock location to be technically legal, though I have no way of knowing how lenient your state is on the inspection process. Your O2 sensors need to go before and after the cat like they normally would... with the pre-cat O2 sensors as close to the engine as possible or else they will not heat up in time and/or read slightly incorrectly and monitors won't successfully complete and you'll still be SOL.