1996 toyota camry needs a new catalytic converter..need help!?

Question

Had my toyota camry with 121,000 miles checked out at a toyota dealership for having a check engine light on.
I found out I need a new catalytic converter. The toyota dealership said it will cost $1000 for the cat. converter and labor. The car is only worth $3,000! They told me to leave it alone since the engine runs great and it wont ruin the engine. The said the main job of the cat converter is to cut down on emissions. They said a bad converter wont harm the engine. Is that true? I love my car.
Florida doesnt have emissions tests they said dont worry about fixing it.
I still want to fix it. I want my car running perfect. That darn check engine light annoys me.. Where can I get a cat. converter for cheap? Junk yard? Toytota told me not to put a aftermarket converter on because it may screw things up. I can do it myself if I can find the part for cheap.

Please help.

thanks.

Answer 1

You can get a catalytic converter from Meineke with 5 year warranty or one on the internet a lot cheaper than $1000.00. The dealer is just trying to squeeze money out of you. I am not sure whether or not an aftermarket catalytic converter will work as one of the other answers pointed out. The OBD II system may prevent the use of an aftermarket catalytic converter, however, the system can be reprogrammed to accomodate performanc options. To keep things simple though, you can get a direct fit catalytic converter that would require no cutting and welding and can just be bolted on.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Catalytic-Converter-Toyota-Camry-2-2L-1994-1995-1996_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQcategoryZ33629QQihZ014QQitemZ330164340847QQrdZ1QQsspagenameZWDVW
http://store.summitracing.com/egnsearch.asp?N=700+303153+4294907680+4294907679+115+4294924746

The price ranges from $147on ebay to $160 at summitracing. If you would like to get a used catalytic converter with low miles you can call US Auto Parts in Hialeah, FL. I recommend them because I have gotten many replacement parts for my Toyota from them including a catalytic converter. Their number is 1 800 878 0212 or 305 687 8353.
Another thing you should check out is the oxygen sensors on your Camry. Sometimes the sensors go bad and cause the engine to be over fueled and this can cause damage to the catalytic converter. Make sure the O2 sensors are good before you install the new catalytic converter. If the new converter goes bad, whoever you buy the converter from will try to blame it on your O2 sensors so that they can then claim that the failure is not covered by the warranty. Better to check the sensors and save yourself a lot of aggravation later on. Good Luck

Answer 2

This Site Might Help You.

RE:
1996 toyota camry needs a new catalytic converter..need help!?
Had my toyota camry with 121,000 miles checked out at a toyota dealership for having a check engine light on.
I found out I need a new catalytic converter. The toyota dealership said it will cost $1000 for the cat. converter and labor. The car is only worth $3,000! They told me to leave it alone...

Answer 3

What the dealership has told you is basically true. A bad catalytic converter (as long as it's not clogged) won't do any harm to your engine. It will just give you at annoying light.

Parts from the Junk yard will have the same problem your current catalytic converter has, but most after market parts, except for the O2 sensors seem to work fine for me on my Toyotas.

Answer 4

I would start with the cheapest part first. O2 sensors for your car start at $80.00. I do not recall if your car has 1 or 2 of them. I am thinking it has 2. A pre cat sensors and a post cat sensor. after replacing them, if you still have an MIL then you need to replace the Cat. the post O2 is receiving information that is putting it out of spec. the Sears mechanic lied to you in saying it's not hurting anything. It's hurting your gas mileage as well as causing your car to not run as clean emission whys as it should. This is something that should be addressed very quickly if you want to get the maximum miles per gallon out of your car. It is true that most cats are spent after 100K and should be replaced. most Catalytic manufactures even say to get optimum performance out of the cat they should be replaced every 60K. I personally say leave it tell you need it. but there is a chance it is bad. start with the o2's and see if the MIL (Check engine light) goes out. If not save your money and get a new cat.

Answer 5

Go aftermarket on the cat if you decide to replace it. Those shouldn't cost you more than $350 (worst case scenario). Here in California, we do have to worry about catalytic converters and most people just buy aftermarket. They're just as reliable.

Answer 6

since your car is a 1996 it has a different monitoring system called OBDII its a new standard for emissions and comunications , installing an aftermarket catalitic converter in an OBDII compliant car its illegal and most muffler shops wil refuse to install one of them , the check engine light will no go out becouse the system will read an out of parameter reading and will trow a check engine light ,your best bet is to get a low mileage catalitic converter from a junkyard, look for one that already has been changed , remember must be 1996 and up,

Answer 7

a simple way would be to check out summitracing.com and find the right one for you car...you should be able to pick it up for about $75 and take it to an exaust shop and they can put it on.....as far as that goes though i wouldnt worry about it as this will not harm your car at all

Answer 8

get the aftermarket cat and have it installed at a local muffler shop. I have never had a problem with the after market cats

Answer 9

Listen to your dealer, but maybe ask them to disable the light if it bothers you, or spend $1000 to replace the cat new. Any cat you find in a junkyard will be clapped out and useless.