Isuzu Trooper - De Cat?

[blueST]

The exhaust has just broken on my mates 2000ish 3.0 Trooper at the catalytic converter. This car is run on a shoestring, and he just wants it sorted to pass the MOT. Will replacing the cat with a cheaper de-cat pipe be MOT compliant? Is it likely to cause any other running problems?

[226bhp]

It will probably run ok, but it won't pass an MOT without a Cat.

[blueST]

Since I posted that, I got some advice directly from an MOT tester. I am told that, pre Feb this year it would have been fine to use de-cat, but they now check that a cat is present if one was fitted from new. They don't check it's functionality though, it's a visual inspection only.

[mk2 24v]

There's also nowt to tell us MoT testers what had a cat or DPF fitted as standard or not

So if the de-cat pipe looks like a factory replacement pipe from an earlier model, I can't see it being much of a problem

[lexusboy]

Tricky one this considering we don't know everything, if it was broken and leaking badly I highly doubt it would've gone through an emissions test so that will be retested as well so with a decat it will not pass emissions again I would guess

[ssray]

Can you not gut the cat and have it repaired? worked on mine

[blueST]

lexusboy said:

Tricky one this considering we don't know everything, if it was broken and leaking badly I highly doubt it would've gone through an emissions test so that will be retested as well so with a decat it will not pass emissions again I would guess

The flange has broken off the end, so the exhaust was in two pieces, hence the need for a replacement. As I understand it there is no emission test for this car, just a smoke check. So, as long as a cat is present and the exhaust is in good nick, it wouldve passed. No check is done to see if the cat is working.

As said above, it might sneak through with a decat, if the tester doesn't realise this model should have had a cat, but they could well fail it. New cat it is.

[blueST]

ssray said:

Can you not gut the cat and have it repaired? worked on mine

No solid metal to reattach the flange to. We did think about it. I suppose we could have mucked about welding new bits of pipe, but my welder (Dad) had got a bit on so not quick.