Wow! I'm glad I'm not the only one. While inspecting my cat a few weeks
ago, I saw that it was clean as a whistle inside! Just an empty can. I had
thought that the P.O. did a great job at reaming it out. That explains it.

Ed

At 09:35 AM 10/15/2001 -0400, Gary Stearns wrote:
>Depends on why you're asking.  If your cat is OK, it's unlikely
>you'll  see additional power, just additional noise.  If your cat is
>plugged, take it off, smash out the guts and reinstall it empty.  I know
>that this seems anti-environmental, but get this:  VW delivered lots of
>Vanagons with empty catalytic converters. Seems that they had designed the
>U.S. exhaust to comply with California emissions specs. which required the
>cat.  The rest of the country didn't need the cat to comply (something to
>do with classification as a light truck).  Rather than redesign the
>exhaust and have two systems, VW just installed empty cats on the Fed
>spec. Vanagons.  Ours was one of those.  No sign of having been reamed
>out.  No guts were ever in there!  If you get emission inspected where you
>are, just be sure that your engine is in good tune.  The cat could make a
>poorly running engine look clean to an exhaust gas analyser.
>
>Gary
>-------Original Message-------
>
>From: <mailto:jermide@HOTMAIL.COM>Jermide
>Date: Sunday, October 14, 2001 11:21:18 PM
>To: <mailto:vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM>vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
>Subject: Removal of cat converter
>
>How many out there have removed their catalytic converter? Any major
>disadvantage beyond environmental concerns?
>
>Just curious.
>
>Thanks,
>Jeremy
>85 GL
>
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Ed Shultz
1987 Syncro GL
Photos: http://homepage.mac.com/eshultz/PhotoAlbum.html