Cat replacement v6 4th gen

[Wilcoxzack]

so this is my first post. i have done many many search on this topic and have found a lot of good info that has brought me to where i am now.

Here is my issue...

a few months back my 03 runner v6 4x4 started throwing a P0430 (cat efficiency below threshhold). i did a ton of research and found a lot of info that indicated it COULD be an 02 censor. i decided to bring it to the stealership and have it diagnosed. they diagnosed it as a bad cat. so i did more research and learned it could STILL be a 02 censor plus when i saw the diagnosis from the dealership they had first diagnosed it as a 02 sensor then scribbled it out and changed it to a bad cat (weird) and after hearing all the stories of dealerships trying to take advantage of making more money i thought it really could still just be a sensor. so i decided to say F*** it and pony up on the upstream and downstream 02 sensor. after i put those in and cleared the codes.... 50 miles later it threw the code again.

so first question is.... anything that i forgot to do that could potentially be the problem OTHER then the cat?

i am assuming it is the cat... all signs do point in that direction. so here is my 2nd question...

whats the best way to replace my driver side cat? i know i have 2 on both side but I'm under the impression that just the upstream needs to be replaced. is that true?
also i have heard that if your replacing the full part which included the cat and the header that its a bad idea to go aftermarket, is that true?

is putting in a universal cat that a muffler shop can just weld in the way to go? one shop i called said they can cut out the old cat and weld in a universal but if they do that they have to do it on both sides so that they operate at the sam efficiency.

the quote from the stealership was $2,945. it included more then just the cat.... i will attach a picture of the detailed estimate below. do all these parts really need to get replaced?

and keep in mind that i may be moving to california so whatever my solution is it needs to be 50 state legal.

thanks for your help in advance

 

[Wilcoxzack]

Eassssy....dont everyone comment at once! lol

so i decided to call up a local exhaust shop and have them cut off the old cat and weld in a universal to save money. he suggested i do both sides so they are running at the same efficiency. i took his suggestion.

he charged me $750 for parts and labor which i felt was pretty reasonably priced. got it back two days ago and its not throwing any codes yet. i have put 100 miles on it so far. when i had cleared the codes after doing O2 censors (and a few other things i thought it might be) the lights came back on within 40 miles of clearing them. so i feel pretty good about making it to 100 with no lights.

anyway it looks like the problem may be fixed and even though there is a ton of information about p0430/p0230 vsc trac vsc off on this forum.... it seems that every case is a little different.

in my case it was not the o2 censors, upstream or down, nor was it an exhaust leak between the headers and the cat, nor was it a dirty MAF.... it was the Cat.... just like the code told me it was.

if anything changes i will update.

mahalo

 

[RS Dude]

Aloha Hawaii Five-O Dude

About 3 yrs back my cat was stolen so I replaced it with a Walker Cali spec cat for $180 plus about $30 for local muffler shop to weld it in. Passed Kommiefornia smog test with flying colors. Though the aftermarket cats don't last as long as Toyota cats, they are far cheaper and are not sought by the scum cat thieves because of their lower precious metal content.:bravo: