Parts stolen, exhaust question.

[ctruss53]

Ok, some gutless little shit decided to steal my catalytic converter today while I was at work. Right in the parking lot at work in the middle of the day, they came and cut it out with a saws all.

The exhaust was cut right behind the firewall where the exhaust turns to go into the cat. and it was cut in the rear about 12" in front of the muffler.

Anyways. I have some questions regarding this.....

First off, I have a 2000 4Runner Limeted, 3.4L V6, Auto trans, 4WD, and it is NOT California emmissions.

I can't find any diagrams for the exhaust system online. So here is what I want to know.

Was there an oxygen sensor back there in that portion of the exhaust that got pulled out as well?

Where are the O2 sensors on this truck? I am concerned they may have ripped one out.

Where is the best place for replacement parts? The OEM Toyota cat appears to cost $1300. Thats a bunch of BS right there.

Thanks

 

[kball]

You can get a Walker replacement pretty cheap but I hear their quality is poor these days. You should have two sensors down there one right before the cat and one after. If you don't see any they took them both.

 

[ctruss53]

Crap!

I'm more worried about the wiring than the sensors. If they cut the exhaust then they either ripped out or cut the wires.

Great.

Are there any other O2 sensors, like on the exhaust manifolds or cross pipe? Or are they only down there?

 

[JohnsD90]

Crap!

I'm more worried about the wiring than the sensors. If they cut the exhaust then they either ripped out or cut the wires.

Great.

Are there any other O2 sensors, like on the exhaust manifolds or cross pipe? Or are they only down there?

One before the Cat, one after the Cat.

 

[ctruss53]

Thanks for the info.

So to repair this to OE I need the cat, the pipe before it and after it, 2 O2 sensors, possibly some wiring work, and all the misc gaskets and hardware involved.

I'll be talking to the insurance company about this in the morning.

 

[murderface]

Insurance company is the way to go

 

[bitchaaz]

A new 5th Gen is the way to go

Fixed

 

[hrt4me]

what's the best way to prevent this... Cat Clamp? or are there any skid plates which fully enclose the catalytic converter to make it much more difficult to steal?

 

[nissanh]

what's the best way to prevent this... Cat Clamp? or are there any skid plates which fully enclose the catalytic converter to make it much more difficult to steal?

They will cut your truck in half and still get the cat out. Then you not only lose cat, you lost your truck too. $1300? Wow!

 

[Millerad1651]

Get money from insurance, buy a magnaflow cat, have an exhaust shop weld it in, along with the O2 sensors. I've had that setup for over a year and no problems. Plus, you'll walk away with some extra cash.

Only thing I can think of to prevent this is a steel plate over it...I've heard those cat clamps don't prevent, just make it longer for them to get it.

 

[ctruss53]

Here is the final info.....

I took it to the dealer for the insurance quote and now I am waiting for the check.

The parts that need replacing are:
The downpipe/cat - 1660.00
Pipe/muffler - 500.00
Gaskets and hardware - 30.00
Both O2 sensors - 320.00
wiring harness repair and O2 plugs - 200.00

Total repair bill 3200.00

Holy shit!

I have to pay my deductable, $500, my insurance company is paying the rest.

I am going to fabricate a guard the prevent future theft. I'm even going to ask my insurance company to pay me back for the guard once I have it done.

 

[robb1887]

Info I came across in another thread (Recent Savage Skid Plates thread) is that putting a "Skid" plate ("guard" in your case) over the can cause excessive heat build up and cause the tranny to run hotter... just something to consider when designing whatever you're putting up there.

 

[ctruss53]

I thought of that. My guard would likely be made of square tubing and be more of a cage than a skid plate.

I have plenty of 1x1 and 1x2 in the shop. I will probably even go get some solid stuff as well.

 

[ctruss53]

The insurance dance has begun.

They don't want to pay the repair bill and are sending a damage adjustor out to inspect the truck. Now I have to wait two more business days for him to come out when they could have sent him out last week.

 

[mikebontoft]

take the money and head to a muffler shop. seriously.

A magnaflow cat is maybe $100, then they just have to cut and weld some tubing and install two 02 sensor bungs. They'll have to get two universal o2 sensors and wire em up since the thief cut the wires. You'll be good to go.

If you don't like the idea of that, just think of this: my way will cost somewhere right around your deductible.

your truck is worth what, maybe $8k? dealer wants 40% of the value of your truck to fix something that should be a $500 job?

so... pay the deductible, get $3k cash to spend on upgrades and possibly an increased rate, or just pay out of pocket from a shop.

Do yourself a favor, at least get a quote from a muffler shop, please?

 

[ctruss53]

It's not that I am against universal aftermarket parts. My thinking here is if I have to pay up to $500 anyways, why not get the most for my money and get the $3400 dealer repair.

If I go Magnaflo I'll just end up paying for the whole repair.

 

[mikebontoft]

because what you do is pay the deductible, get the check and pay the $500 for universal parts and have $2900 left over.

It's just a matter of what the adjuster says the company should pay.

edit: guess I should do my math better lol. $2400 left over. It's not fraud either, as once they determine your payout that's it. Just don't shoot yourself in the foot and give them the muffler shop quote. You still have some left over.

it also won't suck as much if the cat gets stolen again.