Well, you are mistaken. Outside air can enter and interfere with the converter and sensor... |  |  |
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| Bolt into bottom of stock headers on the '02 S? DFW02S - Friday, 11 February, 2011, at 12:28:47 am |
| The bolt you speak of at the collection point is at the converter. That large cylinder is the.... MarcW - Friday, 11 February, 2011, at 2:08:49 pm |
| Re: The bolt you speak of at the collection point is at the converter. That large cylinder is the.... DFW02S - Friday, 11 February, 2011, at 3:17:14 pm |
| Fear's a good motivator: A replacement converter is over $1000. Do you feel lucky?... MarcW - Friday, 11 February, 2011, at 5:39:55 pm |
Even if no damage occurs if the hole opens into the converter this will allow outside air into the converter this presence of air (cooler and its oxygen content) will compromise the converter's abilty to properly process exhaust gases and the #2 O2 sensors's functionality. The DME will almost certainly note this and attempt to modify the fueling to bring the converter's peformance back into spec. The engine's fueling becomes subpar and performance can drop off, gas mileage can deterioriate. Then a check engine light comes on.
Sincerely,
MarcW.
Sincerely,
MarcW.
| Re: Fear's a good motivator: A replacement converter is over $1000. Do you feel lucky?... DFW02S - Friday, 11 February, 2011, at 7:34:38 pm |
I'm not certain we're talking about the same thing.
It seems to me that as soon as the engine is started, you have enough positive pressure at that point that nothing will enter. Even when you let off the gas the pressure will still force exhaust out of that hole.
To me it looks like an integral part of the stock header, as if they intended putting an O2 sensor there, but didn't.
I'll get under there tomorrow and look again.
It seems to me that as soon as the engine is started, you have enough positive pressure at that point that nothing will enter. Even when you let off the gas the pressure will still force exhaust out of that hole.
To me it looks like an integral part of the stock header, as if they intended putting an O2 sensor there, but didn't.
I'll get under there tomorrow and look again.
| Well, you are mistaken. Outside air can enter and interfere with the converter and sensor... MarcW - Friday, 11 February, 2011, at 7:54:07 pm |
operation.
Remember: Automakers don't put unneeded parts on a car. If the part is there, if the bolt is there, it is needed, if only to block the hole that was intended to be used by something else.
Probably not an O2 sensor cause the sensor either wants to be right at where the exhaust pipes from the head join (to ensure it is bathed in fresh/hot exhaust gases) or after the converter to measure the oxygen content of the exhaust gases to determine if the converter is functioning properly. Putting a sensor in the middle of a converter to my knowledge makes no sense.
Anyhow, a part that is not needed doesn't need to be made, and documented and stocked/warehoused, That the bolt is there means it serves an important function to warrant its cost.
Added: I recognize it is your car though and you can of course choose to ignore my advice/counsel. I would strongly urge you to leave the bolt alone but if you want to remove it and see what happens well, it is your car. And I may be wrong and nothing will happen. But given the potential for problems and expensive ones to fix should a converter be damaged, I can't see the risk is worth the slight potential gain. It is a small hole and even if you removed the bolt and the world didn't end I can't see how it could make any measureable improvement in the car's exhaust function. I suspect even if nothing untoward happened you'd be driven slightly crazy by the noise arising from what I believe would a self-inflicted exhaust leak.
Sincerely,
MarcW.
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/11/2011 07:58PM by MarcW. (view changes)
Remember: Automakers don't put unneeded parts on a car. If the part is there, if the bolt is there, it is needed, if only to block the hole that was intended to be used by something else.
Probably not an O2 sensor cause the sensor either wants to be right at where the exhaust pipes from the head join (to ensure it is bathed in fresh/hot exhaust gases) or after the converter to measure the oxygen content of the exhaust gases to determine if the converter is functioning properly. Putting a sensor in the middle of a converter to my knowledge makes no sense.
Anyhow, a part that is not needed doesn't need to be made, and documented and stocked/warehoused, That the bolt is there means it serves an important function to warrant its cost.
Added: I recognize it is your car though and you can of course choose to ignore my advice/counsel. I would strongly urge you to leave the bolt alone but if you want to remove it and see what happens well, it is your car. And I may be wrong and nothing will happen. But given the potential for problems and expensive ones to fix should a converter be damaged, I can't see the risk is worth the slight potential gain. It is a small hole and even if you removed the bolt and the world didn't end I can't see how it could make any measureable improvement in the car's exhaust function. I suspect even if nothing untoward happened you'd be driven slightly crazy by the noise arising from what I believe would a self-inflicted exhaust leak.
Sincerely,
MarcW.
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/11/2011 07:58PM by MarcW. (view changes)
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