2008-2016 P3 Volvo XC60 T6 3.0l turbo Catalytic Converter / Down pipe replacement

[@edvorhis4829]

This may be a niche thing but I've looked all over for someone actually doing the job. Thank you for the video it's so helpful🎉

[@PossiblyUsefulAutomobile-mf3ts]

Thanks! I'm glad this you found this video helpful!

[@MuktoPakhi-dm1sc]

@@PossiblyUsefulAutomobile-mf3ts Hi, I am your new subcriber.

[@MsMsmak]

Doing this one handed while filming is pretty amazing.

[@nascarfan78]

Also at 3:40 I advise everyone to be careful. I was pulling on that rubber hose to get it off and the nipple that it is attached to snapped. That was the only problem I encountered with this install. Have to either JB weld it or buy a whole new pipe.

[@nascarfan78]

Thanks for the video! I just removed the downpipe from my 2015.5 T6 Polestar this weekend with the help of this video. I did not have to touch the driveshaft or the bevel gear. I was able to twist the neck of the pipe sideways and slide it out.

[@PossiblyUsefulAutomobile-mf3ts]

Great to hear that it helped! Good to know that the driveshaft doesn’t have to removed in order for the exhaust to come out, will save a good bit of time.

[@vert5]

How did you remove the lower stud near the engine between DP and turbo?

[@vert5]

So for anyone wondering, I went in from the top driver’s side behind the engine with a long extension and wobble sockets. If you’re solo it’ll be a long night of blindly stabbing at it so having a second person under the car guiding it in will be crucial! You won’t remove this bolt rather back it out just enough to remove the DP. The hole on the DP is a slit so you actually use this to support it when putting the other 3 on. Hope this helps anyone.

[@paulmacklin4201]

Very useful video. I will be doing mine in the next few weeks.

[@jeffthresher7026]

This is going to be a huge help for me. Thank you for posting!

[@PossiblyUsefulAutomobile-mf3ts]

I'm really glad this video was helpful! Hopefully your replacement goes smoothly!

[@cscac]

This video was super helpful, but that last (4th) catalyst flange-to-turbo bolt was a nightmare. Took me a couple of hours to get it loose. Had to use all kinds of extensions on my ratchet (won’t fit an impact in that tiny space), then had to wedge the turbo manifold heatshield out of the way, and use a breaker bar to provide leverage on the extension for turning the ratchet. Pro tip - the last catalyst flange hole is slotted, so you only have to loosen the bolt enough to free the catalyst flange. I forced the insulating pad from the firewall heat shield back in place at the end but it was a poor fit.

[@ctfdi]

This was super helpful but not for the cat replacement. I have to fix a cracked air inlet and replace the upstream O2 sensor, and your video gave me good views of those areas before I get into that work. Thanks! 👍

[@PossiblyUsefulAutomobile-mf3ts]

Glad this was useful for you!

[@CowTypeSh]

How hard is the upstream o2 sensor, do you have to remove the downpipe?

[@brianseeley7376]

Thanks for this video! It has been very helpful! I'm done with the removal of the old cat and almost finished with the reinstall. I did have to remove and move the front of the driveshaft to get it out. I may not have HAD to move it, but it made it much easier. My biggest PITA was the stupid bolt in the corner where the downpipes connects to the turbo! It took me forever! Oh, and also all the heat shields! How any do you need?! Lastly, I wasn't 100% sure the cat was bad when I started, but I was pretty sure. When I got the old one out, it sounded like a maraca! Good thing I changed it! Should be able to finish up the install tomorrow. We just got this car and I haven't driven it with a functioning turbo, so it should go much better than it did! Thanks again!

[@PossiblyUsefulAutomobile-mf3ts]

I'm glad this video has been helpful to you! Yeah, the bolts that hold the downpipe to the turbo is annoying.. it doesn't help when you're laying on your engine! As for the heatshield, I wasn't able to reuse the OEM heatshields on my aftermarket downpipe as it didn't have any way to mount it. The aftermarket one that I got did have some heatshields tacked onto it, however they weren't as thick as the OEM one. I did not feel any noticeable difference in heat inside the cabin. Since there is a lot of heatshield material on the car's body, I would say just retain as much OEM heatshield as possible. If it's too much of a hassle, skip it. It sure sounds like the catalytic converter you pulled out was bad, sounds like a lot of the material is starting to fall apart due to it plugging and eventually melting! The new catalytic converter will definitely help the turbo function. It was a pretty big difference when I replaced mine! Hopefully the replacement goes smoothly!

[@erichsh58]

Hi, where did you get the new cat and what did you pay for it? I'm told mine is clogged!

[@brianseeley7376]

@@erichsh58 I got mine from Rockauto. It was pretty much $500 delivered which is over half the factory unit. This was for a 2013 XC60 with the 3.0L turbo. Installation is time consuming and somewhat of a bitch, but doable. Oh, get the factory gaskets as the ones with the replacement cat suck. One last thing. If you do this, the replacement cat only has one mounting point for the cat heatshield where the factory has three. Ours therefore makes a rattling noise which I still need to fix. Good luck!

[@lancechristy2595]

Well done. I’m sending mine over next

[@PossiblyUsefulAutomobile-mf3ts]

Thanks! I really appreciate it!

[@andrewbeddeos8427]

Hi, I just replaced my Volvo’s with an Eastern Catalytic converter along with a new sensor m and I’m still getting a check engine light P0420. Is there something else that can be checked?

[@PossiblyUsefulAutomobile-mf3ts]

Double check for any exhaust leaks, as well as vacuum leaks. Did you replace both upstream & downstream sensors? There is a common vacuum leak for the PCV system you can check here. kzbin.info/www/bejne/jGG1q5l9mZJlhac

[@vert5]

After removing the plate between the engine and ecm, how does one remove the cloth partition? I assume you get to the bottom DP bolt near the engine from above with extensions and swivel?

[@PossiblyUsefulAutomobile-mf3ts]

My car did not have the cloth heatshield installed for some whatever reason. However I believe it runs down pretty far deep and has plastic 10mm clips. Yes I removed that bolt with a 10mm socket on a swivel socket & 3 inch extension. Kind of a PITA! Rest of them with a 10mm wrench.

[@SuperJ213]

After replacing my downstream 02 sensor, trying Cataclean, and also trying the Scotty Kilmer approach of using a gallon of lacquer thinner, I am throwing in the towel and will replace my cat. A Volvo cat would cost me a small fortune to have installed and just doesn't seem worth it. I just ordered a new assembly from IPD (139383), so I'm crossing my fingers. I'll replace the upstream 02 sensor while I'm at it. I'd like to replace my turbo [I'm pretty sure it has failed since I lost a lot of my pick-up-and-go (my 0-60 is over 10 seconds now)], but I don't have the money to do it right now, and the car still drives fine otherwise. I'm debating on doing this job because it's freezing outside and I don't have a lift. I can barely fit under my 2011 S60 when it's on jack stands. This video is super helpful in giving me an idea what I might be getting into, but I'm wondering if it would be worth paying a shop $500-$700 to do the labor.

[@PossiblyUsefulAutomobile-mf3ts]

The catalytic converter that was on the car didn't allow the turbo to spool up due to being plugged & creating a restriction. I think my acceleration before replacing was about the same time as yours. When I replaced it, the turbo spooled a lot quicker and pulled harder. A new cat should allow the exhaust system to 'flow' better. When you're replacing the cat, you can check the turbo for any play. The turbo impeller shouldn't move in and out of the compressor housing. Some side to side is okay. Yeah, removing this catalytic converter is definitely involved, and it doesn't help that it's cold now. I had to climb up and lay across the engine bay to access the bolts on the back of it. If you have a topside creeper, it would make it easier. To me, the biggest PITA was removing the prop shaft/driveshaft. However, I was told by another commenter that the Bevel gear & driveshaft doesn't have to be removed, and the exhaust could be twisted out. It took a weekend to remove & install. I did do this job on jack stands, but your car is a S60, which is lower than an XC60 of course.

[@SuperJ213]

@@PossiblyUsefulAutomobile-mf3ts those are great tips, thanks! Did you find it hard to remove the rusty hardware? I assume some penetrating oil is in order. Side note: my ignition coil blew up (literally) a couple months ago on my 4th cylinder. Ever since then, my car has not had the power it used to. I replaced all the coils and plugs, then the P0420 came along not long after. My buddy pointed out a few years back that my tail pipes are pretty sooty. With that in mind, lately I've been wondering if my air/fuel mixture has been off, and sending more junk into the cat than what is typical. I'll check the air filter again while I'm at.

[@PossiblyUsefulAutomobile-mf3ts]

It wasn't too difficult, the hardware that was rusty was the 6 nuts on the exhaust, none of them snapped and the hardware was reusable, but it certainly didn't come out smoothly. Those are the bolts that definitely need penetrating oil. Also, a lot of the bolts on the Volvo are aluminum. I do feel like an impact wrench does help with removing bolts that are seized in there. Removing them by hand could snap them, however I did not run into any issues with bolts snapping. The ignition coil failure would've caused excess fuel to go into the catalytic converter, damaging it by melting. As mentioned before it would cause a restriction for the exhaust, and therefore the turbo. I would recheck all the grounds for ignition coils as there's a bunch of them, and could cause a hard misfire or bad spark. Did you put ant seize on the spark plugs by any chance? It's not recommended as it could interfere with the ground from the plug to the head. Check your air filter and see if there's any obvious vacuum leaks for the intake, unmetered air would throw off your air fuel ratios. You can also try cleaning the MAF while you're there. Pinhole leaks would have to be found with a smoke machine, or spraying brake cleaner to see if the RPMs fluctuate.

[@SuperJ213]

@@PossiblyUsefulAutomobile-mf3ts I did not use anti-seize on the plugs. I ordered a new cat from IPD, but before I go any further, I'm going to try some things someone else suggested I do, which is to try a smoke test through my vacuum line, and then check vacuum readings...and then go from there with maybe some other options. Regarding the cat from IPD, I'm wondering what to make of it since I see in your video some heat shields that I may or may not be able to reattach after the swap. The new cat assembly does not have any shields, and the cat itself is a little further down than the original cat (maybe a shield isn't needed because of this?).

[@erichsh58]

@@SuperJ213 Yeah, that's what I'm up against. Wondering if a burned-out ignition coil led to the plugged cat on my car.

[@georgehofgren6123]

I have to replace the large cat-back gasket (six bolts). Mine look rotted away. Exhaust itself is fine. Can i just use new bolts? Or are the originals pressed into the cat pipe?

[@PossiblyUsefulAutomobile-mf3ts]

The original exhaust has studs pressed into the cat pipe. They're just like wheel studs pressed into the hub. I would imagine that you can hammer them out and replace them with new bolts & nuts. If the studs survive and don't snap while removing, you could try running a die to clean up threads and put new nuts on them. Up to you though. When I did do my catalytic converter replacement, I received new nuts & bolts and had no issues installing them, and the gasket sealed up good.

[@georgehofgren6123]

@PossiblyUsefulAutomobile-mf3ts THANK YOU SO MUCH! This is exactly what i was wondering... Really appreciate the response (need to replace a blown gasket and the studs are there but not sure if i can reuse the existing threads or need to plan to replace the studs with bolts. Thanks!! 😃

[@blaudp79]

What were the symptoms of the failing catalytic converter? Were you getting a check engine light with an emissions related code or you had a loud rattle during acceleration from low rpm when the engine was warm?

[@PossiblyUsefulAutomobile-mf3ts]

My Volvo had a CEL for P0420 Catalyst low efficiency bank 1. Car ran fine, (albeit I did replace the engine). I did not have a loud rattle during acceleration while the engine was warm. If it is rattling, I would point it more towards a loose heatshield, but it is very possible for the catalytic converter to start falling apart. If the cat has fallen apart, you can smack the exhaust to see if there's anything rattling in there. The catalytic converter that I removed was clogged, it had 198k miles. You could try running a cleaner through it to see if that will help. I thought the car performed fine, but after replacing the catalytic converter, the car's increased performance as noticeable. Turbo spooled faster and pulled harder. There are a couple things you could try doing before replacing the catalytic converter. - Replacing the oil trap / PCV diaphragm. Common problem on this engine. The rubber diaphragm tends to tear causing oil consumption via intake. Easy way to test this is pull the dipstick or oil cap to see if there's any excessive vacuum. I've replaced just the PCV diaphragm with success. Here's a good video. kzbin.info/www/bejne/jGG1q5l9mZJlhac - Replace spark plugs and air filter. - A basic test for the cat is to measure the temperature of the inlet & outlet of the catalytic converter with an IR thermometer. The outlet should be hotter than the inlet. Would be kind of cumbersome though. -If you have a capable scan tool, you can see the voltage out of the downstream O2. If the cat is working the voltage should not fluctuate. The cleaner the engine runs there's less things for the catalytic converter to 'filter' out. Hopefully something here helps you out. Thanks for commenting!

[@SuperJ213]

I got a P0420 code a few months back. Aside from my turbo not functioning well, if at all, my car runs OK. I ordered a new cat today and should have it in a week. I'm not sure if I'll install it myself or have a shop do it. If I had a lift, I would be all in.

[@blaudp79]

@@SuperJ213 I'm also suspecting turbo issues. I have this load rattle once the engine is warm and I accelerate from low RPM while the transmission is still in a higher gear. If I step on it it will rev up and the noise almost goes away. kzbin.info/www/bejne/nIuxlXSVibutiLcsi=9SsRo9BQ_VGHiTp_

[@blaudp79]

@@PossiblyUsefulAutomobile-mf3ts Thanks for the detailed response. The PCV diaphragm has been replaced already. I have recorded the noise in a way that the microphone was mounted inside the engine bay close to the exhaust manifold/turbo: kzbin.info/www/bejne/jJmcZGl9mp2lqrs

[@PossiblyUsefulAutomobile-mf3ts]

It's possible that the rattle is coming from the turbo wastegate. There are two nuts that hold the wastegate closed. One could've possibly backed out causing the wastegate to rattle around. When you're in there make sure all the boost controller lines are in good shape. Not really sure why it would only do it when warm though.

[@timbishop102]

What was the source for replacement part? Found one on Rockauto that looks like the one you had.

[@PossiblyUsefulAutomobile-mf3ts]

Yes it’s the AP eastern unit off Rockauto.

[@erichsh58]

@@PossiblyUsefulAutomobile-mf3ts I'll check this one out.

[@alexsmith3518]

$800 is definitely cheap. I was told by my Volvo dealership that it's a $4,000 job definitely better to get a new car in my opinion on that

[@sterlingwitherspoon5709]

Looks like a 800 job

[@vert5]

Nope, in the middle of it right now, this is not fun at all!

[@CowTypeSh]

I’ve had it done a total of 3 times at the same mechanic. Charged me $300 the first 2 times and $600 the last time😂 I think he hates doing this for me