Toyota MR2 Spyder PreCats Removal (Decat) - The Euro Car Show

This video is amateur and not part of the regular show! Sorry for the quality issues but it's meant to help, not entertain.
PreCats Removal Tutorial for those who had a precat failure or want to prevent it.
Related posts :
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They say basically the same thing but it always helps to have different tricks and approaches!
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[@ericfolk3142]

To anyone else taking on this project. Please wear a mask when de-catting. The cat dust and particles should not be inhaled!! Take a bath right afterwards to remove any dust that got on you. That stuff is toxic.

[@NeillWylie]

I like that you show the problems you have. That's where the real knowledge comes from.

[@PietersAdventures]

thanks... very helpful as im off to probably buy an MR2 today .. (2000 model) and i know this is an issue with these models.

[@TheEuroCarShow]

+Pieter Grebe I'm happy to hear this was helpful ! And enjoy your new car mate!

[@Rampage00769]

Love the body kit! Next time soak those bolts your trying to get loosened with some PB Blast.

[@TheEuroCarShow]

+Rampage Thanks mate! I used some WD40 and I managed but they were a pain indeed haha. I replaced the cat a week after so I went through those 3 again

[@superelectic45]

You should spray the nuts with Plusgas then heat them until they are cherry red, then they will come off fairly easy.

[@TheEuroCarShow]

In the end, they came out without heating but to be honest, i had not thought of that! Hopefully, I won't have to do it again but I'll keep that option in mind haha. Thanks!

[@shanehunsicker103]

good content! Looking to buy one myself. But you guys need a longer ratchet or breaker bar haha.

[@TheEuroCarShow]

Hey Shane! Thanks!! The ratchet issue has been solved haha Hope you get to buy one cause these cars offer a timeless experience of what a sports car should be!

[@MarioTomei]

What do you call those cosmetic cover for the headlights? I want those for my MRS

[@TheEuroCarShow]

Hey Mario! I bought the car with those on so I really couldn't say. I think they were part of the body kit which the previous owner installed on the car. Sadly he passed away so I can't even ask him for more information :(

[@beachtime984]

Hi Gabriel, Did you have any engine problems due to the precat issue after your work? It looks like in your comment that you had to replace the main cat is that correct? Prior to you starting the precat/cat work did you have any driving/performance issues? Very informative video for me, thanks.

[@TheEuroCarShow]

Hey man, glad I could help! To be honest I did have to replace the main cat aswell since it was damaged beyond repair. Prior to the decat, I did have performances issues. The car wouldn't rev above 4.000 rpm and it would hardly pick any speed (about 110 kph at best). In my case, i discovered after decating that the clutch was completely worn out ( I honestly did not notice before decating since it had no power anyway) and my car kept on burning a fair amount of oil. As soon as I get the chance, I'll probably take the engine out and show you guys the damage it suffered due to those debris. Bottom line, besides the burning oil issue, I did not have any problem with the engine and performance wise, the car drives like new now!

[@beachtime984]

That sounds a lot like my driving issues. Thanks again for taking the time to make the video and for your reply. Best of luck with your Spyder going forward.

[@Karlucho72]

Any advise on what to do with the O2 sensors after decating? Bungs? or are you just letting the engine light to stay on all the time?

[@TheEuroCarShow]

Honestly, I let it on because I'm looking into engine swaps and heavy modifications. For me, the only O2 sensor that became a problem after decating was the last one (after the main cat and connected behind the rear light on the left). I was told this one would not affect the car whatsoever so I left it like that for the time being. Since I'm far from competent when it comes to this, U'd better ask a real mechanic or maybe post that on an MR2/MRS forum. The community is usually a great and inexpensive go to.

[@dinogoden9263]

Gabriel - I took mine to a Toyota dealer, and they removed the ceramic pre-cats, and replaced it with new platinum ones. Disintegration of ceramic pre-cats therefore not an issue, and emissions fail a non-issue.

[@TheEuroCarShow]

I chose to do everything myself 'cause the dealership costs in Belgium were waaaay to high for a rather simple procedure. I replaced the cats etc aswell so I won't have any emission issues. Now I'm thinking about the 2zz swap because my MR2 has started consuming obscene amounts of oil :(

[@dyaaong6030]

What was the cost?

[@heilong79]

You should have had the engine on for a while to warm up before starting work, it would make removing bolts a little easier.

[@TheEuroCarShow]

I actually did but some of the bolts were really stubborn 😂🤦

[@heilong79]

@@TheEuroCarShow yeah stuck bolts happen all the time but sometimes you can get lucky.

[@MrAlexanderP3]

If you ever want to sell it, you can tell me? im interested :) I love the JDL body kit!

[@TheEuroCarShow]

+Aleksander Poposki Sure mate! Give me your email so I won't forget!

[@ReptilianAnusWizzard]

So how many miles did the car have when the Problem ocured?

[@TheEuroCarShow]

I'm so sorry for the late answer!! It was around 120.000km so around 70k miles.

[@aquadivingschool]

Next time use plusgas releasing oil , that’ll loosen them far better than wd40

[@pottasium7117]

Is it legal to remove precat (not replace it with anything else like titanium precat etc.) due all the emmision laws in eu?

[@TheEuroCarShow]

It probably is but I've passed emissions since then no issues whatsoever. I just made sure everything was warmed up before taking the test. Although I have to say I replaced the main cat with a brand new one, maybe that helped?

[@pottasium7117]

@@TheEuroCarShow i see, thanks for the info

[@TheEuroCarShow]

@@pottasium7117 my pleasure, mate!

[@pottasium7117]

@@TheEuroCarShow uhh... Also dude, what about the o2 sensor?

[@TheEuroCarShow]

@@pottasium7117 I screwed them back in, no faults or anything back then. Truth be told, my MR2 has been sitting for almost 2 years now because my 1zz started going through oil like crazy so I can't really provide long term analysis. After the video, I drove the car for another 6-8 months trouble free (except gradually consuming more oil and a clutch change) then parked it in the garage where it still is sadly :(

[@MrAlexanderP3]

Did you sell the car? It was for sale right?

[@TheEuroCarShow]

+Aleksander Poposki No, I decided to keep it for a while longer and no I'm trying to decide whether to sell it and buy something with a bigger engine or spend some money on it and modify it

[@MrGeno1951]

Why are you removing them? Because bits of honeycomb get into the oil and grind the cylinder walls? How does the exhaust get into the oil? I am a skeptical MR2 owner: If the engine is burning oil, it may be for a different reason. If there is grit in the oil, let's find it under the microscope. But having said that, why not take a peek at the honeycomb by removing the 2 air sensors to get a general idea of their condition? In the end, an engine swap wouldn't be too daunting, though I do enjoy it stock.

[@TheEuroCarShow]

Hello MrGeno! I have actually inspected the 2 precats before starting all this. One of them was missing and the other one was in a very bad shape. What lead me to all this was a loud bang I heard while driving at regular speeds on the highway (I didn't worry at first because nothing happened and the car was running just fine). I then experienced a loss of power over time which I took a bit more seriously and started researching the matter. After reading hundreds of forum posts on mr2 dedicated websites, I decided to do everything you've just seen hopping it'll solve all my problems (as I said in the video, i'm no mechanic and i mostly followed instructions found on those dedicated pages). But it was too little too late and even after I gutted the precats and replaced the main cat (which was clogged up with precats pieces), I started noticing my oil consumption kept inscreasing. My car has now been parked for the past 2 years or so because swaps are not allowed for street cars where I live and I just didn't have the time/money to rebuild the engine so far. All that being said, I haven't given up on the car just yet. With the help of professional mechanics, I want to dismantle, diagnose and rebuild the stock engine. Every single step of the process will be thoroughly documented in future videos. Maybe, that way, I can give you guys a more detailed image of why this happens and how to prevent it. All that being said, my love for this little oil burner knows no boundries hahaha

[@MrGeno1951]

Thank you for your thoughtful reply! Your pre-cat situation required a fix. But guys with seemingly proper pre-cats are replacing them because they are afraid that their oil is becoming contaminated with cat bits. This is what I cannot understand and tend to doubt: how does post pre-cat exhaust get into the oil? One guy mentioned "negative vacuum." Sounds like a double negative to me and makes no sense.

[@TheEuroCarShow]

MrGeno1951 I perfectly understand your point. I still sounds weird to me that bits of the precats could somehow get inside the engine. But I also understand why people choose to get rid of them since they are not vital components of the car😁 Thank you for your comment! It's always nice to discuss these things with a fellow enthusiast 👍

[@geraldrutledge1183]

@@MrGeno1951 During operation there is positive exhaust pressure going out the tailpipe, but I have read that the dust gets sucked back into the engine when the car is turned off. I am not an expert, and in fact I am skeptical as well. However, if you come across any actual study or real evidence of ceramic dust, I am sure the entire Spyder community would be very interested in seeing it. Otherwise, the prevailing theory is that the pre-facelift 1ZZ-FED engines had quality issues with the cylinders not being perfectly round, which allowed oil to bypass the rings. The oily exhaust then causes the cat to disintegrate. So the theory is that the oil burning causes pre-cat degradation, not the other way around. There is no reason to think, however, that they could not also cause each other, resulting in a vicious cycle of accelerating engine death.

[@geno5433]

Thank you for your thoughtful reply, Gerald- I had the pre-cats inspected and they are fine, so I'll just keep watching them and checking the oil, though it doesn't seem to burn any despite my excesses.

[@MouseCIick]

I feel like I might as well swap the motor out for a 2zz.

[@TheEuroCarShow]

I think it's the best way to go. The 2zz is just a better engine overall and it doesn't spoil the "responsiveness" of the throttle like a turbi might!

[@MouseCIick]

do you think it is hard to do the swap? or should i get a professional to do it? it looks pretty tight to work with.

[@stutteral]

use a breaker bar added to the wrench handle... makes it easy ;0

[@TheEuroCarShow]

+Steven Roush That's what I did in the end and it made it way easier! Still a pain in the ass for someone who's still discovering tools haha