Catalytic Converter Help on an 80 308 GTSi

Port A is for the thermocouple probe to measure the temperature of the exiting exhaust gas.

I believe Port B is where some of the air from the air pump is injected into the cat (see page 73 in your OM)

No point in trying to clean them up (except for the gaskets/flanges on the ends to get a proper seal) -- the high temp will cause the outer surface to re-oxidize. The gasket is donut-shaped quasi-compressible thing -- go to www.RicambiAmerica and you should be able to find pictures -- that are a b*tch to get off.

(As Aaron said, if they are broken internally they should really be replaced. Best case, they will allow the exhaust gas to flow thru without doing anything; worst case, the broken pieces can block the flow).
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The "broken glass" sound that you are hearing sounds to me like broken catalyst. The substrate material in a catalytic convertor is ceramic-based, and over time, is susceptible to breaking apart, crumbling, etc. In my opinion, not a good sign for your cats. They may still function well enough for your car to pass, but I wouldn't bet a whole wad of cash on it. If it were me, I'd do a pre-test on the car before actually going through with the "real thing" to see how she goes... If the cats need replacing, you're looking at somewhere in the neighborhood of $450ea. for remanufactured cats.

Best of luck...

 

"A" is for sure for the Thermocouple "B not too sure.

 

B is for the air injection from the air pump.

If they sound like stuff is loose in there, they are toast. My advice would be to get a set of aftermarket high-flow cats which flow 98% as well as no cats, and then LEAVE them on the car and be done with it. You get all the advantages of cats (passing emissions, no stinky exhaust) and the car will be just as fast as it is "catless."

You can get generic high flows (i.e. no flanges on them) and then have a muffler place cut the flanges off the OEM cats and weld them on the new ones. You can get out of the deal for $500. That's what I'm going to do on our Mondial when the cats crap out. An fchatter here in MA did this on his 348 and the result was a car that sounds like it has no cats, but he passes emissions with flying colors and the car doesn't stink up the garage. The total cost was around $500-$600 IIRC.

Just my $.02

Birdman

 

Take your pick:

http://members.aol.com/SportsCarConvert/Ferrari.html
(This guy is right down the street from you)

http://www.hyper-flow.com/308.htm

 

Those hyper-flows are gorgeous but expensive. I would just open the yellow pages and go to your local custom exhaust place (not Midas, a custom shop. They are everywhere.) Bring the old cats and see what they can build you with high flows.

Birdman

 

Brian Crall our F-chat tech support recommends these guys for cat rebuilding...says they do a great job. He said it was considerably cheaper than buying a replacement.

http://www.millercat.com/index.html

You send them your old cat, and they will cut it open and install a new core...ask for a price, let us know how it works out.

 

Orange County Ferrari said that my Cat on my 85 QV is going bad, which explains my eyes watering when I start the car and let it warm up. I thought that the fuel mixture was too rich. When I asked them if I should replace it, they said that the parts alone would be: $1,600 for new and $700 for rebuilt. After reading this post, it sounds like it would be better to bet a high flow cat.

Does anyone has experience with replacing their cat? Positives/Negatives?

I am thinking about the Hyperflow's (thanks to this post) but I am hestitant about anyone touching the car and it looks like they are a pain to replace. I like the Hyperflow because they are a known brand and a direct bolt on.
FYI- My car passed California SMOG test two months ago.
I am going to speak with the 308 mechanic at OC Ferrari tomorrow when I pick up my car.

 

I did a search on cat instead of catalytic and found more info...specifically this thread:

http://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/showthread.php?t=138439&highlight=cat

 

I have Hyper-Flows on my 1981 308 GTSi. They are awsome. Just like having a test pipe. I have checked the CO and HC levels after the install and man what a difference.

In the morning, when I start the car, almost pure water comes from the tail pipes and you can stand next to the pipes and not smell a thing. My CO Levels went from 4% to .85% and the HC levels have come from 200PPM to 75PPM. With these number, I will not have any problems passing California Smog and I get 95% of the power as you would from a test pipe.

My exhaust was toast. The glass sound you hear in the CAT is nothing compared to the sound your muffler will make if you remove it also. Most of the CAT material in in your muffler. When I removed it, it sounded like glass and other things in there. I replaced mine with a TUBI exhaust and the sound is fantastic.

Jeff

 

A friend of mine here in MA, fchatter "spider348" built "hyperflows" for his 348 cheaply. Here is the info he sent me:

Regarding the Hyper Flow type cats I built, I found the following info for
your reference.

I purchased 2 "Universal" units for 449.05 total. I think they were around
$215.00 each.

The manufacturer is Random Technology. They were actually very helpful
selecting the correct unit for my application.

Purchased from Dezod Motorsports. www.dezod.com

They show pricing, model selection and size availability under Exhaust/ High
Flow Converters/ Universal if I recall correctly.

Then he simply welded the correct flanges on the "universal" cats. He used the flanges he had on a set of test pipes that came with the car, but you can use the flanges from your old cats, or just have a muffler shop buy and weld on the right flanges. Use your old cats as a guide for size. Any good custom muffler shop can do this. Total cost should be under $700 for both cats.

Birdman

 

FYI modern cats will not need the port for air injection, so you can ignore that. They only need to add the bung for the O2 sensor, which is a common and standard threaded bung.

Birdman

 

Hi. My name is Neil and live in California I have a 1985 308 gts Ferrari.when I purchased the car and later found out it was a gray market car. before wheel spinning the car passed inspection . To make a long story short .Is there a catalytic converters kit that can be installed? Cost is not a factor . thank you. Neil Vitiello. [email protected]

 

Hi Neil and welcome! Yes there is an after market cat called Hyper Flow, do a search to find more info.
Also, where are you located in CA?

 

By "grey market" do you mean it was never converted at all for US importation? The 1985 euro 308QV and the 1985 US 308QV have very different exhaust system routing (for example, there is no place in the euro system to mount a single US catalytic converter, and the euro muffler has two inlets while a US muffler only has one inlet). I'd suggest you study the SPC figures for the two exhaust systems at www.ricambiamerica.com ("308QV" is the SPC for a euro 308QV, and "308QVUS" is the SPC for a '84-'85 US 308QV) and compare them with what's on the car now to determine just what you have and if any modifications have already been made.

 

Hello
I have a 1981 Ferrari 308 gtsi that needs cats for smog in California. The cats were taken out before I bought it out of state. Anyone knows where to get some to pass smog

 

These guys (DEC) claim to have CARB approved aftermarket cats for your model:

http://www.deccats.com/ProductsByVehicleWithBFilter/1981-Ferrari-308-GTSi-2--Door-Coupe-3--0L-2927CC-V8-GAS-DOHC-RWD/DEC-CARB/page1_20/8327-7-9-1209-5-6-5-7_262D9EEB-48DE-4B56-9A68-F0CEA7FF8660

if you can't find a set of original cats.

 

I've been down this road and short answer is that any PC1 cat is legal. Actually, you'll need two. Any muffler shop should know this. They don't, but they should. If you surf long enough in the CARB web pages you'll find all the rules for non-OBD2 cars. There's a matrix for various exhaust types and points to the right cat.

 

If you want you can assemble your own for less than $500.00 and the help of a fabrication shop that can weld your pieces together. Summit Racing sells the cats and stainless steel pipe. Columbia River Mandrel Bends sells the fittings(www.mandrelbends.com).
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@Nino1964 - Do you have the part number or link to the fitting? That's an awesome find!

 

Columbia River Mandrel Bending the flange part number EF3-ss38-200-univ
(http://www.mandrelbends.com/flanges-gaskets/exhaust-flanges/2-00-3-bolt-universal-exhaust-flange-3-8-stainless-style-2.html)
I took the exhaust donut gasket to the machine shop and had the flanges chamfer to the correct angle.
You will also need a saddle weld sensor bung for your egt probe/slow down light system.

 

Been trying to source the bolts 111744 and related springs and nuts.... yours look new...
Do you have a US source..

 

I was able to re-use springs and studs. Recambi or T Rutlands might have 111744.