Cadillac Repair: catalytic converters, muffler shops, auto parts stores

Question
Hi Bill,

just the sound of that makes me think my car has come to an end!  lol.  Could you please maybe tell me what it is  and how it works.

I have looked all over for one for my 90 cadillac deville. And they seem very scarce and very costly. is there a cheaper way I can get mine replaced and how.

I tried e-bay but I don't know what size my car takes.

please help!!  I am truly lost here.  

Answer
Hi Diana, The catalytic converter is placed in the exhaust pipe just behind the engine. Its purpose is to try and burn any unburned gas or vapors that leave the engine. The richer an engine runs the more unburned gas has to be burned in the converter and it will make it smell like a rotten egg and if enough fuel gets in it will get so hot that it could start a fire and turn red. But your check engine light will turn on before then letting you know there is a problem. You can buy them at any auto parts store. The cheaper ones are called a universal fit and require the most work to make fit. Then the dealer will sell you a direct fit converter but it is the most expensive. Auto parts stores and muffler shops have other ones and the quality is somewhere in between a universal and a direct fit. With your car the whole exhaust system is a 1 piece welded system so you would need to cut the converter out with a hacksaw or pipe cutter before installing the new one. If I were you I would open the phone book to the muffler section of the yellow pages and make alot of calls and ask about cost and warrenty. Then have one of the shops do the work unless you had someone that knew how to do it and save the labor costs. Bigger cities have an advantage that parts are more redily available and for a cheaper price. So if you live in a small town then going to a place with 50,000 people or more might get you a better price on the work. Exhaust work is messy dirty work so it might be worth having someone else replace it. Hope that helps. Bill