Alright, after burning up another cat (#2) on my B&B system :banghead: . Enough is enough!
There is no way I'm taking that header off the car again an sending it back to B&B! Period! :annoyed:

So this morning I dismantled the entire exhaust and found the same thing as the first time. A hole blown straight through the drivers side cat. Like someone took a blow torch, and blew out the middle.
When the X pipe came out with the cones at the rear all of the cat material was backed up into the cones and resonators. I really don't know how the car still pulled 135 mph on the straight at Pocono after all of the blockage. I'm surprised I wasn't stalling out. If that sounds like impressive speed it really isn't. Before killing the cat, I pulled 144 mph on the same straight.:cool:

Even after the blockage there was an M3 that was quicker than me on the infield but I would pull on him in the straight, restriction and all, now that's impressive! The blockage caused me to loose alot of power, even down low.:rant2:

Now I have a straight through system, All I can say is WOW!:shhh:
I cleaned out both cats completely.:shhh:

The car is a bit loud for a Caddy. Suitable for a Vette or Camaro no doubt!
I will bring the car to a local muffler shop tomorrow and have them cut out a section to fit 2 small resonators, just to quiet her down a bit. I have 2 extra resonators that came with my B&B, didn't know what they were for, but I held on to em, I knew they would eventually serve a purpose!:sneaky:

This engine likes to breathe. Every exhaust mod made a nice increase in power. The cats suck!

Here are some details you guys have been waiting for; :lildevil:

The car pulls so hard through each gear it feels amazing. I now shift from 3-4 as quickly as I shifted from 2-3. From 4000 rpm to redline comes faster than ever. I really feel like I'm still in 2nd gear even though I'm in 3rd going to 4th.
I will let you all know how the sound is with the extra resonators. Right now, If you heard the car going down a highway you would be looking around for a vette or something else all done up! Definately not a caddy.

I think I'll go for another test drive :lildevil: . I'll be back.
And Happy Father's Day!:)

awesome dude!!! well, not really given the cats are dying like the gaskets...but open "cats", x-pipe....damn she must be loud eh?

since I'm considering the x-pipe, how bad is it really? daily driver material still?

and let us know how the little resonators work, too.
:cheers:

Urb, The blockage did cause my gasket to blow out. Not unexpected giving the conditions!
After everything is free flowing again and then some, I don't expect the Copper RTV to fail. With the B&B you should always use it, there flanges don't meet up as well as I would like. Great looking and great sounding exhaust though!

Will,

Glad to see you gutted the cats, I would have done it after the first fail but you have it done now..:thumbsup: I wish I could hear how she sounds with with the headers, gutted cats, x-pipe B&B... I bet it sounds really Bad A$$...:2thumbs:

Bill
http://photobucket.com/albums/v466/HDMLNIUM/th_front-1.jpghttp://photobucket.com/albums/v466/HDMLNIUM/th_engine-yeah.jpghttp://photobucket.com/albums/v466/HDMLNIUM/th_rear-1.jpg
05 CTS-V--- Light Platinum
3M Clear Bra and Tinted windows, LS6 Emblem, Stealth-V z06 fuel rail covers, Lasstss Billet interior pieces
B&B Headers-high flow cats-and 3" resonator exhaust, Lingenfelter CAI, UUC shifter, Full BMR...
Online Photos http://photobucket.com/albums/v466/HDMLNIUM/

Any error codes - check engine light?
But, that might take a few miles/start-ups to show.

Engine light has been on since the melt down. If it doesn't go off in a few days I will change the 02 sensors again. It seems like if you have enough heat to melt the cat you will also burn up the 02 sensors.

Last time this happened I had to swap out the sensors for new ones. Another 150 bucks! Then it took 3 days for the light to go off.
I may also have to have the rear 02 sensors wtitten out with a new tune. Then I will make an attempt at the 1/4 mile in Englishtown. Just to see what me and the V can really do.
If it doesn't hit 12's the car is not a keeper for me, Z06 in 2006!
Honestly, I know the car will do it!

I have no cats on mine, and really its not that loud and on deacceleration theres no nasty popping. I also have no check engine lights on at all.

Will,

Without cats you will want to turn off the rear 02's with a tune. Or if you do not have a tune you can get a couple of the o2 sims. I have my rear o2's turned off and I am still running the high flows for now..
Good luck when you get her to the track, I hope you get your goal..;)

Parker, any mods? Similar to mine?
I have a little back pressure on decelaration, 2nd gear, sometimes. Mostly when decelaration in 4th the car sounds very mean. A very low BRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!

I usually don't drive the car under load, so i can avoid a lot of drone that others experience. I like to keep the rpm's up. Probably why I get like 9 miles a gallon.
It's more fun that way.

Hey Will let me know when you go to englishtown. My friend and I are talking about going sometime. Our mods are almost the same so it would cool to go at it. I just had some work done this past friday that I will start a new post about tomorrow. I'll just say 358 and leave it at that for now.

Craig

HEY, if you want to make more power u need the car to be tuned. i would be willing to bet that you are running pig rich. you need hp tunner to turn off the codes, with no cats your H02S will set a cat over temp code(no ses light) and make the car run rich, this is to cool down the cats. it will also help with the popping you are hearning

We had a similar problem with the driverside cat on our blown CTS-V, with the B&B's. The driverside blew completely out, like there was never anything there in the first place. The same day,...the passenger side was removed. Sounds wicked with the corsa's. Sounds like a built vette.


We had to alter the diablosport for the new catless setup so it doesn't throw code, but, it still needs to be RE-tuned for the new setup(lingenfelter and no cats).

give us a report on how LOUD it is now please :)
(compared to resonator version, if you ever had that)

sorry for being so "needy" for info :p

but can you tell us how exactly you "gutted" them?
and how hard on my 1-10 scale :)

sorry for being so "needy" for info :p

but can you tell us how exactly you "gutted" them?
and how hard on my 1-10 scale :)


In my experience, the driver side was gone, 1-10, obviously easy. The passenger side, that had no problem,...kinda of a pain in the butt. Not hard to do, just tedious. If yoy want my opinion, i'd cut a nice slach straight down the cat, and start "unpeeling" it. The piece is rolled up in there like a piece of toilet paper. Not hard just time consumeing. Once you start YOU MUST FINISH it.

Gut them completely, then, before you re assemble your exhaust, start the car briefly just to blow everything out. Bolt it back up, job complete. Say hello to your new check engine light, which can be cleared with a new tune.

with no cats your H02S will set a cat over temp code(no ses light)

I've never seen this happen, please explain.

after burning up another cat (#2) on my B&B system


What kind of crappy substrate is B&B using for their catalysts. There's so much junk out there when it comes to aftermarket catalysts, and it looks like B&B's is no exception.

I've never seen this happen, please explain.



What kind of crappy substrate is B&B using for their catalysts. There's so much junk out there when it comes to aftermarket catalysts, and it looks like B&B's is no exception.



It shouldn't be an OVERTEMP code,..never heard of that one. WHat it will do, is send an "insuffecient"(or however you spell it) reading for whatever bank.

gutting the cats were a little annoying. I used a screwdriver, a drill and pliers. What ever it took to clean out. Probably took 20 min. each side.

I went to the muffler shop today and had 2 small resontors from B&B installed at the rear of the x pipe. I had the guy cut out a section of the x pipe where it is straight and weld in the resonators. She only quieted down a little bit, But there was also no loss in power.

I'm sure I need a new tune and probably some new 02 sensors.
For now, the car sounds very mean! WOT this thing roars. You even here the intake pulling in more air. More air in more air out more power!!

Another theory; The cats slow down the flow of the exhaust so I feel alot of heat was accumulating in front of the cats and cooked the sensor.
Anyone else??

Will, my mods are similar to yours. lpe cai, SW LTs, no cats, BB Xpipe catback, and gas.

It shouldn't be an OVERTEMP code,..never heard of that one. WHat it will do, is send an "insuffecient"(or however you spell it) reading for whatever bank.

I believe the official description for the DTC is "Catalyst System Efficiency Below Threshold." P0420 for bank 1, P0430 for bank 2.

I've never seen this happen, please explain.



What kind of crappy substrate is B&B using for their catalysts. There's so much junk out there when it comes to aftermarket catalysts, and it looks like B&B's is no exception.

Im sure they are buying them. B&B doesent build cats. Go with Random, they are not cheap and my turbo car couldnt fry them.

Can you cook an 02 sensor? On a Buick Grand national they are right on the header and GN's run higher egt's then the V. A common mod is to put them right on the downpipe just after the turbo and I have had both my headers and downpipe glowing red and the 02 was fine. I can't tell you how many powder coaters will not warrant coating GN headers.

Im sure they are buying them. B&B doesent build cats. Go with Random, they are not cheap and my turbo car couldnt fry them.

I agree that they probably do not produce the cats themselves, I was only implying that they should get a new supplier.