Mitsubishi does not stock or produce them anymore according to the the two dealerships I called. Are there any legit online parts retailers that have them in stock? That or at least one that is compatible so I can legitimately pass smog for now. If not, other viable solutions.

 

EO's seem to be always changing. I did some digging and I believe currently the Walker Manufacturing Company 82633 (there are 3 listed but the 82633 had the largest I.D. of the 3) universal catalytic converter is approved for your vehicle CARB EO# D-182-57. It is a universal fit unit, so you would have to have some fabrication work done to bolt it in. Do your own research before pulling the trigger. Here are the resources I used.

https://ssl.arb.ca.gov/AftermarketParts/catalysts

https://www.walkerexhaust.com/find-my-part.html

https://arb.parts/Executive-Order/D-182-57

 

Thank you for the reply. This is very useful.

 

You're welcome.

 

Apparently new OEM catalytic converters are now obsolete. Got quoted by a local muffler shop $1400 for a universal catalytic converter. But I rather not give up my arm or leg and weld a universal cat to my aftermarket pipes. So I'd also like to know what other solutions/options are out there.

Will a high-flow cat pass smog in CA?

 

i believe that CA smog is no longer sniffing the exhaust. they do the usual visual inspection, and then hook up to the OBD2 port. so as long as the rear O2 sensor isn't throwing a CEL light, you should be good to go.

again, i could be totally wrong here. every time i've smogged my cars in CA the last 6+ years that was the procedure ^ I've haven't smogged my Evo in CA (yet), so IDK if it would have some exception or warrant a sniffer test

 

Thanks for the input, that's encouraging. I'm running a test pipe fitted with a heat shield, so visually it looks just like the stock cat. No CEL, but concerned about the actual fumes you can smell from the exhaust.

I may just give it a shot and cross my fingers.

 

hah, been there, done that. it's a pretty exhilarating experience when I passed.

IMO I'd wait a little more and get some input from other members that are more knowledgeable than I am.

you could wear tons of horrific cologne to throw off his nose from the exhaust, and keep hovering over his shoulder

 

Still no luck finding an OEM Evo 8 catalytic converter available for sale. Do these still exist? If not, what are people using to pass smog in California? Other than moving out of CA.

 

The past 3 times that I've had my Evo smogged they did not put a sniffer on it and instead just plugged into the diagnostic port and looked for codes. They also used mirrors under the car to look at the CAT and downpipe. Scoured the engine area looking at the turbo, intake, and pipes. My car is bone stock when I smog it. I suspect that they don't sniff our cars because 1.) they need an AWD dyno for the car so that they can run it at set RPMs instead of just idle [which the test itself can have variability], and 2.) no need to sniff on OBD2 cars since the ECU is constantly doing it anyways.

I bet that if you roll in with a hollowed CAT that they'll smell it real quick and start looking to make sure that the O2 sensors are plugged in and not running spacers.

 

A cat without a CARB number will fail visual in my town. They run the numbers. I can't speak for other cities in CA. Use a non-CARB cat at your own risk.

 

I ended up buying a used one from someone on one of the Facebook groups. Went to get smogged, and it was a nerve-wracking experience. Car was completely stock aside from an aem intake (carb legal) but I was unsure if the cat was still good, or if my car had the stock tune on it. I recently bought the car so I wasn't 100% sure about if it had a tune or other unseen mods.

The guy came out, hooked it up, and ran it for a few mins. Didn't say anything. Unplugged it, revved a little bit and watched the exhaust. A little bit of white smoke coming out, but nothing really. Still, at this point he hasn't said anything to me so I'm still wondering what he's thinking.

Then he starts the visual inspection. Looks at the engine bay, looks under the car, looks at everything. Doesn't say anything to me, I'm a only a few feet away from my car. So he comes back and forth a few times between checking engine bay and checking his computer. He asks about the intake and I show him the stupid CARB sticker on there. At one point, he's on his computer for probably close to 30 mins, maybe more. I'm was sure he was failing me, what else would be taking so long. I was getting mad in my head already because I was gonna fail with a stock car and I wouldn't even know how to solve that issue lol.

So eventually he comes out and asks me, "Uhhh is it a 2.0 or a 2.4 liter?" I felt like the fate of my smog check depended on this information so I didn't know if I should say 2.0 or lie and say 2.4. I decided to tell him it was a 2.0 and pulled up a quick Google search showing the 4g63 is a 2.0. he finally says, "oh ok. If it was a 2.4, I'd have to fail you." I was so relieved but also kind of annoyed that he spent upwards of 30 mins trying to figure it out. He didn't know anything about evos or probably cars to be honest.

Anyway, I passed and got my plates. Now I have two years to have some fun and then either go back to stock or find an alternate solution.

 

CARB has smog techs running scared, so be patient with then. Per my local smog tech: They get fined HUGE for missing stuff and passing cars that shouldn't.
I.E. If he passed you, then you get pulled over and sent to the ref for illegal mods, they go back to your smog history to see where and when it was done. If he didn't dot his Is and cross his Ts, he can see fines up to five figures, if they determine he should have failed you. I want to say they can back even farther, but not sure.
I have literally had smog shops refuse to smog a legal car because they didn't want the hassle.
You should have seen the mess when I took my Evo in. Race car with stock engine = they freaked out. Every time. I spent an hour googling OEM parts with the smog tech. Every time.
CARB is super aggressive with the whole smog process.

 

Now that your car is smogged, looking to sell the OEM catalytic converter? Lol.

Great to hear you passed. Would be curious to know how thorough the tech looked at the ECU if at all, and whether it was previously tuned or not. At this point I'd be looking to convert back to stock. I've had my fun with the car, now I just want to drive it without any hassle.

 

All obdii cars are being scanned as of this month, I think it was. Not up to the tech, it's the software that's updated from Sac.