Pre-cats V Warm Black Box

October 2, 2007

Pre-cat Jitters

Back after the summer hols and just read the excellent article on disgorging the pre-cats from the manifold.

Trouble is I felt so much happier - before - with my head stuck in a black box in deep sand. It felt really warm and cosy - and I couldn't see anything at all! So there was nothing to worry about...was there?

You see as a Silver Surfer I used to find it so easy not to worry about my "cats". All I had to do was avoid the search button!!

Well, not anymore. All that's changed. Now the subject's pinned for all to see!

Now I can't sleep...I'm lying awake all night worrying about our Tom cat and my pre-cats.

I've HUGE bags under my eyes and putting my head into the sand no longer works... 'cause I know that inside my engine bay autumn might well have arrived and my pre-cats could already be falling!

Even a glass of vino doesn't help anymore. There's simply no where to hide!! So, HELP ME LES. Reassure me that sticking my head into the sand is a really good idea!

Trouble is...I know you won't. How can a grown man of 58 be so scared of pre-cats?

I think life was just too easy in the 60s/70s. Cars were simple and all you needed were a few spanners. And everything - other than the brakes - benefited from the wipe of an oily rag! Now oily rags mean death to O2 sensors and bills for hundreds of £££s.

Yep, It's an excellent article and I know that now the thought's lodged in my brain it's just a question of when...

Meanwhile pass the vino and a bag of sand - I WILL GIVE IT ONE LAST TRY!

Thanks guys and girls... hope you managed a chuckle...and enjoy your "cat naps!"

October 2, 2007

My car has done 55k, doesn't use any oil or water from one service to the next, I check the levels at least once a week (more if it gets a damn good thrashing ;) ) and I worry about stray meteors striking the car more than the pre cat kiss of death hype. I have been reliably informed that there is an unofficial seven year warranty on the engine (subject to the car having a full DEALER service history). I am fortunate to have had the car from nearly new (first owner got rid after a couple of weeks because he was too big) so I know how it has been abused :rolleyes:

Les

October 3, 2007

Les,

Thanks for coming to my rescue! Now I can sleep again!

Maybe I'm not turning into a fossil. You see having read the "official" overview on pre-cats I thought: "Well Les must have done his cats too."

I, like you, do regular oil checks. And I always get the engine warmed up BEFORE putting my foot down. However, as you gathered, the article made me feel that perhaps I wasn't taking the issue seriously enough.

My concerns have always been that IF I remove the pre-cats then I AM modifying the car...which means Toyota can then rightly claim that the engine is not original spec...if anything else should go wrong with it!

Hmm...seems like a Catch 22* situation!

* for those old enough to remember the film :)

Happy motoring!

ps Les, best put your car in the garage tonight as Patrick Moore says there's going to be a shower of meteors over East Yorkshire in the early hours ;)