wrx pre cat exhaust help needed!!
 

hi i have a 2003 newage wrx fitted with the prodrive performance pack boostin to 260bhp and with only 15000 miles on the clock a rare find!!

My problem is i had to take the car to my subaru dealer after the dreaded engine misfire light started flashing and major misfire problems!!

the dealer informed me the emc was telling them it was a misfire on all 4 cylinders and they had narrowed the problem to the "precat" pipe breaking down inside and restricting gas flow!! they then told me the part would cost around £450 with labour costing about the same on top!!!!!! i am not a mechanic but i know my way around an engine, my only problem is i found a small garage who can supply a pipe for only £130 so im presuming i could get my own and fit it the only problem is all i can find is "up pipes" and "down Pipes" does any one know where i can find what i am lookin for and which one it is???? thanks for all the help in advance.

perfect second hand one here £95 delivered.

Get hold of an STI up-pipe without the precat and you'll never have this problem again:thumb:

i dont understand is the precat a up pipe or down pipe or am i missing the whole idea???

£900 for a cat supply and fit....FOOK OFF ! :lol1:

£50 tops from a breakers and worse case 2 hours to fit ! should come in under £200 and that's if you have to replace the odd stud, bolt or gasket. :)

Personally for £900 I'd decat the uppipe and downpipe and get it remapped lol ;)

If your car is making 260 on the Prodrive map I would be very surprised :)

Its an up pipe as far as Im aware.

I thought these could damage the turbo if they break up. Best to get rid and get a straight through pipe instead.

why surprised it would make 260 ? arent they claimed to make 265 in this model year..

not the cat the Pre cat pipe from the turbo to the cat as far as i can make out.. thing is words mean nothing to me unless i can see diagram or video i wouldnt have a clue!! and yeh prodrive kit is kickin out 261bhp

thankyou thats wat i was after!! ive searched "precat" and all i get is a decat pipe which i dont really want the hassle of remapin else its just gonna cost me as much as the dealers quote. i am tryin to keep the mileage down and vehicle in as original condition as poss on a very tight budget!! :)

Not such thing as a pre cat pipe :) Headers, uppipe, downpipe, mid pipe, centre pipe, backbox. Crack pipe maybe as that's what they're smoking.

As for the PPP, claims aren't actual ;) from experience they vary from 218bhp to 251 at best :) and the map is pretty uninspired. Remapping isn't a hassle, it's a liberation :thumb:

www.prodrive.com/up/03MY%20WRX%20PPP.pdf

just in case u still dont belive me lol!!!!

:lol1: Must be true then :lol1: If it's on the shiney sticker it must be so :)

why..... are prodrive posting wrong figures on their shiny bits :lol1:

the precat is in the upipe before the turbo on some newage wrx.
You can replace it with a decat pipe from a classic (i got one for a tenner) but will probably want remapping afterwards.
Or if you want like for like i have the one i removed from my blob here:
Attachment 67881
£35 plus delivery, complete with a working EGT sensor

wow so much help thanku so i think i am gonna go for a new up pipe and not go like for like as so this incident doesnt happen again, still a bit confused though so here goes... which pipe would you guys recommend that would not need a remap and would still pass emmisions on mot??

If you remove the pre cat you will still pass emissions with the downpipe cat still present (only blob wrx have pre-cat IIRC)
personally i would get my map tweaked when fitting a decat up-pipe. you may also get a check engine light as most decat upipes don't have anywhere for the egt sensor.
All classic upipes are decat and will fit your car.

i thought only 2001-2002 had the pre cat in the up-pipe?

so this would be a good option???
http://www.japspeed.co.uk/Subaru-Imp...e/p-24-72-441/

bug and blob wrx have pre-cat.


personally i would just get an uppipe from a classic if you are going decat, loads of people on here selling them.
the egt sensor is a cat-on-fire sensor so you would want to remove it anyway if going decat.

A word of warning, changing an uppipe can be a bit of a pig and may take a few hours depending on how good you are with a spanner.

well an update to this problem!! ive taken off the old up pipe and after a close inspection with a camera that there is nothing wrong with the pre cat its clear as a bell so much so that u can see daylight rite through from one end to the other!!

so i am still no closer to finding out why she is jumping and missing like a bitch!!!!

3 hours work for nothing

fault codes are p0301 p0302 p0303 p3034 cylinders 1,2,3,4 any ideas?????

Id take a stab at the neutral position switch. or the cam sensor. Ideally you need to get a laptop pluged in to see what there doing while driving the car around.

its driving me insane. thing is i ordered a new decat upipe to replace the factory but im not sure if its wise to try it and see if it does sort the problem cause if it doesnt then i will have less chance of returning the decat pipe its more the expense than anything else. plus there just isnt anyone within 30 miles who has the equipment to talk to a subaru!!!

decat uppipe is a good mod anyway especially as you have got this far.
whack a k&n panel filter in and get it mapped.
Most of them travel, Dynamix is only in Dorset and he will come to you.

Yeh i think i am gonna go ahead and do the mod anyway u never know it may cure the problem!! i may have missed something... one last pic of the scooby net brains though!! i have decided ( well been forced to due to not being able to remove from factory up pipe) to remove the sensor and have read about fitting a resistor!! if some one could point me in the right direction of wheres best to source one would be greatley appreciated!!! big thanks to all who have helped me on this thread so far couldnt have done it with out you!!!:thumb::thumb::thumb::thumb:

Search for neutral position switch problems on here as mentioned by turbotits...NPS problems on the WRX throws misfire CEL's ..

Shaun

Do the mod mate. Get a 2k2 1/2 watt resistor ( red red red gold ) off ebay, about a quid for 5 and pop one in the female connector plug under the plastic tray on the drivers suspension turret. Its best to solder two 2.5mm male spades one on each leg of the resistor then stick a bit of tape over to cover it.

Attachment 67890

or pay a mapper a few beer tokens to switch the CEL off permanently :D

Shaun

its not just an error code mate the engine was jumpin around in low revs ie 1st gear over speed bumps and if you give it some beans it feels like theres a restrictor on her!! turbo kick in fine but something is only givin out about 70% of wat she used to have. i think im gonna try fuel filter next dunno if the fuel i use isnt up to spec..... i use esso super unleaded as thats all thats in my little town apart from morrisons! and i would never even consider that super or if i pass a bp it a tank of optimax!! just finger crossed for the up pipe helpin her out though really miss bein able to drive her properly and having to (sorry to any females) drive her like a girl lol

perfect thanks for the picture too Really helps :thumb: