Price for replacing cat on truck

[SarcasticDwarf]

IIRC there is a standard labor chart for all auto work and I was wondering if anyone could look up the labor involved in replacing the catalytic converter on a 1998 Dodge Ram 1500 V8 5.2. I just want to make sure I have that before getting a quote from a local garage (just moved here so I can't use my former mechanic).


Edit: Does anyone have any thoughts on any things that should be replaced at the same time as the cat (as in, stuff that is either cheaper to replace with work being done on the cat at the same time or stuff that fails at the same time)?

 

[bruceb]

Labor should not need more than 2 hours max to
change converter on any car / truck. Only issues
are it needs to be cool to handle it and on some
vehicles, it is welded into the exhaust pipe .. so they
slce it out, slip the new one in and weld it up. If it is
a flanged converter, even easier, though sometimes
the bolts won't come out or break from rust / salt.

 

[SarcasticDwarf]

Originally posted by: bruceb
Labor should not need more than 2 hours max to
change converter on any car / truck. Only issues
are it needs to be cool to handle it and on some
vehicles, it is welded into the exhaust pipe .. so they
slce it out, slip the new one in and weld it up. If it is
a flanged converter, even easier, though sometimes
the bolts won't come out or break from rust / salt.

Thanks. And FWIW I am in Wisconsin. I think i takes about three minutes for vehicles to become frozen hunks of metal again

 

[Kelvrick]

I hate how expensive cats are. Also, I don't know what kind of truck you have, but you should weld it on, not just bolt.

Since there are some valuable metals in the cats, trucks with higher ground clearance are vulnerable to low-lives.

 

[JulesMaximus]

Originally posted by: Kelvrick
I hate how expensive cats are. Also, I don't know what kind of truck you have, but you should weld it on, not just bolt.

Since there are some valuable metals in the cats, trucks with higher ground clearance are vulnerable to low-lives.

Just get a tabby. Go down to your local humane society...all you'll pay is the cost of adoption.

 

[MovingTarget]

Originally posted by: JulesMaximus

Originally posted by: Kelvrick
I hate how expensive cats are. Also, I don't know what kind of truck you have, but you should weld it on, not just bolt.

Since there are some valuable metals in the cats, trucks with higher ground clearance are vulnerable to low-lives.

Just get a tabby. Go down to your local humane society...all you'll pay is the cost of adoption.

Do they have emissions testing in your state? If that isn't the case and it isn't blocking up your exhaust, then you may be able to put it off or not worry about it.

Btw, the calico model is pretty sweet too...

 

[Tiamat]

Originally posted by: JulesMaximus

Originally posted by: Kelvrick
I hate how expensive cats are. Also, I don't know what kind of truck you have, but you should weld it on, not just bolt.

Since there are some valuable metals in the cats, trucks with higher ground clearance are vulnerable to low-lives.

Just get a tabby. Go down to your local humane society...all you'll pay is the cost of adoption.

I'm glad I'm not the only one that thought of that when reading the OP's topic title :laugh:

 

[T2urtle]

depends on the type of cat your getting. if you going for OE replacement cats can be $250-$1500.

a lot of fast cat are like 50-150. they flow more and etc. more for performance as you CAN fail emissions sometimes.

 

[SarcasticDwarf]

Originally posted by: T2urtle
depends on the type of cat your getting. if you going for OE replacement cats can be $250-$1500.

a lot of fast cat are like 50-150. they flow more and etc. more for performance as you CAN fail emissions sometimes.

Is there a site where I could find a list of ones which are compatible and their prices? I looked at Autozone and a few others and they only list one or two models.

 

[Pacfanweb]

Originally posted by: bruceb
Labor should not need more than 2 hours max to
change converter on any car / truck. Only issues
are it needs to be cool to handle it and on some
vehicles, it is welded into the exhaust pipe .. so they
slce it out, slip the new one in and weld it up. If it is
a flanged converter, even easier, though sometimes
the bolts won't come out or break from rust / salt.

I wouldn't make that a blanket statement. Most, yes. All, NO.

Go find a V-6 Contour and try changing those converters and get back to me.

 

[Throckmorton]

Free from the pound.