catalytic converter 84 533i Euro automatic

[Philip Mew]

VIN is W B A D B 8 9 0 4 0 7 9 9 9 0 9 3
It's a Euro, sold new in Japan.
When the engine is under load, it makes a " growling " sound which is driving me crazy. My mechanic tells me that the honeycomb material is falling apart. He said it isn't hurting the car.

Recently, fuel consumption has increased, and he said that's consistent with the catalytic converter falling apart.

I plan on keeping the car another 2 years. Any suggestions for a
"good bang for the buck " replacement part ?

One option is Bosal part no. H3000-49516. Anyone have a comment for this part, or a recommendation, with a pic ?

Philip Mew
Victoria BC

[ROYinGA]

Euro had an add on cat so I will get rid of it next time I do some exhaust work. Will turn 25 years old. Maybe you can get one from a junked car to get thru the next couple of years.

[ROYinGA]

[BMWFXR]

also a muffler with the same. Came off of my personal car (84 533) and was installed 6 months before it was totaled. Exhaust was not affected. Contact me off board at my email address if you are interested. Trent Cole, Tech Advisor, Lone Star Chapter, BMW CCA
President, Lone Star Bavarian, Inc.
FT. Worth Tx, 76132
www.lonestarbavarian.com

[John in Simi Valley]

The Bosal H3000-49516 is probably a good part, but at $350-400(USA) plus shipping, plus installation, you may as well go to a good muffler shop and order a BIG 3-biscuit converter. They will it in so it fits right, it's over sized so it will really cut your emissions and it will LAST. Don't cheap-out and get the "Hi-Flow" single element converter because they usually only last a year, maybe two.

Good Luck

[Philip Mew]

The Bosal part wouldn't fit : the pipe to pipe attachment was off just enough that flange wouldn't contact the other flange.

I was incorrect in describing this car : it's a 533i Japan, NOT Euro.
Boy, I hope that doesn't make replacing the cat a headache.

Is there a part from a North American spec car which will work on nmy car ? My main priorities is engine longevity AND reasonable fuel consumption. I don't drive my car hard.

[Philip Mew]

Got an eamil address for this shop ?

[johnasavage]

If you're in SoCal, especially in the San Fernando Valley, give them a try. The owner/operator is "John".

Link is below.

[richardodn]

Part numbers for the car:

Exhaust manifolds: 11621274886 (All NA 533i)
Cat: 11761286875 (Japan specific)
Exhaust: 18121176694 (All NA 533i)

Since the manifolds and cat-back are the same as well as all the brackets, you should be able to use any NA market catalyst. Why the Bosal part did not is a mystery. I don't know how far off the flanges were, but you may want to revisit it.
-----------------------------------------------------
Richard O.
1986 528e
1989 325iX
1998 328iC

[Philip Mew]

Thanks ...
Where did you find this part number ?
What makes this part specific to the 533i Japan ?
Is there a cat for a NA E28 which can be modified to fit my car ?

Philip Mew

[richardodn]

I simply went by the ETK part lookup. I have it on my home PC. There is an online version at realoem.com however it's support is bad for the JAP region parts. Here is the link for your specific car
2-84 JAP 533i Auto.

What I did was to see that the Japanese market cat was unique (and NLA) to that market. Next I checked the part numbers for the exhaust manifolds, muffler, and brackets. These parts were identical to the NA market versions so I concluded that you should be able to use a NA market cat. From what you said though the Bosal part was a bit off. How off I really don't know and that is why I suggested you revisit that part. It could be a case of a poor quality part or perhaps the issue is with the existing muffler. What precisely was the fit problem with the Bosal part?
-----------------------------------------------------
Richard O.
1986 528e
1989 325iX
1998 328iC

[Philip Mew]

Today I found out that removing the catalytic converter isn't illegal where I live. I use this car as a nice daily driver, and don't drive it hard a all.

If I go this route and have 2 straight pipes replace the cat, here are my questions :
- would this hurt the car ? My primary goal is longevity
- would fuel consumption increase or decrease ?
- I'm sure it will be louder ; would it be enough to bug someone, day in and day out ? I could tolerate a bit more noise ; but would it be as loud as, say, a hole in the muffler ?
- will I still be able to install an O2 sensor, and would there still be an advantage in doing so ?

[Philip Mew]

I was sent to a local muffler shop by my garage.
Holes were discovered in the resonator as well.
The cat was cut out and replaced by a single straight pipe, and a generic resonator made by Walker cut in.
Good and economical fix at around $302 Canadian , taxes in.: no louder than the stock exhaust, and I'm told I should get a touch more power.
I'll continue fuel consumption calculations to see if there are improvements in that department.

This is what I learned from this episode : when told that the cat was falling apart, I went ahead and shopped around for a replacement part.
That didn't work out, and it cost me.
I should have gone to a shop specific to the problem in the first place and asked " what are my options ? "