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Air Pipes & Catalytic Convertors
by Glen Heidel
gheidel@thing.mis.semi.harris.com
On the subject of the air pipe:
The purpose of the air pipe is to carry fresh air from the air pump down to the catalytic converters. The converters convert hydro-carbons (HC) and Carbon-monoxide (CO) to carbon-dioxide (CO2) and water. The rotary engine releases 0% useable oxygen at low RPM's in its exhaust gases and therefore, to support the conversion of the noxious gasses to acceptable ones, it must have fresh air supplied.
Warning of the day:
The hole in the side of your catalytic converter is releasing toxic gases which because of the location of the hole in the exhaust may be seeping into the cockpit of your car... and the stuff just ain't great to breathe.
Environmental Warning of the day:
The converters are no longer converting...
Cheap (relatively) solution:
An aftermarket company has certified a bolt on replacement catalytic converter for first generation Rx-7's. I've had one of these on my '82 for two years now and it works great. It is the honey-comb mesh type converter that you can actually see light through and is more free flowing than the stock converter. It is also only $118.00. If your air feed line rusted right off the converter it is plenty long enough to adapt easily to the aftermarket converter. Go to a local autoparts store and ask if they sell Walker® brand aftermarket converters.
A friend of mine who is not real good with mechanics had one installed at a muffler shop (he had to buy-it-and-bring-it) and they charged him like 60 dollars or something to install it. My personal experience was that it was absolutely simple to install and it is a more free flowing unit. It's case is not quite as thick (material-wise) and so it is a bit louder. Adds a sporty sound I think. I feared quick rust-through but the price was so cheap you could replace it literally 8+ times before it cost as much as the dealer item. As I said though, I've had mine for two years already and no signs of any real rust yet.
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