2002, Toyota Echo, 270km, automatic. . . Hi Scottie and friends, I spoke to my mechanic about my oil burning problem (about half a litre 3-4 weeks on about 800km). He said something that confused me: I asked him about the possibility of re-programing the computer after replacing the catalytic converter with a piece of straight pipe, and he said it couldn't be done because the check engine light would come on. Why does that matter as long as the computer is re-programed to handle a less restrictive exhaust? What does he mean?... He also said it won't matter because the cat probably wouldn't get clogged up anyway... Is that true?...
I'm assuming the mechanic meant that the ECU cannot be reprogrammed to have the check engine light turned off for the missing catalytic converter. But you generally don't need your ECU reprogrammed for a less restrictive exhaust setup or for a catalyst delete. They sell O2 sensor spacers that can turn off the check engine light if that's what you want to do. I've done numerous muffler deletes, resonator deletes, and catalyst deletes without the need to reprogram the ECU.
