Ive got a late '92 k plate 4x4 saph cossie with a full mongoose exhaust system on it , now my questi is do i need a cat on the car to pass the mot?? i gothe wifes run about mot'd 2day and the tester said that as long s the co emissions arent above 3.5% then its ok, just some opinions oyour experiences please? , cheers all

 

pretty sure you do need one on a 'k' reg car.

 

Maunfactured after Aug 92 you need a cat

 

if you can get away with the mot station allowing you a 3.5% CO test then you won't need one... but they shouldn't be if it's a post-Aug '92 car, it should need a cat and be tested to the lower limits accordingly.

 

NO that car was never fitted with a cat as it has no lambda sensor!!!!

co must be below 3.5 %

Paul

 

ill be taking my car there then as he said i canget away with it being on a k plate as its the change over year as long as the emissions arent to high , was a really sound bloke and said o pop the car over and he'd test the emissions foc for me , very top bloke

 

Eh?

Lamda sensor? All vehicles manufactured after Aug 92 must have a CAT to pass an MOT.

 

mine is a J plate that has a lambda probe

 

costina---but its a late 92 green top it states that ALL CARS fitted with cats must have one past august '92????????? , cheers

 

never in 6 years of owning my old one was I told I needed at cat and mine was a 4bie k plater

hth

 

Mine is a 93 reg k plate it had a cat which i took off when i fitted my full mongoose,passed mot with flying colours in a strict mot station too.

 

cheers all-------just wasnt sure wether to get it mot'd on the private plates its currently on g plate btw......or have it transfered( the plate isnt mine btw) and mot it on the original k plate one, but my questions have been answered again thanks to u lot( and a very rare friendly mot guy ), thanx

 

the cossie had a facelift in 10/92, this included 3 cats in the system (& a lambda probe)

 

You cannot fail a MOT for not having a cat fitted. You fail on the emmissions level. The engine number on your car is what the tester puts into the computer which determines the level of emissions it is tested at.

K reg has always caused confusion even with MOT testers as it was during the change over period, it depends on the date of the engine build not necessarily when the car was registered.

 

It may be a green top but it deffo has no lambda sensor in that car
I took the original exhaust off and fitted the mongosse for Gary which "DID NOT HAVE ANY CATS ON" This is strange i know but ford did some strange things.My mates J plate had a 205 block as standard from ford not a 200

Reason why who knows

I run L8 MSD closed loop without a cat and my co is 0.7% even my MOT man could not understand that one

 

Not true its the co% that counts otherwise all escort cossie's would be in trouble

 

I just read the MOT testers manual on the subject, and you're right. The cat doesn't need to be fitted, but they must pass the emmisions for a cat equipped car.

Cheers mate!

 

cheers costina , nice car isnt it???

 

I think yuo wil find that all vehicles manufactured after 1992 are required to have emissions to a certain standard - wether or not they have a cat. Its only the law that says they must have a cat, not the MOT rule book

Also, diesel vehicles do NOT require a cat by law

 

I have a K plate, I know there is a sensor in the top of the turbo. Is this the Hego sensor ? Is this also known as the lambda sensor ?

If you take the CAT off do you need to make any engine / ecu adjustments ? Does the cat have any sensors in like oxygen sensors etc ?

Cheers

Steve

 

Sensor in the turbo is the lambda sensor m8,cat has no sensors,i took mine off and didn't have to adjust anything.

 

as per my mate jim, who said this:

The information below came directly from the Vehicle Inspectorate Agency via email in response to a question I asked some time ago. The implications of the information for Sierra drivers are somewhat interesting and I've given some general advice over legal removal of the Cat at the bottom of this post.

If you want to take them and apply the information to Escrots or Festas then it's your choice but I'm specifically talking about Sierra's here so don't come crying to me if it doesn't work!


"For emission purposes vehicles are tested against details shown on the VIN and not the registration plate. Vehicles fitted with a different engine are tested according to which is older, engine or vehicle.

Catalytic convertors were introduced from 1st August 1992 and are compulsory after 1st August 1995. Vehicles first used between 01/08/92 and 31/07/95 are only cat tested if there is an exact match (re engine code) in the analyser database or in the Inservice Emissions book. Vehicles first used on or after 01/08/95 are cat tested using vehicle specific limits if there is an exact match. If there is no exact match it is cat tested using default limits, CO<=0.3%, HC<=200ppm"


Now the implication of this is that no Sierra is obliged to have a catalytic convertor as they were all built well before the 1st Aug 1995 date when cats became compulsary. Some late cars will have cat's as they were there only for Ford to be able to legally sell the surplus Sierra stock after 1st August 1992 prior to the arrival of the Mondy in dealerships.

But there is a small gotcha in the rules that depends on Ford's inability to keep accurate records throughout the 70's, 80's and early 90's. This is based on Ford passing accurate engine code data to the VIA.

And if you've ever been to a main dealer quoting the paint code from your VIN plate only to be told it's a completely different colour to what's on the car or that your VIN is not a known one (I have on more than one occasion yet no respray or "cut and shut" in sight!) then you know the chances of accuracy aren't all that good with relation to any "old" Ford!


So, if you want to ditch the cat I recommend you do a little investigation first. Just to be sure. This can apply to all cars, not just Sierra's but I'm thinking with Sierras in mind here.

Go and speak to your local MOT office - that is NOT the same as your local garage conducting MOT tests - The MOT office will be in your local phone book under "Vehicle Inspectorate" or something similar.

You need to ask them if your car's engine code appears in their emissions database.


If it doesn't or the match is only partial - you can throw your catalytic convertor away. Legally. The Cat emissions test cannot be used on your car, the normal 4% CO / 1200 ppm HC rules apply, and you can have great fun blowing raspberries at Mr. MOT tester next time he brings it up. You will need to keep all the Lambda sensors and stuff though, or your engine management could throw a tantrum, but the cat itself can be got rid of and a normal "non-cat" exhaust fitted to your downpipes.


If there is a complete match, you must retain the cat in theory. You could try removing the cat but even though your car isn't legally obliged to carry a catalytic convertor, they could test the car as if it is - even if built between those magical Aug 1992 and 31st July 1995 dates. And so your car could fail an emissions test. Now the MOT tester will be blowing raspberries at YOU!


hth

 

I did this, I had a MK5 XR3i 130psi on a K plate - it was registered 30.9.92 but was built in either Jan/Feb 1992 according to the VIN number. So I removed the cat legally