Whenever people try a project like this people say "Just get a new one from from a junkyard for $10-25!"
It has an integrated catalytic converter. I do not know how to find a used one aside from purchasing a parts car.
The cheapest combination on Amazon is a Walker 16096 for
$222.27, although there are cheaper ones that look right. I do not know what the alleged problem is.
This one for $105 with free shipping says it
fits 1996 -1998 for Honda Civic HX.
How are the 1999 and 2000 different?
Rockauto has a Walker 16096 for $232.79 and a Bosal 099884 for $270.89. It calls those "Daily Driver." It has a Pacesetter 755002 for $161.99 and a Bosal 096884 for $294.89 under Premium.
AutoZone has the Walker 16096 for $379.99. O'Reilly's has a MagnaFlow 50602 for $412.99 ($305.41 on Amazon). Napa has one just like the Walker 16096, called the Napa 16096, but for $376.99.
Hey! $3 cheaper than AutoZone!
Do I want to spend $105 on a manifold and catalytic converter that may work or at least $222 for one that should definitely work?
Well, what about welding it?
Napa's JB Weld ExtremeHeat page says:
Quote:
|
Cast iron is very difficult to weld, it can be done, but the repairs are usually quite ugly and they don’t last very long. A proper cast iron weld require removing the part from service, pre-heating the part to near welding temps, welding the damage, and then slowly bringing the part back to room temperature. Most repair shops don’t have the capability of doing this
|
Makes sense, although both Napa and JB Weld are advertising.
Would you trust someone from Jay Leno's Garage:
He welds the part and I can find other videos of people welding cast iron successfully, but I do not have any equipment. There are only a handful of welding shops in the area.
On Monday I can call around and see what they say, but I would hate to pay for a repair that does not work.
I cannot find too much information aside from
242 reviews on Amazon. It is rated 3.5/5. Going through the one-star reviews, many people describe a watery substance that never hardened. Many others just did not give any details. This review was not encouraging: "I used this on an exhaust manifold. It held for a couple days. After that it kind of just flaked off little by little." [jaamzw] Many people said they prepared it correctly, but I bet there was at least some user error. One guy said to find his YouTube video. I was the fourteenth person to waste time watching his annoying video. He did not show any preparation or even describe it, but it cracked.
I inclined to believe that this guy did something wrong:
15/22 people who mentioned exhaust manifold in their review said that it worked. Did it last? One person wrote that JB Weld held until the car was properly fixed almost a year later, but there is a good chance that at least one person wrote a positive review, only to have it fail later, and they did not update Amazon.
So, this is interesting:
ChrisFix showed how to use this, but cut off the part of the package that said JB Weld, and used marker on the label. It worked for him, but he never reported back.
Here it is before I applied the paste:
It will cure in our garage in Arizona for four days before I work on it again.