Things You'll Need:
- Jack stands
- Ratchet wrench
- Floor jack
- Wooden board
- Penetrating oil
- New gasket
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Step 1
Raise and support the entire truck on jack stands. Disconnect the negative cable on the battery as a precaution.
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Step 2
Disengage the electrical connectors to the oxygen sensors. There are two oxygen sensors attached to each catalytic converter---a pre-converter sensor located near the front end of the converter and a post-converter sensor near the end.
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Step 3
Use a small ratchet wrench to remove the flange bolts connecting the catalytic converter to the exhaust pipe. Separate the pipe from the converter, and support the pipe. You can use the truck's floor jack, but place a board on top of the jack to keep it from damaging the pipe.
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Step 4
Remove the bolts that attach the converter's header pipe to the exhaust manifold. The studs and nuts here often are rusty, so apply penetrating oil to them for easier removal.
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Step 5
Take off the catalytic converter and its pipe assembly. Repeat for the other converter if needed.
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Step 6
Clean away any carbon deposits built up on the mounting flanges with brake cleaner or the penetrating oil. Discard the gaskets; use new gaskets on the flanges when the new catalytic converter is installed.
