Dolemike

anyone?

xviper

hehe, sorry, I thought you were asking a rhetorical question.

Of, course, anything is possible and you "could" have a damaged cat plate. This has been reported before, causing the cat O2 sensor to get melted.
Are you sure you're out of the emissions warranty? This one is a lot longer than the basic powertrain warranty. If you are indeed out of emissions warranty, usually an aftermarket cat will not only be a cheaper than an OEM cat, but it will flow a little bit better. In this case, perhaps only slightly better flow as the OEM cat is already a high-flow cat. If you don't have stiff emissions testing in your area AND if you determine that your cat is gonzo, then you may as well do the test pipe and O2 simulator.
To get the primary sensor out, you need to trace the wiring to the connector. It might be tight but if you fiddle, you should be able to disconnect it. It's tucked up just under the floorpan and the cat or the tranny casing may be obstructing access to it. Then unscrew it from the header and replace it with a new one.

Dolemike

Im not sure if im out of warranty or not... all I know is I have 92k miles on my01 and I bought it used. Should I decide to go with a high flow cat what ones would be good selections? Magnaflow or something? I would like the test pipe but Im not much for my bumper turning yellow plus im not all that sure on how tight the emissions really are here so I figured maybe a high flow cat would be safer.

I also still have questions on if different o2 sensors have an effect on the performance of the car. Bosch universal, the Civic o2 mod, etc. Or is it if it fits it works kind of deal.

xviper

Best to ask. Emissions warrantees are quite long. A cat is a very pricey item.
I can't answer any of your other questions.

Slows2k

Just to clarify, you will not see a bank 2 02 sensor code on a inline 4 cylinder engine. Bank 2 is for V configuration engines, with 2 exhaust manifolds. On a S you will see bank1 sensor 1 (Primary 02, the one in the header) or bank 1 sensor 2, (Secondary 02 in the convertor)

Dolemike

Where can I get a test pipe from?

revhi

comptech, I think there are a few more.

xviper

AJ Racing
BoomPlusToys

-these are board vendors.

CwestinAP1

seems like a lot of '01s including mine probably have bad o2 sensors.

alexf20c

Just get a damn hi-flow cat. The gains, if any, from a test pipe aren't worth the hassle. If you want to pass emissions, just keep the damn thing. If it does make it louder, if it does free up horsepower, you can't tell a damn thing. If you do decide to go with a test pipe, you might as well opt for the NOS Octane Booster and Bosch Platinum +4 spark plugs. I heard they increase horsepower as well.

All I know is that on a heads/cam/spray LS6, two hi-flow catalytic converters meant a difference of only 20whp. And it still made 630whp. That's a percentage loss of ~3%. Read: Jack shit.