Do I have a Cat?

[john <j.s.smith@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Hi,
When I bought my '89 325i years ago, I was told it had a cat. Over the
years various garages/shops etc have told me the car does/does not have
a cat. There are two silencer type things (mufflers) in the exhaust
system. One up front (pic on site below), and one at the rear. Can I
once and for all, settle this mystery via the expertise of this group?

I also think the car has an oxygen sensor and I also thought that if
there IS an O2 sensor then there is *always* a cat as well (but was
never really sure about that). Another thing I probably have confused is
that I thought the O2 sensor monitors unburnt oxygen *after* the cat -
but the suspected O2 sensor in my car is fitted before the cat ie just
after the exhaust manifold.

The car has always past the UK emission test and I have never changed
either the (suspected) sensor or the (suspected) cat! Seems pretty
amazing both still work after all this time?

Oh great fun eh! Well over to you Holmes :-)

Pic1: 
The suspected O2 sensor is at
www.telmek.net/pics/o2.jpg

Pic2:
and the suspected cat is at
www.telmek.net/pics/cat.jpg


Thanks

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