Greeting,
I have a 98 4.0 that has developed an exhaust leak on the Y pipe. Simple fix, right? Well, not so much... The one on the truck appears to be factory original, (with some of the original Ford stamp left) and has 2 O2 sensor bungs, and no converters. It bolts to a 3 bolt flange on a pipe with 2 inline cats and one bung after the rear converter. I have had the truck for 12+ years and it has never failed emissions, so I figure it is how it is supposed to be.

So now the fun... All the replacement Y pipes for 98 4.0s I find show 2 converters on the Y pipe, and some diagrams even show a total of 4 cats. I also have found replacements for the inline cat, some with one and some with 2 cats. I see diagrams of earlier years with just a plain Y pipe with 2 bungs.

If I go the easy (and expensive) route and put on the one with 2 additional cats, does this mess with the emission settings, or is there a source for a Y without converters that I just cant find?

This really shouldn't be this hard. If anyone has any input or experience on this, I would really be grateful.

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1998 Ranger Supercab XLT 2wd 4.0 Auto. 170 K miles. Pretty much rock stock