**HEED THIS WARNING ABOUT PLUGGED CAT**

[TheGossert]

My nightmare is over. My clogged catalytic converter caused the following problems:

1)50 mph max.
2)overheating
3)tranny unable to grab 3rd gear due to lack of power.
4)I over-revved the engine on the highway in 2nd gear and blew the rear main seal.

I gutted the cat and replaced the rear main seal and now my car drives like a police interceptor. Which, is ironic, because if the feds realize I gutted the cat, that's the exact car that will escort me to the pokey. I'll soon buy a high-performance cat.

Larry

[bigun]

been there done that last year my 91 Dodge started giving so much trouble that my helper said "please fix this this is the most dependable vehicle in the neighborhood and it is scary to think that it might break down." it had 218,000 then now 245,000 now

[Georgia Mike]

When I did the exhaust on my '83,I had planned on reusing the cat,as it looked fairly new on the outside. I pulled it off to replace to pipe forward of it. When I got ready to reinstall it I looked down into it from the "IN" side,and it looked great! I thought "Cool,I don't have to buy a new one!" When I went to put it on the pipe,I caught a glimpse of something inside on the "OUT" side. I looked down into it and the honeycomb material was burned completely away through the first half of the material. I soon surmised that the idiots at the muffler shop (from PO's ownership days) had installed it backwards! I wondered how someone that does this day in and day out could miss it being clearly stamped "-->FLOW-->",but then I realized once again, stupidity never ceases to amaze me :D

[ August 20, 2003, 01:37 PM: Message edited by: Georgia Mike ]

[SpruceMoose]

"I'll soon buy a high-performance cat."

yeah. OK. ;)

sm.

[mtn goat]

If your cats clogged up...just put some ex-lax in a bit of lunch meat...should clear it right out...

Seriously, what are the signs of a dying cat...

[Bosox Al]

MY cat's pretty high performance now,.. maybe because the dog's alway's chasing him!!!! Just kidding guys, through most of georgia there's no emmission's testing so i dont have or need one but should i ever move or have to sell it im up the creek!!!!

[AMX factor]

There's a guy selling Catco hi po cats for like $40 plus shipping on ebay. He has all sizes and lengths.

[billyrb]

Originally posted by mtn goat:
........Seriously, what are the signs of a dying cat...I would think lack of movement....almost a lethargic attitude.....maybe some deep meowing, kinda like a groaning sound.....loss of bowel control.....along those lines....

[TheGossert]

That clogged cat caused me more headaches than any other car problem, ever!! The reason: I just thought a restricted exhaust robbed you of horsepower, now I know it can rob you of your SANITY!!

Not one mechanic told me the cat was the source of ALL my problems. I installed an aux. electric fan, new clutch fan, 4 core radiator, hi-perf. water pump and new thermostat, and still the car overheated. Nobody at the radiator shop surmised that the cat was the cause.

And, I nearly bought a new tranny because it slipped in and out of 3rd gear. Who knew that a clogged exhaust saps so much power that the tranny can't operate properly. Of course, the tranny shop was thrilled about having me as a new customer.

Then, the final blow came when I kept driving the car in 2nd gear on the highway and pushing the redline, thereby blowing out the rear main seal.

NOTE: IF YOUR CAR RUNS WELL AND YOU HAVE DECENT POWER UNTIL THE CAR WARMS UP, AND THEN, WHEN YOUR CAR REACHES NORMAL OPERATING TEMPS., YOU NOTICE A BIG LOSS OF POWER AND YOUR TRANNY SLIPS IN AND OUT OF 3RD GEAR AND YOU CAN'T CLIMB HILLS, YOUR CAT IS PROBABLY CLOGGED.

Larry

[ August 21, 2003, 10:21 AM: Message edited by: TheGossert ]

[tuckers89GW]

I hope this cat isn't the one that was stuck in the air cleaner, cause if so, HOW DID YOU GET HIM OUT!!!!!!!!!!

If you don't have emmissions testing, just forget to buy a new one

[brent]

This is got me thinking about stuff.....
what's the "normal" life expentancy on a catalytic converter? Receipts left by the PO show mine was last replaced in '97.
Brent

[krob725]

mine is VERY hiperformance, as in hollow!
i've plugged alot of cats with a pellet gun ;)

[jeepmandan]

Originally posted by tuckers89GW:

If you don't have emmissions testing, just forget to buy a new oneYeah, de smog that sucker! No more emissions testing here in MN!

[Spudz]

Just for kicks if you've got someone who can test for free (buddy at a garage with a Sun analyzer or something), test it once now and once after the new cat. I'd be interested to see how much of a difference a cat REALLY makes on the numbers. We have emissions tests here, and it's "illegal" to not have cats, but then again they don't look so how would they know if the numbers were still less than failing? I've passed emissions with a 258 sans air pump, which I thought would make me fail since the cat would not be doing as good a job, but I was still at 50% of the fail spec on hydrocarbons (which is what the cat eliminates, right?). If they don't look, and you don't fail based on numbers, is it really wrong? smile.gif

Judging from the nasty letter I got telling me my plates are suspended, I have to take my 76 in for its first testing which the PO (in Colorado) had kindly removed air pump and all the lines (crimped at the manifolds), and also installed a sidepipe dual exhaust with no cats and no crossover pipe so I guess I'll know by how much I fail by (being it's a 401 also, pretty sure I'll fail miserably, but will be ecstatic if I pass somehow). Our emissions testing people are pretty dumb anyway, heck they blew up the trans in my good old AMC Concord and got away with it (and it got sent to the crusher for sitting out back of the trans shop for too long, out from under my nose during the whole lengthy claims process, they notified the shop that my claim was denied but never told me anything! so the guy at the shop assumed I didn't want it or something while I thought I was still waiting for an answer, and the cops were bugging him and so off it went). Needless to say I feel as though I'd like to cheat them as much as possible now, just trying to figure out how much that is. smile.gif

[TheGossert]

Originally posted by brent:
This is got me thinking about stuff.....
what's the "normal" life expentancy on a catalytic converter? Receipts left by the PO show mine was last replaced in '97.
BrentIf you're running too rich, you can destroy a catalytic converter in no time. That's why it's important to correct all problems with the carb. before installing a new cat.

Larry

[ August 22, 2003, 09:55 AM: Message edited by: TheGossert ]

[Cory]

is it possible for the cat to go awry, after putting on a ne carburetor?

[BIG BAD JON]

Originally posted by mtn goat:
If your cats clogged up...just put some ex-lax in a bit of lunch meat...should clear it right out...

Seriously, what are the signs of a dying cat...Ive heard cashews work as well... :cool: