Help!! SES is on!

[JKlug23]

Last night I was heading out of town for a while and as I was on my way back my car started to act up and the SES light was blinking on and off! So i stoped the car and it would barely idle but would not die and i was out in the counrty so i drove it back to town but it had no power and sounded bad, when i got to town i looked at everything i could think of but everything looked fine intell i looked at the cat and it was glowing bright red and the pipe after was glow some too. any ideas what it could be? I just had my cat replaced month or so ago cuz it was pluged.

Sorry about the long post just wanted to get the whole story.
Info: 2000 firebird 35000 miles

[BLLDOGG]

Re: Help!! SES is on!

well, sounds like she is plugged again. take it to a dealership and have the code scanned and the cat replaced since you are still under the 8yr, 80K mile federal warranty. If it was a factory cat you replaced it with just before, you need to have them find out why it is clogging. something is causing it to plug and you don't want to be stuck with engine failure because of it.

[JKlug23]

Re: Help!! SES is on!

Yeah that is what i thought it could be. I know a older lady had it before me so it kind of explains the first one being pluged. Have any idea why it could be pluged again?

[bradmb]

Re: Help!! SES is on!

hitting bumps and stuff. i live downtown, and the roads suck. my apt complex has some speed bumps and they rub or bump my exhaust about were the cat is if i drive too fast. a more permanent fix would be tro take the cat off and just clean it out and weld it back on. :)

[BLLDOGG]

Re: Help!! SES is on!

running rich can cause it

[JKlug23]

Re: Help!! SES is on!

Yeah i was wondering about running rich, But i started it up again and i am really thinkin its not the cat at all more like a cylinder not firing and the cat is just burnin the gas, explains y glowing. the last person who owned it let it sit for quite awhile. i bought it 5 months ago and it only had 22000 miles on it. anyone run into cylinder not firing or anything like that.

[bradmb]

Re: Help!! SES is on!

if its been sitting, you should get a tune up. and maybe some fuel additives to clean it up some.

[JKlug23]

Re: Help!! SES is on!

Alright, today i took it in and it was a bad coil. so it was a cylinder not fireing and the unburned fuel was the reason y the cat was glowing. haha thats wat you get when your car just sit so get out there and drive them.

[97rs4life]

Re: Help!! SES is on!

good to hear you didn't need to swap cats again and you got it all solved.