I think my cat is clogged?

[wiweeds]

lately my car is being a pile and refuses to run well and after a little research I believe my cat is clogged. At idle it rattles like nobody's business. Also I have a great amount of trouble getting to highway speed and can not physically get my car over 4k rpms. If I take it slow and steady and shift at like 3k rpm getting on the highway I can get on at like 50mph. But yesterday I could not get to 70. I had it to the floor at 3k rpms and it stayed there it wouldn't go up at all. At the same time I noticed a burning smell to me it smelled like clutch but I kno mine is fine and what sounded like the sucking of a vacuum. I am also aware my EGR needs to be replaced. Im sorry for the mess but these are all of my thoughts in one big heap. Does this sound like the symptoms of clogged cat? Thanks in advance you guys have always been a big help!

[whitdog54]

Re: I think my cat is clogged?

were you throwing any codes? Try cleaning or replacing that egr first. Does sound like clogged cat tho. Good excuse to a get a hi-flow!

[Atrum Rosa]

Re: I think my cat is clogged?

Get under the car and look :) If the cat looks fried, then it is. A severely clogged cat can also throw random misfire codes. Smack the cat a few times and listen for anything rattling inside.

[wiweeds]

Re: I think my cat is clogged?

lol Every once in a while the ses light will come on but last time i scanned it it was egr. I cleaned it but it didnt do the job. I wanna fix this asap I dont think its even safe to drive on the highway at such a low speed!

[wiweeds]

Re: I think my cat is clogged?

sorry fo the double post but I looked and everything is pretty rusted under there so its hard to tell but it looks bad lol. also i forgot to mention my mpg is like 10 but i think thats the egr's fault. But now that u mention it I recall getting a misfire code a while back ill have to scan it again tomorrow. Ill let you guys kno my findings.
Thanks!

[ACiFiC]

Re: I think my cat is clogged?

hahaha 10mpg.. its like your driving a hummer.

[bwkmaro]

Re: I think my cat is clogged?

10 mpg isnt just your egr lol your cat is plugged and change it soon b4 you need o2's too

[flamingchicken]

Re: I think my cat is clogged?

well you gotta replace the cat anyways if its clogged, so what i did was pry the case apart and jam a screw driver in there to break up the catalyst till i could get it replaced. try that and see if it works, if you wanna risk it. if its not your cat and that doesnt fix your problem, then youll still need to replace it.

[Bonemaro]

Re: I think my cat is clogged?

I had this same problem a few years ago. A piece of the ceramic substrate broke loose inside the cat and was restricting the flow. I couldn't get the car to tach past 2500 RPM and it rattled like crazy.

[whitdog54]

Re: I think my cat is clogged?

http://www.gvperformance.com/store/i...d&productId=93

there you go :)

[wiweeds]

Re: I think my cat is clogged?

Well today I got under thre and smacked it and it rattled. It also has a huge dent in it lol. My dad put his hand behind the exhaust pipe while I reved it and said there was a lot of flow and said it prolloy wasn't the cat but I'm checking it anyway. Also after I revved it there was a small puddle of gas about a foot away from it. Thanks guys

[Mighty Thor]

Re: I think my cat is clogged?

Sometimes a clogged up cat won't throw any codes at all. By the way you described it I would say it is your cat. Your car would have so much back pressure that it won't build up speed at all and it won't up shift properly.

[ssms5411]

Re: I think my cat is clogged?

Time to run a straight pipe. LOL

[bwkmaro]

Re: I think my cat is clogged?

the motor is still gunna push just as much air other wise it wouldent run at all. its about how hot that air gets.......

[3.4grapeofwrath]

Re: I think my cat is clogged?

You can drill and tap a 1/8'' pipe fitting before and after the cat in the exhaust pipe. Install (1) brass fittings with barb in one hole and a 1/8'' plug in the other hole. Attach a hose and pressure gauge. Take a reading before and after the cat. If it's clogged you should see a noticable difference.
When your finished intall two plugs.