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Question about cat

C

codypka

Veteran CEG'er
Joined
May 31, 2006
Messages
657
Location
Magnolia, NJ
My 2000 CSVT (110,000 miles) was in the shop the other day to get allignment and tires balanced. I paid for the shop to do i diagnostic on the engine to figuere out why I've been gettin piss poor gas millage (around 20 mpg sometimes worse), and why it just doesnt seem to be running strong. He said the most likely cause was that the cat was clogged. Does this sound right? I had a CEL code for the cat a few months ago but it went away. Also, is this why people "gut" the cat? Would gutting it help my problem? If so, how is it done, and what exactly does "gutting" do?
 
Does your exhaust smell a bit of rotten eggs? Also, having clogged cats robs you of power. To gut the cats you simply take a hammer or something and just bash out all of the "mesh" that is inside. Doing this will restore your original, stock power that you once had.
 
If your cat is truly clogged (and it shouldnt be unless you're buring oil) you normally will get an eggy sulfur smell from the exhaust. There is no code for a bad cat so I'm assuming it was an oxygen sensor code you assumed meant the cat was bad. As for gutting the cat, people do that either because the cat is clogged and they dont want to pay for a replacement or because they want to eliminate the flow restriction in their exhaust but still look like they have a cat for visual inspection.
 
I thought there were codes for cat. inefficiency or something like that. Also I thought that running excessively rich could melt down the inside of the cat, causing the inefficiency code mentioned before. If the cat is restricted there is a reason for it. That problem should probably be addressed as well.
 
the code i had was this: P0420 Catalyst System Efficiency below Limit - Bank No 1.

i went out and smelled my exhaust. I did not detect a rotten egg smell
 
P0420

P0420

I know on some of the older cars the first fix recommended for p0420 was to check / replace engine coolant temp sending unit. If it was not working correctly the comp. thinks the engine is cold and it runs rich. This can cause problems with the cat. With the fuel mix correct that can help with mileage. Dan.
 
Dan the rug man said:
I know on some of the older cars the first fix recommended for p0420 was to check / replace engine coolant temp sending unit. If it was not working correctly the comp. thinks the engine is cold and it runs rich. This can cause problems with the cat. With the fuel mix correct that can help with mileage. Dan.
Click to expand...

you say "older cars". mine is a 2000, and it was made pretty late, #1633, so i dont think i would qualify?
 
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