Contour Enthusiasts Group Archives Forums General Troubleshooting EGPD Valve pipes come off

We still have OBD but need a fault code reader,why ford wouldn't install the CEL i don't know?? would be usefull really......

Tried holding the pipes on with clips and it runs even worse, still a slight wheezing noise (like gas escaping) under hard throttle but no power and sounds like its bogging down, has anyone had this before where the pressure blows the pipes off, no one seems to know?

I would agree with the above post that mentioned clogged pre-cats/cats. It's possible you may have a tennis ball stuck in your muffler, but plugged up cats are more likely and have the same effect. (Very high exhaust gas pressure which blows the EGR pipes off, no power, etc.)

spoke to a couple of mechanics about this and they have never heard of a cat causing this kind of problem, also the rattle was present one month ago and the car sailed through the mot no problem (same time), emisions were perfect gasses seem to escape ok from tail pipe and also there only seems to be one cat (part of the downpipe from manifold with lambda sensor on it) then to baffle and back box, I don't mean to sound ignorant but if i'm gonna spend money on a cat I would feel better if someone else had the same problem and resolve.

Do search using key word 'plugged catalytic' or variants. Most cases have been done under warranty (8yrs, 80k miles), but a few have gutted the pre-cats. Emissions test not usually a problem IIRC.

I'll post a link if I get a chance. Here's a good one:plugged cats

Curiouser and curiouser !

Charlie30, where are you? Year? Miles?

Symptoms are of a blocked exhaust, plugged cat or crushed pipe.

Get hold of an old vacuum/fuel pressure guage and put it on the EGR crossover pipe nipple closest to the exhaust manifold. (30 inches vacuum to 15 psi)

If you have any steady pressure while it's running (higher is worse), the exhaust cannot get out of the pipe. A good system will spike a couple of PSI when the throttle is opened but remain well under 1 psi otherwise.

With pressure in the exhaust the engine will suffocate.
This is usually a cat, but i have seen crushed pipes, and in rare instances the internals of a muffler come loose and block the exit.

It's up to you to find which part of the exhaust is at fault.

Charlie,

I've just went through the exact same problem you are having.

I was driving down the NJ TurnPike around 70-75mph when a loud whooshing noise from under the hood scared the hell out of me. I pulled over immediately and looked under the hood and could find nothing. The noise was deep inside near the rear of the engine. Anyway, I was able to drive a couple of hundred miles back home (I just wasn't able to get over 70mph no matter how I floored it.)

Long story short, I went to a shop and the mech found one of the DPFT (whatever the letters are) tubes had blown off. He said that it felt real loose when he pushed it back on and that it would probably pop off again. He didn't find anything wrong with my cat either. It popped off and I check the excellent advice here and determined that my cat was indeed blocked (it started getting harder to drive at hwy speed). I loosened the flange just in front of the main cat and my problems went away. (You must only loosen the flange as complete bypassing of the cat will cause your engine to stall - back pressure issue or something) Anyway that was my confirmation: a replacement cat was installed (along with a SVT exhaust ) And no problems with that since.

SO! Loosen the flange connection in front of your cat and see if your car runs better. Then you'll know your cat has given up it's nineth life.