Clogged Precats! Need some advice!

Contour Enthusiasts Group Archives

You guys have been great over the years!

I have a 2000 atx v6 and the precats have been shot for a year- car was running OK but now it is stumbling at partial throttle. Any advice as to what I should do?
1) Have a mechanic clean out the precats?
2) Cut the dang things off and replace with a pipe?
3) Get a used header?

Thanks guys! If anyone has a pair of used exhaust manifolds or headers in decent shape I'm willing to buy'em!

Thanks for all of your help!

Cheers,
Albert

albertucsb@yahoo.com

Gut them or buy headers. Theres nothing you can really replace with straight pipe or clean. Your other option would be to buy new precats which will set you back about $1000+.

$200 msds headers. search "group buy" forum for "grassroots"

Originally posted by albertucsb:
You guys have been great over the years!

I have a 2000 atx v6 and the precats have been shot for a year- car was running OK but now it is stumbling at partial throttle. Any advice as to what I should do?
1) Have a mechanic clean out the precats?
2) Cut the dang things off and replace with a pipe?
3) Get a used header?

Thanks guys! If anyone has a pair of used exhaust manifolds or headers in decent shape I'm willing to buy'em!

Thanks for all of your help!

Cheers,
Albert

albertucsb@yahoo.com

id say if u have the money buy headers, if u dont just gut the precats till u have the money to either get another y-pipe or headers

Originally posted by posthuman63t:
$200 msds headers. search "group buy" forum for "grassroots"

You're gunna need to add about andother 150 to cover shipping and coating, sicne they are not SS they will rust.

Originally posted by albertucsb:
You guys have been great over the years!

I have a 2000 atx v6 and the precats have been shot for a year- car was running OK but now it is stumbling at partial throttle. Any advice as to what I should do?
1) Have a mechanic clean out the precats?
2) Cut the dang things off and replace with a pipe?
3) Get a used header?

Thanks guys! If anyone has a pair of used exhaust manifolds or headers in decent shape I'm willing to buy'em!

Thanks for all of your help!

Cheers,
Albert

albertucsb@yahoo.com

8yrs or 80k miles for the Emissions Warranty. Take it to Ford and have them replaced. Otherwise, IMO, you are wasting any money.

GUT EM!

Sure, jump right in. Destroy an expensive set of cats before you really know if it is actually the problem.

You havn't described enough for me to go after the cats.

Have you driven the car with a fuel pressure gauge hooked up? From what little you have described, you could have a fuel supply problem.

So go ahead. And if that doesn't work, try a new set of plugs, then wires, then whatever comes to mind. By the time your done it may still run bad and you have spent enough that your could have bought another car.

Look into fuel supply problems. Your problem sounds similar to many other late 99 and 00 Contours with returnless fuel system and a plugged fuel pump intake screen.

Have fun!

Originally posted by albertucsb:
..I have a 2000 atx v6 and the precats have been shot for a year- car was running OK but now it is stumbling at partial throttle. Any advice as to what I should do?..

Scan for CEL codes and post (this is very important as it will "confirm", maybe, if you really need to gut the precats or need new precats). Change the fuel filter and see if it improves. If not, then it could be the fuel pump/screen as Big Jim alluded to.

Yeah, if it's definitely the precats and you are under 80k def take it to ford for the 8yr/80k emissions warranty. I did this recently and I'm getting them replaced for free this weekend. No diagnostic fee or anything, it's all covered under the warranty.

Def post the CEL codes here first though so people can tell you if that's the problem.

Originally posted by hotdimmes:
Yeah, if it's definitely the precats and you are under 80k def take it to ford for the 8yr/80k emissions warranty. I did this recently and I'm getting them replaced for free this weekend. No diagnostic fee or anything, it's all covered under the warranty.

Def post the CEL codes here first though so people can tell you if that's the problem.

good luck with that , ask Pre-98 ford will [censored] on and u say not our problem. He even threatened to call the Better business Bereu(sp?) and even brougt his brother in the stirr up some rukus. They basically told him they cant do anything about it.

Originally posted by bobbyd:

Originally posted by hotdimmes:
Yeah, if it's definitely the precats and you are under 80k def take it to ford for the 8yr/80k emissions warranty. I did this recently and I'm getting them replaced for free this weekend. No diagnostic fee or anything, it's all covered under the warranty.

Def post the CEL codes here first though so people can tell you if that's the problem.

good luck with that , ask Pre-98 ford will [censored] on and u say not our problem. He even threatened to call the Better business Bereu(sp?) and even brougt his brother in the stirr up some rukus. They basically told him they cant do anything about it.

Sounds like someone went about it the wrong way. Go in like an ass, get treated like an ass.

yeah, I didnt really go in demanding anything. I called them, said the CEL was on, made an appointment for a diagnostic. They checked it out and said it was the precats(which I had already knew and researched) and that I didn't have to pay a dime under the emissions warranty.

Actually, to be honest the guy said that CT has a 7/70 emissions warranty and I told him no way thats true...he went and talked to a supervisor and came back to apologize to me.

I honestly don't know how ford can deny you this if you fit the qualifications. I read through the emissions warranty paper and it very clearly states that it covers the precats. You should be able to slap them in the face with that paper if they give you grief!

Originally posted by bobbyd:

Originally posted by hotdimmes:
Yeah, if it's definitely the precats and you are under 80k def take it to ford for the 8yr/80k emissions warranty. I did this recently and I'm getting them replaced for free this weekend. No diagnostic fee or anything, it's all covered under the warranty.

Def post the CEL codes here first though so people can tell you if that's the problem.

good luck with that , ask Pre-98 ford will [censored] on and u say not our problem. He even threatened to call the Better business Bereu(sp?) and even brougt his brother in the stirr up some rukus. They basically told him they cant do anything about it.

well there was a reason that his car wasn't covered by the emissions warrenty, alhtough when I think of it now I suppose it should have been, depends if O2 sensors are covered or not.

Anyway ask Pre98, I scanned his Cels at SZ last year and not only did he have the pre cat code he had O2 codes. It often happens that if you get a O2 code you will also get a pre-cat code, I know as this happened to me. To have Ford reprogram the PCM or replace your pre-cats per emissions warrenty the only code has to be one for the pre-cats and not any for the O2 sensors. I think all was taken care of as he replaced the O2 sensors in the hotel parking lot during SZ

Originally posted by RTStabler51:

Originally posted by bobbyd:

Originally posted by hotdimmes:
Yeah, if it's definitely the precats and you are under 80k def take it to ford for the 8yr/80k emissions warranty. I did this recently and I'm getting them replaced for free this weekend. No diagnostic fee or anything, it's all covered under the warranty.

Def post the CEL codes here first though so people can tell you if that's the problem.

good luck with that , ask Pre-98 ford will [censored] on and u say not our problem. He even threatened to call the Better business Bereu(sp?) and even brougt his brother in the stirr up some rukus. They basically told him they cant do anything about it.

Sounds like someone went about it the wrong way. Go in like an ass, get treated like an ass.

no he actually didnt go in as an ass, Sh!t only went sour when they told him they wont do it and he thought that they HAD to do it b/c it should have been covered b/c he only had just under 50k on the car, but now that i come to think of it , i think he was just over the 8 year part of the 80k/8 year deal and dint know it.

anyways my sis bf had done it b4 and scared them shitless so they had to do the work , actually my family does get away with alot of stuff buy being an ass, i think im the only one who doesnt act like the rest of them haha.

Originally posted by BrApple:

Originally posted by bobbyd:

Originally posted by hotdimmes:
Yeah, if it's definitely the precats and you are under 80k def take it to ford for the 8yr/80k emissions warranty. I did this recently and I'm getting them replaced for free this weekend. No diagnostic fee or anything, it's all covered under the warranty.

Def post the CEL codes here first though so people can tell you if that's the problem.

good luck with that , ask Pre-98 ford will [censored] on and u say not our problem. He even threatened to call the Better business Bereu(sp?) and even brougt his brother in the stirr up some rukus. They basically told him they cant do anything about it.

I think all was taken care of as he replaced the O2 sensors in the hotel parking lot during SZ

well if he did do that i dont think it was the 02s then, he still has the CEL on and alot of the times when hes pushing teh car u get that familiar egg smell. But he does have headers and y-pipe hes just waiting to have them installed