Clogged/bad Catalytic converter

89Firebird2.8 · #1 10-08-2007, 10:26 PM

What are signs of a Catalytic Converter on the way out or plugged?
I get a lot of white smoke when i start up, and some funky smells, along with a really low idle, low enough it almost stalls, for the first 10 seconds, before idling normally.

Morley · #2 10-09-2007, 12:31 PM

White "smoke" is water in the exhaust...like maybe blown head gasket.

89Firebird2.8 · #3 10-09-2007, 04:52 PM

Thing is, wouldn't i have to be losing water for it to be a head gasket?

Morley · #4 10-10-2007, 02:23 AM

A head gasket will leak water, but it may be a minute amount at a time, especially if you only drive like 10 miles at a time.

goldz28 · #5 10-10-2007, 02:32 AM

You can see white smoke from mine when its real cold outside. If a cat is bad it can smell like rotten eggs. Take it to a exhaust shop and they should be able to take a heat gun to it and tell if its working or not.

89Firebird2.8 · #6 10-10-2007, 05:00 PM

Somebody was telling me that it might be my vacuum system causing it to run like this, i don't see how it would create the smoke, but i do reckon it would cause a crappy idle.

also, today i put it up on ramps to get the starter off, and about 10 seconds before i crawled under, the ramps just COLLAPSED, FLAT!
I will NEVER EVER get underneath a car that is on ramps again. If i had been under there 10 seconds earlier.........

sdsniper · #7 10-12-2007, 10:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 89Firebird2.8

Somebody was telling me that it might be my vacuum system causing it to run like this, i don't see how it would create the smoke, but i do reckon it would cause a crappy idle.

also, today i put it up on ramps to get the starter off, and about 10 seconds before i crawled under, the ramps just COLLAPSED, FLAT!
I will NEVER EVER get underneath a car that is on ramps again. If i had been under there 10 seconds earlier.........

damn glad your alive. I always shake the car really hard before i get under...just to make sure. anyway i had white smoke coming out of my exhaust as well. Turned out i had a water leak on my fuel pump hose. i just fixed that now i don't really see any smoke coming out of it anymore. i wonder if its good just to replace a old cat with a new one.

89Firebird2.8 · #8 10-13-2007, 03:53 PM

Screw that, i'm not spending money on a cat, if i take it off, i'm putting a pipe in it's place. Round these parts, they don't sniff your exhaust.

POST REPLY TO THIS THREAD