Stupid CAT..
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Freshman User
Joined: Mar 2010
Posts: 33
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I want to ask what its clogged with... but a little oxy acetelyne in the back side, and light it off, that'll help blow it out.
Maybe put it on backwards?
For a cat to fill up, its either never hit operating temps or something is leaking into your exhaust and sludging it up.
Maybe put it on backwards?
For a cat to fill up, its either never hit operating temps or something is leaking into your exhaust and sludging it up.
Putting on backwards that works, I didn't know that. I'm thinking I need to educate myself on how the converter works.
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Freshman User
Joined: Mar 2010
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I would take you up on that except you are in Texas and I'm Cali. It would take to long for shipping. I can buy a new somewhere, right? Hopefully I can fix the one I have though
Tuned
Joined: Jun 2004
Posts: 338
Likes: 2
From: Northern MA
Converters generally don't care on direction, just a series of small tubes but yeah, I'm wondering what happened to it that caused this problem. Find a straight section near the cat, give yourself an inch or two and you can use the full wrap truck exhaust band clamps to put it back in place. Most of your driving around town? any oil consumption? seems like there must be a malfunction someplace.
Lead Driver
Joined: Jun 2007
Posts: 6,757
Likes: 5
From: Corvallis, OR
Do you mean forward of where it connects to the muffler? Back doesn't make sense. Anyway, you definitely cut the one-piece cat section and not the short piece behind it?
Tuned
Joined: Jun 2004
Posts: 338
Likes: 2
From: Northern MA
I will say my 99 7.3 seems to run cleaner after a 4500 mile weekend, half towing a trailer and seeing darned near 1200 degrees when climbing the big hills at speed and just a nick under 20 psi. Normally it puts around town with me keeping the EGT under 700
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Freshman User
Joined: Mar 2010
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Yes forward on the converter.
I bought the truck with 175,000 miles on it about 16 months ago. It has an under belly Tow lift on it. Used for Repossessing cars. So there has been a lot of driving around town, stopping, and towing. It hasn't burned oil since I've owned it. Ficm was bad a few months ago and would smoke a lot when I started it but other than that hasn't smoke at all.
I bought the truck with 175,000 miles on it about 16 months ago. It has an under belly Tow lift on it. Used for Repossessing cars. So there has been a lot of driving around town, stopping, and towing. It hasn't burned oil since I've owned it. Ficm was bad a few months ago and would smoke a lot when I started it but other than that hasn't smoke at all.
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Freshman User
Joined: Mar 2010
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Just went out and looked yes it's the one-piece cat-section
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Tuned
Joined: Jun 2004
Posts: 338
Likes: 2
From: Northern MA
Thinking further, I bet you could take it out and blow it back through with a pressure washer, I bet a city wrecker had a million hours of idiling and never ever got up to temps needed to clear out. Rather doubt water would bother it. skip the hot wax
Posting Guru
Joined: Sep 2009
Posts: 1,441
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Don't do this you'll just plug it up more (soot + water = paste) don't make a 'bomb' out of it either as previously mentioned, post explosive gasses (the force) always seeks the path of lowest resistance i.e. through the open ends not through the catalyst. Just knock the whole catalyst comb out of the cat with a bar and hammer and bolt/weld it back on. People have been gutting cats since the day they were put onto cars... Here's a tutorial: http://www.ehow.com/how_4720012_punc...converter.html
Tuned
Joined: Jun 2004
Posts: 338
Likes: 2
From: Northern MA
I was thinking if the pipe section was cut free, stood on end and then just rip it clean with a pressure washer. Should work great for flushing it out. I dunno, I don't think my cat is holding me back at all. It tows, it boosts, it scoots, thats what I need.
Then just mig it back in or clamp it.
Posting Guru
Joined: Sep 2009
Posts: 1,441
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Side note: It's very easy to get a fuel injection system to backfire but I don't know why you brought that up...?
Your pressure washer idea isn't a bad idea. I just think it'll make a bigger mess than simply knocking the comb out of the cat and being done with it once and for all. Soot and water is a bitch to clean up unless you have ethanol or the like to aide in cleaning.
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Freshman User
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Just wanted to update this thread. I ended up gutting my cat. It didn't look that bad some black inside the honey comb but that is to be expected. I took it down to a muffler shop to have the piece welded back on. The guy there suggested replacing the muffler, says that a clogged muffler could create the no boost situation. Decided for $200 might as well. So in the end I don't know if the problem was from the cat or the muffler but it's running great finally. Thanks you all for the great advise.
Master of Strokes
Joined: Mar 2007
Posts: 6,808
Likes: 25
From: CA
Rather than splitting it open, just knock all the guts out with a long bar, called "gutting the cat" and put it back on. It will look stock in case you ever get a visual inspection ($10k federal fine to remove emissions equipment). Some people say you get weird drones, so if that's an issue you can shove a straight pipe through it.