I'm working on a 2006 Ford Five Hundred with a 3.0. It's EGR malfunctioned, stuck open, and burned a hole through the side of the plastic intake manifold. I just installed a new EGR and a used manifold. When I was done, it started right up and ran for about 30 seconds. I shut it down to button up a few things under the hood, and when I went to start it up for the shakedown run, it would only sputter and cough. I thought that maybe it had air in the fuel lines from me cracking the supply line to the fuel rail.

Right now, the battery is low, so I am charging it up. I pulled the negative battery cable off while charging on the theory that the computer may be operating on a messed up fuel curve, since the engine was run for quite a few miles with the hole in the intake, causing a very lean burn. My theory is that if I get the computer to reset, it will go back to it's normal fuel curve.

Is this correct, or am I off in left field?

 

Update:

I let the battery charge for about an hour, then reconnected it. When I tried to start it, it was still the same; sputter cough, cough.

What would the symptoms be for a clogged catalytic converter?

 

Ok, here's what happened, the 3rd catalytic converter (not one of the two on the exhaust manifolds) clogged up with some sort of junk. It looked like it was fiberglass with little metal flecks mixed in. I simply pulled the cat off and banged it on the cement gently to loosen up the crud, then I stuck a long air nozzle down in the other side and blew out all of the junk. I put it back on the car and it runs like a top now.

I think that the clogged cat probably caused exessive backpressure, causing extra exhaust gasses to be forced through the EGR, burning a hole into the wall of the intake.

What I want to know is what is that fiberglass looking crud?