Stupid catalytic converters!!!

[GETGONE]

I REALLY hate stupid catalytic convertors!!! I had issues with my car(the V6) which I thought was a trans issue as sometimes getting on the expressway and accelerating up to speed it would not want to shift and the trans would feel like it was slipping and the check engine light would flash. If I let off and let it shift into 4th and it would lock up and the check engine light would go away. It only did this getting on the expressway and only every great once in a while. I had changed the trans fluid and filter and added some Lucas trans slip additive and that seemed to help. Then last week Friday, I got on the expressway coming home from work and it was REALLY bad slipping and no power. I took it to the trans shop. The guy looked at it and said it wasn't making enough power so the trans wasn't getting the command to shift. He said the only code he saw was a misfire. He said his son would really like to diagnose the problem and he was the computer engine/trans expert and was on vacation for a week. He suggested I try cleaning the MAF as he has seen cars lose a much as 60hp from a dirty MAF! I did that and it didn't help. I could feel it sputtering and missing so I thought maybe I had a bad coil. I had replaced the plugs and wires last summer when I got the car. I ordered up some new coils from Summit. Put those on...same problem. I was getting frustrated and thought...it sounds a bit funny, like there's a leak or rattle in the exhaust that I hadn't noticed before. I get under the car and knock on the cat and could hear it rattle. GREAT...a bad cat! I'm so SICK of replacing these things on every used vehicle I have! Luckily I looked and the in service date was 4/21/00 and I was at just over 77,500 miles. The warranty on the cat is 8 years 80K miles! I took it to Berger on Monday and they found it was a bad cat and they had to order one. I thought it was strange it never set a check engine light for the cat as usually that throws a cat efficiency threshold code. Anyways, I took it to Berger today and got it replaced along with the front O2 sensors. I couldn't get them out myself and broke my O2 socket trying to get out the one I could get it on! They had to torch them out and then one of the threads was messed up so they had to retap it. I had the sensors already but cost my and hour and a half of labor ($80) to have them replaced. MAN WHAT A DIFFERENCE!!! It has power again! No more rattling and now I have my new O2 sensors in and new coils. I've got a Magnaflow exhaust on order that I was hoping would show up today but looks like it's not gonna show. Hopefully this is the last of the mechanical issues I have to deal with on this car!

Yeah...I wrote a small novel!

[JoeliusZ28]

that reminds me i have some bad cats to pawn off on ebay.

oh yea, i agree

[BP_Z28]

It doesnt like you because you show the SS and Iroc more love!

[GETGONE]

NONE of my cars like me! I had to replace the one in my 98 S10 but that was under warranty. I had to replace the one in my 98 Sonoma TWICE. The first time I was 1K miles over the warranty and they wouldn't cover it or cut me a deal. Then the one I put in went out at about 28K miles and it only had a 2 year 24K mile warranty. I thought the one in my 91 Blazer was bad so I hollowed it out. I know I've had other past vehicles I've had to repalce cats on as well.

[cobalt camaro]

it's a very common problem on the 6's, glad you got it fixed, i don't know how much you plan on spending on the v6 but i put the high flow magnaflow cat, and the zzperformance simulator on, and problem solved. Well hopefully it's the last of your problems

[81DaytonaPaceCar]

Although it's a crappy story, it's really good info...one to remember...

[GETGONE]

I had a lean fuel issue that I kept trying to figure out and found it was a leaking vaccum fitting. Then it came back about a month later as the replacement piece broke. I'm sure that didn't help the cat any. I had a weird O2 code as well but when I replaced the rear one it went away. Now the fronts are replaced as well. Since the cat was under warranty I'll make due with the factory piece. They replace the whole Y pipe/cat assembly which is nice. I already have a Whisper lid on it and a Hypertech programmer. I have an RS spoiler for it and I finished my rear defrost add on. I just need to repaint the car from the doors back and I'm probably done with it. It's supposed to be my daily driver but I always dump money into them to make them look/perform better.

[badinfluence]

!cat, problem solved

[GETGONE]

Although it's a crappy story, it's really good info...one to remember...

Yeah..it's the first time I've had a cat go bad and severely effect performance and NOT throw a code for the cat. It seems to shift fine now that it's been replaced. I'm gonna beat on it a little this weekend to make sure there isn't a trans issue as well. From the guy's Tech 2 he said it was shifting good when it was commanded to, it just wasn't making power at the top of 2nd and 3rd gears to get it to be commanded to shift. If I lifted it would shift then be OK. Really odd problem. Hopefully thats the end of them!

[BP_Z28]

When you replaced the cat..you bought a stock one under warranty?

[GETGONE]

NO, factory cars have a FEDERAL emissions warranty on the cat that is good for 8 years or 80K miles. IT WAS FREE!!! Normal car warranty is 3 years 36K miles but the cat warranty is longer due to Federal emissions laws. I paid $80 to have them replace the front two O2 sensors that I already had. They were rusted in solid so they had to torch them out and on one, retap the threads cuz they stripped out while getting it out.

It freaking flys now compared to what it was! I wonder how long this cat has been going bad. I don't even remember it having this much power when I bought it last year.

[BP_Z28]

ooh ok gotcha

[transampimp]

My moms Astro van had the same thing happen. We thought it was the tranny. Even took it to a tranny shop and they said it was the tranny. Ended up being a bad cat. You should use some sea foam in the intake to blow that carbon out now.

[81DaytonaPaceCar]

This is making me wonder if my cat isn't fried..ok it probably is...

But my DD has 90K and still has the original exhaust on it...no noise, no rattles, no idiot lights, no bad shifts, but it just has me thinking...

[GETGONE]

I've never had luck with cats lasting much over 80K. That's why I'm glad this one died while still under warranty. I read that this was a $600 part from GM since it's the whole Y pipe/cat combo.