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Is it possible for a faulty cat to cause engine problems?i have just had my cat replaced with a custom made pipe(courtesy of my mate) to see if my cat has been holding me back and it does seem a lot smoother between gear changes.

But i think i need a new set of plugs again second set in less second set in less than 12 months could a dodgy cat be causing this?everytime i leave my car overnight and i start her up she splutters and then i get full power after about a 10 second delay any ideas?

before you inform me i know my car wont pass mot without a cat its only a temporary measure does anyone know where i can get a cat from for a good price cheapest so far is £93.50 chears guys!
 
keep checking ebay for a cat. i bought a spare one for £10, keep it boxed up under the stairs incase i need it.
 
cats-direct is about the cheapest, but if you can compare one of their cats to a more expensive one, well theirs look like a monkey with broken fingers welded them up. that said, if they last till you sell the car its fine. i think cats-direct give a 2yr guarantee against workmanship, but they do strike me as being the king of organisation who will fight against returns, and say anythig to get out of it.

Buzz (formerly LightWarrior)
The champion of the Bravo 1.4
Owner of the Bravo 1.8
http://www.bravo-guide.co.uk/members/59ianalexandria.htm
 
I assume the cat is off the car from what you say.

There are some very simple tests you can perform, they do require a very specialist bit of test equipment though... your eye.

Hold the cat up to the light, if you can see light through it then its probably OK.

cat4.jpg

This is how it should look.

A failed cat will also fail emissions, thats an easy check.
 
lol cheers tom i wear glasses so i will struggle, my mate showed me the inside and it certainly doesnt look like that and he said at the time it was knakered!

I always like to get a second opinion and i know advice from yourself and others is top notch:)

Just out of interest would a knakered cat cause engine problesm eg ruining plugs?cheers
 
If the cat is blocked the engine will be working against the pressure it causes in the exhaust.
 
slichtly different tangent for this.
now i was taught at college that if you have a missfire on an engine with a cat then generally the cat will have died due to the presence of neat fuel in the exhaust.
now not so long ago my 1.8 started firing on three. i changed one of the coil packs to cure it and it was fine, im guessing my cat is a lost cause due to the neat fuel from one cylinder passing straight into the exhaust. anyone agree? just need to be sure before i shell out on a new cat!
 
It takes quite a long time for that to kill a cat. Basically the cat 'burns' the neat fuel and gets VERY hot and can melt.

How long was it missfiring for? I've done about 20 miles with a missfire (broken plug) and it still passed the next MOT with lots of headroom on the emissions.
 
due to my lack of funds the missfire lasted a whole tank of fuel... i dint want to run it for that long but it ended up taking ages to get the desired part (as usual).
 

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