Water & Black smoke from muffler

[Ricardobarro]

My '82 380 sl shooting black smoke and some water from muffler.

Could this be a bad cat?

Any advise?

Thank you.

Ricardo

You are probably seeing the results of two different circumstances. The water, assuming that it's clear, not mixed with antifreeze, is probably the result of condensation in the exhaust system that accrues when the car is sitting overnight. If it only is present immediately after the first start of the day, you should be all right.

Black smoke? Usually implies too rich a fuel mixture. If the mixture is grossly out of whack, unburned fuel can make it's way to the cat, causing it to ignite at that location and overheat and melt the internal components. This can create an exhaust restriction, not to mention a potential fire hazard (overheated floor carpet).

To clarify, the cat is probably not the source of the problem, but could potentially be affected by it.