Hi...just a continuation of the post regarding loss of power from my 1988 300E W124. Will a clogged up catalytic converter reduce power on my car? As I mentioned before, I've already replaced the O2 sensor...but the car still runs like a turtle. How do I check if my catalytic converter is clogged up?

Please advise. Thank you.

I have taken the head pipes loose where they connect to the exhaust manifolds. Then drive the car.

You should be sure to look at the ignition coil. I have seen many bad.

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Benzmac:
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How do I check the ignition coil to see if it's good or bad?

Thanks.

You can checked for a restricted exhaust using a vacuum guage attached to the intake. Bring the engine rpm up. If the vacuum drops off and doesnt recover as engine speed is increased then you probably have a restriction in the exhaust.

Clogged cats are a frequent problem on
cars of this vintage. One quick test you can
make is to remove the air cleaner start the
engine and standing by the drivers fender
rev the engine and listen. If you have a
clogged cat you will here a distinctive snapping through the intake. The noise is
actually caused by the engine trying to
exaust through the intake on valve overlap.
Keep in mind if you have a clogged cat it
was most likly caused by bad valve guides
so the clogged cat is a symptom of an underlying problem.

Thanks for the tips. How much is a new catalytic converter (approximately)?

Would you advise to remove the catalytic converter completely and just replace it with a pipe?

Will it increase (or at least restore) performance to my car?

My turtle car is driving me crazy....

Thanks in advance for your help.

I have been told I have a clogged cat by a MB mechanic. I also have a definite rise in engine coolant temp on the highway right as the engine approaches 3500 RPM. I saw the previous note about the "popping" check at 3500 RPM and wondered if this could be syptomatic of the same problem.

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New cats are expensive. The last one we installed came from a junk yard and worked fine for 250.

Yes intruder this sound is usually evident at about 2500-3500 rpm.

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Benzmac:
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A clogged cat will probably reduce power mostly at higher RPM and it will make your engine runs hot. If you lack power at all RPM, I would check the ignition wires and coil first. One of my car was losing power and I thought it was the cat until I replaced the wires. The new wires correct the problem.

I wouldn't say my car doesn't have power at lower rpm...it's just not "peppy"

At high rpm, I can feel that the car is not "moving"...I can feel that there's no (or very little power)...

Could this be a clog in the pre-catalytic converters?

Question: How do I check if they are clogged? It seems that the bolts holding the pre-cats to the headers are quite difficult to remove (there is some rust on them)...

If I remove the pre-cats and look at them to determine if they are clogged, I don't think I'll be able to put them back if they're not clogged without getting some new parts, such as new bolts/nuts and new seals?

What do you think?

Thanks.

If the bolts are rusty you will have to replace them. They may break when you take them loose. This happens often. At my shop we have the bolts and specail nuts in stock.

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Benzmac:
ASE CERTIFIED MASTER AUTO TECHNICIAN
SERVICE MANAGER FOR 14 BAY FACILITY
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