may sound like a dumb question but what exactly is the converter supposed to do?

still having issues with the 90 and i feel after all the things i did on the engine that it may be the converter is clogged. had one on another car go bad years ago and symtoms may be the same.

was suggested i take it out and remove all the insides and reinstall it so it appears there is one there for inspection purposes.  on my 75 all the emission stuff has been removed as with the way i registered it there is no emissions testing on it.

my question is, if i do "clean out" the inside, will it have any adverse affects on the motor or should i just order a new one?

thanks for any thoughts

Well, simply put(since that's the only way I can 'splain it), the converter causes a chemical reaction in the exhaust gases that makes them less harmful to the planet. Removing the cat(s) will also effect the way a car runs...sometimes in positive way, but most times not.
The '90 car is way more computer run, so anything that effects the "smell" of the exhaust is gonna effect the running. I would recommend replacing the cat(s), not take them off. There are high-flow cats, too, that put way less restriction in the exhaust...those are good, but they can be a bit pricey.

If the car is running out of steam when you get down on the go pedal, and sorta feels like it's running out of gas, it is probably a converter stopped up. They normally run slower the more gas you give it, then, as you let up on the pedal, it'll speed up some.
hth

i see you know ed zacary too cause that's ed zacary how the car is running. when it heats up especially i have to "feather" the gas pedal and can get some speed. if i punch it, it loses basically everything and that little nash rambler could do the same to me as it did to the caddy. thanks for the info.

Hey Dave, put in a high flow cat, I did mine when I redid the exhaust and it made a BIG difference in the way the car ran.

[QUOTE=DaveM]Hey Dave, put in a high flow cat, I did mine when I redid the exhaust and it made a BIG difference in the way the car ran. [/QUOTE]

thanks for the info dave. before all this stuff started it was running pretty good although now that i look back at it it may have been on its way out before and then when the car was blowing clouds of black smoke out the back finished it off.

the dilemma here is this: with a wife, a cat, an escalde, two vettes, etc. to keep in top shape, with the car running as it did before this happenned, as joel said they can be pricey, is it worth twice the price for a high flow?

was your converter good before you changed it and that's how you noticed the improvement or was it going bad and the new one cleared the problem up whereas a regular one might have done the same? not trying to doubt your info but just trying to justify the cost difference to myself.

I haven't done it to a Vette, but most of the GM stuff before 95 only has a single O2 sensor ahead of the Cat and does not have a monitoring sensor after the Cat.  So, it has no idea if you have cleaned the cat out or not. All it know is that you now have less of a restriction than before. Similar to putting on a low restriction exhaust.  The nice thing about the GM computer system is that it will adjust to deal with the change in backpressure. So, I would try that first.

But...will it pass a sniffer test?

It's also illegal to do it, but...it's only illegal if ya get caught!

It might be worth a shot to pull it off and gut it, to see if that is the problem. Then, you could get a replacement cat as funds would allow....Adams' Apple2007-10-01 19:39:45

i was thinking about "cleaning" it out but i figured if i was going to go through all the trouble of removing it i will just replace it. as far as i know it is not like they burnt out quickly. for right now i am going with a standard direct replacement as it is half of what the high flow is. partially doing this for the cost and when this thing runs good it goes like a bat out h**l. i can always swap it out at a later date if i change the exhaust. i appreciate all the answers i have gotten and will keep the info tucked away for later use.

[QUOTE=Tuxblacray]So do you have one for sale Mr. Mooney when ya stick in the ZZ4? I would think the converter wouldn't be a requirement st that time.

Maybe you can help a brother out an he can oblige with a payment in return.....[/QUOTE]