Cats plugged up?

[White96k2500]

Okay so my truck has always had a slow start. I got in the truck after work today and hit the key and nothing, not even one rollover. All lights and radio came on so battery isn't dead. Tried it after a couple more minutes and fired up, I decided to go get the alternator, battery, and starter tested. Battery was a little weak, alternator checked out fine, starter is not getting the full amps, so i have a wiring problem there. When i got to the parts store i smelled the exhaust and it stunk like rotten eggs of course. Ive read that plugged cats can cause a misfire, slow/ no start, and they can stink. Could the cats be my problem?

 

[White96k2500]

Ive also been having a small misfire here the past couple of days so I’m thinking it may be coming from the cats.

 

[SAATR]

Slow start is very unlikely to be catalyst related. If they were that plugged it would barely idle, much less go down the road. Very possible that they are failing, but not causing that specific problem. You can test backpressure with the appropriate gauge to see if they are restricted, or build a "test pipe" from a gutted junkyard Y pipe to verify.

 

[F4U-1A]

Cats can plug up overtime due to high engine oil burning. SAATR post is a good start. One spring my Chev would not turn over because of a huge mouse nest deep in the tail pipe. Country Purgatory!

 

[White96k2500]

Slow start is very unlikely to be catalyst related. If they were that plugged it would barely idle, much less go down the road. Very possible that they are failing, but not causing that specific problem. You can test backpressure with the appropriate gauge to see if they are restricted, or build a "test pipe" from a gutted junkyard Y pipe to verify.

The slow start has been going on on for a long time. Way before this problem ever occurred. The past couple days when i leave for work In the mornings it idles pretty rough. The thing that happened today is it wouldn’t start at all and immediately after the truck started the exhaust stunk very badly. Im thinking about trying some cat cleaner, i know a couple people who have used it over time with success.

Cats can plug up overtime due to high engine oil burning. SAATR post is a good start. One spring my Chev would not turn over because of a huge mouse nest deep in the tail pipe. Country Purgatory!

I didn’t even think about oil burning stopping them up. Recently the truck has been burning oil more than it always has, so that may be the cause of my problem.

 

[TechNova]

https://www.chewy.com/cat-lax-cat-s...medium=cpc&utm_content=Cat Lax&utm_campaign=f

 

[98chevy2500SS]

Gut the cats

 

[98chevy2500SS]

Usually plugged cats are a result of misfires, I believe my 98s cats were plugged because it had a misfire for a long time, mainly because the stupid PO did nothing to solve it.

Do you have any codes for the misfire?

A weak battery can also cause something to crank slower than usual, what volts is the battery at?

 

[White96k2500]

Usually plugged cats are a result of misfires, I believe my 98s cats were plugged because it had a misfire for a long time, mainly because the stupid PO did nothing to solve it.

Do you have any codes for the misfire?

A weak battery can also cause something to crank slower than usual, what volts is the battery at?

I believe the battery was at 12.6 and 426 cca out of 600. I’m gonna get a new one soon. Thats the thing though, i don't have any codes at all.

Gut the cats

That was my first thought! Ive been wanting to do it anyhow lmao.

https://www.chewy.com/cat-lax-cat-supplement/dp/111396?utm_source=shopzilla&utm_medium=cpc&utm_content=Cat Lax&utm_campaign=f

Lmao. I knew someone wasn’t gonna be able to help it.

 

[RawbDidIt]

The wiring to the starter is the problem for the starting issue, that doesn't mean the cats are good though. You can do what SAATR recommended, he's absolutely correct, but the easier route is one of the following.

A: with an infrared thermometer check the inlet and outlet temperature of the catalytic converter. Outlet temperature should be higher than the inlet by 20* or more (higher is better in this case with how old the truck is).

B: less scientific, but more fun. Unscrew the O2 sensor(s) and see if your idle improves. Maybe take it for a test drive and see if your throttle response improves as well. You can also get a good indication of how your cats look by seeing if your O2 sensor is fouled up. Make sure you unplug the O2 sensor as well or you'll end up in closed loop with sensor telling the engine you're running way lean and up running rich with the ECM trying to compensate.

C: run a scanner and look at your upstream and downstream O2 sensor readings. IIRC under 80% pops a code, but anywhere south of 90% will give you noticeable symptoms.

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