Damage that a plugged cat can cause ?

[pony317]

Hello,
I have a 1995 e34 540i that was running like crap.
NO power really sluggish ,check engine light has been on and
off .Comes and goes.But had it checked out and it was the mass
air .So i changed it and still no power !
Going to work ,the right CAT was Bright RED and got so hot melted
the heat shield around the cat.
Took it to have the CATS checked and i was told there fine that if
to much fuel got into the exhaust it would get red.

After changing the mass still no power and getting worse.
Going to work ,40 mph to the floor all it would do.
Took it to another place and they said they was bad and have been for a while so the other guy didnt know what he was talking about.
NOW the question i need answered is ,my engine is ticking like a lifter
is bad, its really bad around 3000 rpm and up .
What DAMAGE will the cats do to the engine ? It never made ANY noise before !!!
Im thinking that i have a bad coil or a sticking injector ,only the right cat got RED and runs really bad like it has a miss and only hitting on 7 not all 8,then it will stop and runs good again,comes and goes.
I have the cats off now and a piece of pipe in beteen to take its place just to see if i would gain my power back witch it did ,runs strong again other than the engine ticking now.

[pony317]

WOW thanks for all the help and replies ,,,,, So much for needing info
if i knew i would have to do it on my own with no help i would not have put a post to try and get SOME help . THanks anyway guys big help.

[Cunsuelo]

Check for a misfire on the bank in question. Use a pyrometer to measure the temperature of the runners. If you find a dead cylinder, swap coils and see if the miss follows. When you remove the coil look for oil in the spark plug tube. If it doesn't, swap injectors and see if it follows. Report back to me with your findings.

[attack eagle]

WOW thanks for all the help and replies ,,,,, So much for needing info
if i knew i would have to do it on my own with no help i would not have put a post to try and get SOME help . THanks anyway guys big help.

WEll if you posted in the correct section, you would have gotten some help.

next time go to the middle of a desert, miles from anyone and hold up a sign that says "help me". then get mad at teh world cause no one magically appears.

cause that is what you just did.

[ross1]

WEll if you posted in the correct section, you would have gotten some help.

next time go to the middle of a desert, miles from anyone and hold up a sign that says "help me". then get mad at teh world cause no one magically appears.

cause that is what you just did.

What has happened to the kinder, gentler AE?
OP, your first mistake was to post in the wrong place, the second was to be a smart ass amongst some of the best.
Your lifter noise isn't related to the burned cat. The primary consequence of your car's condition is fire.
Consuelo offers sound diagnostic advice above.

[89 bimmer]

Noobs are so mean now. A simple bump would have been nice.

[sfgearhead]

Was there a question in there?

Seriously, clear specific questions are easier to answer.

1. Yes you have bad cats, replace them.
2. Cats don't just go bad, they melt becuase they're running way too rich.
3. You likely have a bad misfire or injector
4. Do what Consuela said and figure out which cylinder is bad.
5. Come back for more punishment. :)

Good luck.

[Layne]

3. You likely have a bad misfire or injector

The M60 is supposed to shut down the injector if it detects that the coil is not working. I'm not sure how good it's detection capabilities are, ie; if it can detect a bridged spark plug, but it is designed to prevent exactly this problem. Theoretically that makes the injector the more likely culprit.