Date:         Wed, 25 Nov 1998 04:03:30 -0800
Reply-To:     "Thomas D. Hanlon" <hanran.inc@INTERNETMCI.COM>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@vanagon.com>
From:         "Thomas D. Hanlon" <hanran.inc@INTERNETMCI.COM>
Organization: The Hanran Enterprises, Inc.
Subject:      Re: oh No!- My "New" 1984 Westy Shuts Down on the H-Way! CATALYIC
              CONVERTER
Comments: To: Joshua Van Tol <jjvantol@USWEST.NET>
Comments: cc: vanagon@VANAGON.COM
Content-type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii

I had the same problem with the cat.  My difficulty was caused by a bad
rotor which caused poor ignition and, hence, gasoline to accumulate in
the exhaust system, including the cat.  When I finally figured out the
rotor problem, I fired up the engine, ignited the gas in the exhaust and
had a glowing cat which apparently melted the ceramic.  Have you had any
faulty ignition problems lately?

Tom Hanlon
Palm Springs, CA
84 Westy

Joshua Van Tol wrote:

> >Hi Marshall
> >
> >Yes I have experienced a similiar phenomenon while driving through
> the
> >Canadian Rockies a couple of summers ago. When I explained this
> >condition to the mechanic on my cell when stranded at the top of
> Rogers
> >Pass, he told me to take off the catalytic converter and knock out
> the
> >bits. Inside the converter is a porcelin honeycome core. As you
> drive,
> >the porcelin super heats itself thus vaporizing any unburnt residues
> >left over from the combustion cycle of the engine. The catayltic
> >converter rattles around and the porcelin breaks off which turn into
> >golfball size balls inside. When they get infront of the exhaust port
>
> >entering into the muffler, exhaust can't leave the vehicle, which
> tends
> >to bog the engine down.
> >
> >A simple test (when the catalytic converter is cold:) is to hit it
> and
> >listen for rattling around. The porcelin is easy to remove by a metal
>
> >bar and a hammer. Dust mask and safety glasses are recommended as
> debris
> >can fly all over the place. We also had a skylight customer explain a
>
> >similiar story. They too were taking a trip through the Rockies to
> >Toronto and experienced the same "gaining and losing" outside of
> >Chilliwack, B.C. They cleared their cc and it worked for them.
> >
> >Let me know
>
> And do remember to correct the miss and/or fuel mixture problem that
> caused
> the melt down, and then replace the converter. Destroying the
> effectiveness
> of a cat in this manner is quite illegal. I'm sure no one would mind
> as an
> expedient measure to get out of the mountains, but the root cause
> should be
> found, and repaired.
>
> Joshua Van Tol -- jjvantol@lear.csp.ee.memphis.edu