Symptoms of a blocked cat

[voteforpedro]

I think my cat has had it. I drove it for 30 minutes yesterday and the engine bay was searing hot and I could smell burning.

Something isn't right and I can't seem to diagnose it. It lacks pull, rough idle and crazy heat in engine bay.

How can I tell fo sho that my cat is ******? How difficult is it to replace? Those 3 cat>dp bolts are a PITA to get to but luckily they were replaced recently when I had my exhaust fitted...

 

[voteforpedro]

If I went down the decat route, is it a definite MOT failure?

 

[aragorn]

the turbo often starts glowing red with a blocked cat and there would be very little power at all.

No cat is almost certainly an MOT failure.

 

[voteforpedro]

the turbo often starts glowing red with a blocked cat and there would be very little power at all.

No cat is almost certainly an MOT failure.

I've been told that if I had a blocked cat "I would know about it". Do you think I'm just being paranoid and should look elsewhere for faults?

Thanks for the reassurance.

 

[aragorn]

When it happened to my dads 1.8T, you could barely get it to 60mph, so ye i think you'd know about it!

 

[jo]

you have to have a cat on a car registered after 1991 for the mot, diesels on the other hand you dont.Nice one.

 

[Raveydavey]

I had a completely blocked cat on my 2.5 and driving gently it seemed ok but put your foot down and nothing would happen. It wouldn't rev over 3k in 3rd, 2 1/2K in 4th and 2K in 5th and 6th.

If you can get someone to cut the side of the cat and remove some without doing a load of diagnostic checks it costs an hours labour.

Made the wrld of difference to mine. Goes like stink now. Sorry can't comment on the turbo/engine bay signs tho.

 

[aragorn]

Ye dads 1.8T was the same, if you VERY gently accellerated, it would pick up to 60ish, but if you tried to open up the throttle it would just bog down and cough/splutter and go nowhere.

Simplest thing to do is unbolt the lambda sensor and take it for a drive.

If it now goes properly, the cats at fault.

 

[voteforpedro]

Well I can drive it to the redline happily in first and second so I guess it's OK.

How do you explain the excessive heat and smell coming from turbo/cat? Or is this normal?

 

[aragorn]

is the turbo glowing?

The Turbo itself does get extremely hot and the cat will retain a lot of heat too.

Have you had a scan for fault codes? Will it pull thru the revs in third or fourth?

I'm just wondering if its wastegate failure, You notice it less in low gears... whereas in 3rd-5th it makes the car feel like a gutless 1.6. Have you had any rattling from the turbo, and if you roll the window down and drive along can you hear the turbo whistle?

 

[voteforpedro]

is the turbo glowing?

The Turbo itself does get extremely hot and the cat will retain a lot of heat too.

Have you had a scan for fault codes? Will it pull thru the revs in third or fourth?

I'm just wondering if its wastegate failure, You notice it less in low gears... whereas in 3rd-5th it makes the car feel like a gutless 1.6. Have you had any rattling from the turbo, and if you roll the window down and drive along can you hear the turbo whistle?

No glowing turbo, just very hot around that area. Haven't scanned for codes yet, will do on weekend.

Haven't noticed any rattling either and it pulls good in first and second but does pull a bit crap in higher gears. When on the motorway, it certainly doesn't pull in 5th when I go to overtake like it used to.

It's definitely boosting in low gears and I can hear the turbo but can't really hear it in higher gears, although road noise is louder too.

I may fit my boost gauge at last on the weekend. Hopefully I can draw a conclusion from that.

 

[aragorn]

You need to get vagcom on and see whats happening