[V8] Ecu codes, cats

[Coleman, David]

So - with the car idling horribly and running super rich, I was getting a 2413 code (mixture, vacuum leak). Farted around w/ the ECT sensor behind r/s head but no change, pluged or unplugged. Caps and rotors look good. Timing light confirms all cylinders are firing. 

Today it fired up, running the same, w/ the same code.  I pulled fuse 27 and 29, reinstalled, and upon starting it ran the same -- lumpy idle, fuel-laden smoke, and completely falling on its face under any kind of throttle input beyond nursing the pedal down.  But now gone was the 2413 and instead came 2423, ecu ground. What the eff ever.  Hmmm. Hey what's that on the ground behind the car?  By gum it's a big ol' chunk of ceramic that apparently was blown from the cat all the way out the exhaust. 

So clearly a cat's bad, and explains the flat-falling. And further diagnoses will be on hold until that's sorted out. Thinking Summit racing catalog for hi-flow cats and see what I can find in the way of pipe and mufflers.  Has anyone gutted their cats (you CA folks need not respond)?  With twins due any day now, I don't want to pay a lot for this muffler...

However, I'm not sure the junk cat(s) would cause the richness and the volatile (steady 50 - 1050 rpm fluctuation) idle. What I haven't done yet is unplug the O2 sensor, nor have I run the output tests for wot switch.  I'm not sweating the ecu code for now, but wonder what else might have a direct effect on the mixture?

And, what is that black plastic piece in-line with the the 1/4 and 3/8 vac lines that come out of and go into the font of the r/s head?  Mine's dangling unsecured under the expansion tank. Lots of vacuum suction at the 1 cm hole in it..

So - cat replacement ideas?  Should I heed the 2423 ecu ground code? What's that air regulator looking thing and should there be massive suction at the open hole?

Gents,

DaveC. 


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David A. Coleman
BlackRock
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