Re: Bad cat/bad smell

["Rob Lloyd" <rclloyd@ix.netcom.com>]

I had similar problem last year with a, ahem, Ford Probe. It turned out that
in the larger metropolitan areas (like here, Chicago), some brands were
using oxegenated/reformulated gas which can cause that smell from the cat
(Not sure how, exactly, it was on the news...). It went away after a couple
of weeks, and maybe a brand change, I don't remember. Anyway, my '93 90CSQ
doesn't smell since my first tankfull (dealer filled tank...).

Rob Lloyd

>A melted and crumbling cat is most often by a fat mixture, possibly due
>to a bad O2 sensor, incorrectly adjusted base mixture setting, incorrect
>fuel pressure, or a number of other factors. A leaking fuel pressure
>regulator (broken  diaphragm), wasted plugs, a bad plug wire, cap, or
>rotor causing a misfire can also cause unburned fuel to pass through the
>engine. Last and probably least, is the plugged or clogged injector the
>gasoline marketers are so fond of describing. The smell is most likely
>due to a fat mixture, not sulfur laden fuel. 2 cars running the same
>fuel, side by side, one fat and one not, you'll smell the difference.
>Crank up the fuel pressure or mixture in a car not making the odor,
>you'll smell it.
>Bye for now, John
>
>