clogged catalytic converter ?

[zamos]

Okay- here we go - My '89 has a hard time starting and when it does it stumbles for a while then will idle fine with a very slight miss barely noticable if I ease the throttle up it fine until I open it up all the way and then she falls flat - The truck has 201K and has never missed a beat - this also seems to happen with any load on the engine - It hasn't been fun making my 25 mile commute the past couple of days - any help or input would be appreciated - Thanks in advance !

 

[pillen140]

could be. check fuel pressure also

 

[silicon_ghost]

this sounds like the problem i am having. have you noticed if the cat is glowing red? check out my post titled "mystery wire....anyone know what it is?" and i have what my truck is doing. sounds similar to your problem.

 

[zamos]

I cant really tell if the converter is glowing red - I know its not at idle - I dont smell anything like its getting too hot - I'm going to check my fuel pressure and disconnect the exhaust extension coming of the cat to see if I can see any evidence of the cat degrading and go from there - this all started about a month or two ago and has gotten progressively worse.

 

[silicon_ghost]

thats how mine started. the way i noticed my cat glowing was when i left my house, i went about 2 miles when it got real bad. i pulled over and looked underneath and the cat was glowing. i don't know if it would glow just idling or if it has to be under load.

 

[pillen140]

does it smell like eggs? is exhaust coming out the tail pipe?

 

[zamos]

No, It doesn't smell of rotten eggs and there are exhaust gases coming out of the tailpipe - Like I said if I ease into the throttle it will gain speed and power - but when it gets a load on like going up a hill it really starts to flutter and loose power - I then must downshift to keep the revs up - I also have to drive it in 4th gear , if I shift to 5th it gets too much load and starts acting up - has anyone ever had a problem with their throttle position sensor ? any more thoughts ?

 

[shadetree]

Okay- here we go - My '89 has a hard time starting and when it does it stumbles for a while then will idle fine with a very slight miss barely noticable if I ease the throttle up it fine until I open it up all the way and then she falls flat - The truck has 201K and has never missed a beat - this also seems to happen with any load on the engine - It hasn't been fun making my 25 mile commute the past couple of days - any help or input would be appreciated - Thanks in advance !

Fuel filter and tune up, and go from there. shady

 

[zamos]

I've done the complete tune up thing- so thats why I'm now pointing to the cat

 

[jokerl90]

I have had 2 cats clog on my 92 2.3 Both times it would crank and idle as normal, just would not go over about 20 mph.

 

[zamos]

Another update - I've replaced the converter ,TPS , EGR vacuum solenoid , fuel pressure regulator , plugs , wires , fuel filter and O2 sensor $$$$$$$$ ! It is running better but still stumbles under load and if you do a quick shot on the throttle - there isn't much left to replace - I think I will send out a used set of injectors to be cleaned and rebuilt - any one else have any input - I'm running out of ideas as well as cash !

 

[zamos]

Can any one tell me if my '89 has a pcv valve - I can't see it - I haven't climbed under the truck to look up underneath the intake manifold , is it under there - I haven't replaced the injectors yet - I might do it this Sunday if its not raining - Any one else have any input - I am losing a little bit of coolant from a slow leaking heater core and a freeze plug that is seeping - Do you think it could be a head gasket - PLEASE HELP !!!

 

[zamos]

Problem Solved !

Well I finally found my problem - it was the primary coil not working on all tower - 2 of the towers were dead ( #2 & 3 ). Thanks for all the help !

 

[silicon_ghost]

congrats!! at least you got your self a nice tune up in the process of diagnosing your problem! now if only i can figure out what is wrong with mine......