VinhZXT Posted December 12, 2005 Share Posted December 12, 2005 Hi all, This is not a Z but I figure I ask here. I have a Ford van with a V6 engine. It has 2 CATs. 1 for each bank of the 3 cylinders. The 1 CAT to 1 side of the bank is glowing red and the other one is normal. What is the problem with this car? I talked to another mechanic and he said the cylinders on that side has a misfire. What do you guys think? I check the spark plugs to that side and they are all firing good. Thanks for any info Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mom'sZ Posted December 12, 2005 Share Posted December 12, 2005 something is causing that bank to run VERY lean, like the fuel line is plugged/crimped or the FI harness came unplugged. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dmyntti Posted December 12, 2005 Share Posted December 12, 2005 This could either be a lean condition or a misfire. I believe that if it were a lean condition then the manifold on that side would also be glowing. I had a truck start doing that on both header collectors. It turned out that the new distributor that I bought had slipped and the truck was firing very late causing unburned fuel to dump into the exhaust and burn in the collectors. I would look for a bad plug wire or cap and rotor as these are the only things that I can think of to only effect one side or likely one cylinder. If one cylinder isn't firing then the unburned fuel will end up in the exhaust and would likely light off in or near the cat convertor. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cruez Posted December 12, 2005 Share Posted December 12, 2005 or the cat could be partially blocked. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2003z Posted December 13, 2005 Share Posted December 13, 2005 the only time I have seen this is when I crossed 2 coil pack wires on my 350z during the supercharger install. (it was a long day), any way it was idling real rough, and while trying to diagnose it, I heard a pop from the cat. WHen I jacked the car up, the cat was red hot. I guess the fuel was burning in the cat instead of the cylinders, so my guess is a misfire. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VinhZXT Posted December 13, 2005 Author Share Posted December 13, 2005 Thank you for the response guys. I will check and replace rotor and caps. I think it's misfiring also. I notice that bank has all the spark plugs wires packed and pinched really tight along the engine and I couldn't even pull them up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cobraz240z Posted December 13, 2005 Share Posted December 13, 2005 ok if the cat is turning red hot before the exhoust manifold it means its your car or you could be running lean Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
80LS1T Posted December 13, 2005 Share Posted December 13, 2005 What engine do you have in it? If its the 3.8L, they are notorious for blowing head gaskets and melting heads if you dont fix it right away. If its hot enough to melt a head its hot enought to turn a cat. converter red! Guy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VRJoe Posted December 13, 2005 Share Posted December 13, 2005 Also make sure the exhaust is clear. A plugged muffler or pipe could cause the cat to get red. - Joe Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cobraz240z Posted December 13, 2005 Share Posted December 13, 2005 could be a bad cat it happends alot on highmilage motors that burn oil it kills the cat sometimes more one side than the other if only the cat gets red hot and not the manifold i would say its the cat Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pallnet Posted December 13, 2005 Share Posted December 13, 2005 In my 11 years of working for Jaguar on the line, at the dealership working on cars day in day out, I found on most glowing cat issues it was a cylinder not buring the fuel (Ignition failure) and dumping it into the exhaust. This cause the fuel to get trapped and burn in the cat itself which makes it glow cherry red. This melts down the cat. Trust me, Jaguar had a lot of this with the V12 cars. A LOT... Second cause was clogged exhaust and backing up the system. Never a lean condition. Is there something I'm missing? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VinhZXT Posted December 13, 2005 Author Share Posted December 13, 2005 It has the 3.8L engine. I doubt the CAT is clogged. This is a 1995 Van and it was well kept. It does has a new motor just installed and I didn't do the motor swap. I guess the guy who did the motor could have drop something in the exhaust and block it off somehow. Either way I have enough clues to go and find the problem. Thanks for all the response. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
getZ Posted December 27, 2005 Share Posted December 27, 2005 my friends landrover did the same thing. It was an over rich condition and it burned up the cat. Sounded like loose rocks in the cat Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MONGO510 Posted December 27, 2005 Share Posted December 27, 2005 Pallnet has it right! cause is a missfire. Raw unburned fuel is hitting the cat. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VinhZXT Posted January 18, 2006 Author Share Posted January 18, 2006 Found the problem. 2 spark plugs wire crossed. Had to go to the Ford forum to get the info. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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