I used WD-40 and others for many years. PB Blaster seems to work better. If it were my Kia--- thank God it ain't----- I'd remove the Cadillac convertible and replace it with a piece of tail pipe the same length. And replace the front O-2 sensor.
Okay, now I am in a bit of a pickle. Zoe needs a way to Kansas City and we might have to drive. She has to get to KC so that she can get to a possible job opportunity and to look for places. IF we have to drive I need to go all Red Green on this car. Cheapest and eaziest options. I will find a way to get on here throughout this week. Her mom wont (not cant) do it... I know you need to know if the cat is clogged but if it helps, I havnt had a problem at all with it today. No bogging today...
Been missing you on here. Do the dewey thing. Remove the 0-2 sensor and drive it awhile. Replace it if you can afford it. I'd still remove the cad converter and poke a rod into it to basically make it an open tube. A piece of tailpipe long enough to replace the converter shouldn't be more than a few dollars. I'd do that. Apparently the loose junk in the converter is moving around and sometimes giving the exhaust a clear route.
I had an '85 Delta 88 with a clogged cat once, and I did just that, removed the air tube to the cat and took one of those chain wrenches and used it to perforate the pipe ahead of the cat temporarily. Started right up, drove fine, got me to the exhaust shop, and they charged me $180 to put one of those universal cats on it. Didn't have another problem 'til the timing chain broke ($350 repair, was never the same after that though, ran like a diesel!)
Cats right, the flow may correct itself when the carbon chunks inside shift and free it up...so it could change from day to day depending on where it lands. I feel your best option here (if it is clogged) is to at the very least take the pipe off the back of the catalytic and bore some kind of hole straight through the center. If Zoe is taking a road trip this would be an easy safe option, and would probably not freak out the downstream O2 very much.
Sooooo, I found what I thought was the catcon and pulled the O2 that was before. Frustrating little bugger! So I am under the front of the car and I can see another wire that would be perfect for wrapping the disconnected 1 around. I climb out and lo and behold the wire belongs to the O2 that I was supposed to pull! Now my car sounds like those annoying little pocket sized sports cars! I will be fixing this later on today after Zoe goes to work.
If the cat is plugged, and I'm sure it is, take it off and beat the insides out of it and then reinstall it. Done deal.
