ugh, yes I do, and I already had one go out, but it was under warranty. at the time, it rattled a bunch. so far I'm not experiencing that. wouldn't it be worse at WOT & high RPM though?

 

It depends on how the blockage is happening. That's kinda the sucky thing about a collapsing cat...the car can run fine one minute, and then act like it is choking the next.

If you think the car might be suddenly running rich, put it up on a dyno with an AFR probe...or see if a local has a wideband you can borrow. It would be interesting to see what the AFRs are hitting when it bogs.

 

Well i sure hope it isn't the cat. for now I'll just keep driving and keep an eye on it. I've always found it to be a huge pain to remove, because the bolts are always rusted.

No access to a wideband (too bad I can't use the one from the RSX) but that's a good idea about taking it to a dyno; I may have to do that.

I thought about renting one of the code readers at Autozone, but I'm not sure if it would give me a real time display of OBD2 parameters? I thought maybe I could pick something out with it as well - sudden change in MAP signal, IAT, etc.

I also considered just buying a OBD2 display unit, like the MSD DashHawk (this specific unit isn't compatible with our cars apparently) but not sure I want to shell out the money yet. Speaking of, does anyone out there have any input on specific options for this - what brand is good/bad, features to look for, etc?

 

PB Blaster does wonders.

And if you don't have one...pick up a decent electric impact wrench from Harbor Freight. Corded models are pretty reasonably priced.

And if you like to change wheels/tires for autox/track, then a cordless impact might be worth the investment.

 

I actually have one of those, but never had much luck with it. I've also got air tools which could probably take care of it, but I've had those rusted bolts snap in the past (not on s2k) which makes me want to avoid removal if I can.

If I do take it off, is there any way to check if it's bad or not? I just talked to a friend that recommended picking up a cheap test pipe to test the theory, so I may do this.

 

Cheap test pipe is the best test. But you can try looking through the cat with a bright light behind to see if all looks clear.