cat converter

[sherryrose93]

need help diagnosing exhaust problem. I hear a rattle comming from my exhaust and suspect it to be the converter can anyone explain how to test to make sure it is bad before i replace it.

also having an oil leak problem when my car sits at idle i get clouds of blue smoke out of the exhaust for about a mile then it clears up can any one tell me how to tell if my turbo is leaking into my exhaust or it it might be valve guides sorry i forgot to mention that i have a 93 talon tsi 110,000 miles

thanks alot

 

[adidalax]

Not too sure about the smoke, but as far as the rattle goes....It doesnt really mean that the cat is bad, really, most likely just a loose heat shield.

Let her cool down, put a jack under it and go find it. A lot of times you can just use a coat hanger to wrap around it to make it stfu...

 

[sherryrose93]

looked for loose heat sheild and found one used large hose clamps to solve rattle but still have rattle comming from cat

 

[xveganxcowboyx]

I've always assumed valve guides for smoke between shifts and other pseudo-intermittent times and not long periods of smoke. That's no hard and fast rule though. Could you clarify what you mean by "sitting at idle." Do you mean just on start-up or does it happen sitting at stop lights, etc . . after the car is warmed up?

Exhaust rattle is usually just some loose metal as said above. Jack the car up and find what's loose. Fix it. It's possible (though not probable) that some of the material in the converter has broken loose and is ratteling around. You could always unbolt the thing and inspect it visually. As for the converter actually doing it's job, you'd need to have an emissions test done. They don't last forever, but unless it's totally shot I would just leave it in place. You'll deal with it when you start upgrading and put a proper exhaust on anyway.

 

[xveganxcowboyx]

Damn, you got one in before I posted. Did you check both the upper and lower heat shield on the cat?

 

[Locke]

Not to mention all the other heat shields and rusted clamps all over the rest of the factory exhaust system.