2002 mustang 145K miles having a lot of issues lately with long cranks on start up and lack of power and some times the car simply refuses to GO when you step on the accelerator.... No change in RPMs or anything until it FINALLY gets up and moves. It seems to give me more issues when it's below freezing outside. I have changed injectors MAF sensor throttle position sensor cylinder heat temp sensor all spark plugs plug wires ignition coil fuel pump fuel filter and air filter within the last 3-6 months. I took it to a local mechanic so he could test to see if the cats or mufflers are stopped up. Any other ideas? And if it IS the cat is it worth replacing or could I just REMOVE the cats?
Jesse
3.8 v6
Yes, it sounds like a cat is failing and yes you should replace it. Hopefully they are a good mechanic who will use aftermarket replacement parts that will be cheaper than OEM.
Thank you!!! I wasn't sure if it would be worth the money it would cost but based on the responses from yourself and mod man I assume it would be better to bite the bullet and replace them in stead of removing/bypassing
Another post about removing cats.
It sounds like you likely have clogged converters. That said, replace them. Do you know how TERRIBLE a catless 3.8L V6 sounds? Not to mention the gas fumes, loss of torque....you think you're low on power now...
Have a mechanic check it out and if it is the cats, replace them. Simple as that.
No actually....I don't. That's why I asked the question😅😅😅 iv read that some times removing cats makes vehicles have better fuel mileage more horsepower and sound better but then I have also read the EXACT OPPOSITE as well....
Anyone who says the car runs faster without cats is wrong. Not me saying they're wrong, but as in proven scientifically wrong. You ALWAYS lose low-end torque. You also lose gas mileage as well. Some cars might get a couple horsepower...literally...but HP doesn't matter. Torque matters. You can YouTube catless 3.8L V6 Mustangs and hear the weed whacker noise for yourself. On the flip side, due to the firing order of the engine, you can get a good aftermarket muffler and have a deep tone that's almost V8ish at idle. That would be the way to go.
Good move. I think it's worth the investment if you can keep driving the car for a few more years. Replacing it would be a much larger expen$e in todays crazy world. It's also against federal law but that doesn't seem to deter many people. It will run and sound like crud without cats.
If it's in decent shape that car can go for quite a while longer. Good luck.