had a mechanic check the ride out...help me guys....

[Bimmer325]

he used to drive the same car(he had a 92 325ia, i have a 93) and he said my car was really slow. so he got down and looked under the car, and told me that my cat conv it producing a lot of heat and suggested getting it checked (there was also a nasty smell) he said something bout the tranny too

so, my questions, are:
1) how much does a malfunctioning cat mess up performance? i really dont think i should be hitting o-60 in only 9 sec, even with an auto,and
2) how much is it for a nice used
-a 5sp?
-a 5pd auto from m3?
-a 4sp auto from a 92 or 94 325
(plus labor, which prolly means sticking with an auto for now is a good idea since money isnt really there)

thanks guys, oh ya, i used to use this board all the time under the name of bimmer325 but got a new one now
-nate

[STAGER328]

The cats shouldn't really dampen the amount of power the car has. It's basically there for emission restrictions. Also, it is normal for the cats to get extremely hot. I don't know much about cars but it has to be something else. Maybe the compression in each cylinder is lower than the factory specs. It could be a variety of things. Please correct me if I am wrong.

Paolo

[BLACKTAPE]

Go to a ghetto muffler shop and ask them to cut the cats out and weld a straight pipe......

Auto trannies on e36s are very weak and get messed up easily....
if the previous owner used the "Manual" mode your tranny will be obused... cause that messes it up. If possible look into getting a 5 speed conversion.

[bignate]

if your cat was damaged, your car would probably be throwing up an emissions related fault code, which usually causes a check engine light.. since pre 96 models (OBDI) are less emissions sensitive, i'm not sure. however, a clogged converter would probably create excessive backpressure due to lower flow, and that could cause acceleration problems.

cutting off your cat is serious business though.. fines for that start in the thousands. and i don't know where in ohio you live, but most urban and sub-urban counties require bi-yearly emissions inspection, and you'll never pass without one. i would get the problem diagnosed by a dealer, espeically since its an auto. "cutting off the cat" isn't going to be an easy way to fix the problem.

where in ohio are you from


nate

[DINANFIVE]

my 540 was missfiring and caused it to be really slow. the cat got red hot and almost killed me. also wouldnt a mechanic know this stuff?