DrFishbone
SCCoA Member
Well, I had a gut-wrenching experience the other day...
I was cruising down the interstate on the way to work and noticed a piece of concrete in the middle of the road...since it was a dangerous area and I didn't have enough time make sure noone was next to me and since the two cars in front of me drove over it...I figured it was small enough that my car would clear it. Well, as I got closer I realized the two cars in front of me were SUV's and the little piece of concrete was about the size of a football!!! By then it was too late...I drove over it and hear/felt a nassssty *bang / scrape* and felt my car lift a bit from it too. I looked in the mirror and saw it flying down the road spinning like crazy. That was a hard piece of concrete!
I pulled over to make sure everything was still under the SC, and it was, but I have some nice new dents to the secret collection. Well, just afterwards, I noticed my car would smoke black a good deal when I accelerate hard. I later found that my exhaust pipe and cat on the driver side is banged up pretty good and the exhaust is leaking a little. The cat is nice and rattly inside (heat shields are already gone), especially during deceleration. Yesterday while driving home at about 70mph, I sped up to pass some folks, I really saw the black smoke pour out.
So...I'm wondering why the car is running so rich now, especially at WOT. Sometimes it's works than others, but since the concrete football collision, it's been noticable. Would a busted cat. converter (driver's side) cause the car to run this much more rich? Perhaps the pipe is clogged with catalyst pieces? Another note - gas mileage has been creeping down from about 24mpg to 22mpg over the past 2 years..
I need to get under the car and inspect everything a bit better, but it looks like the engine cradle, driver's cat. converter, exhaust pipe, gas tank heat shield and rear bumper all have some degree of damage. Nothing is leaking or broken though. Good thing the oil pan wasn't hit...it would be in pieces for sure!
Any ideas why the car is running so rich? I'll see if gas mileage has changed next time I get the chance.
I was cruising down the interstate on the way to work and noticed a piece of concrete in the middle of the road...since it was a dangerous area and I didn't have enough time make sure noone was next to me and since the two cars in front of me drove over it...I figured it was small enough that my car would clear it. Well, as I got closer I realized the two cars in front of me were SUV's and the little piece of concrete was about the size of a football!!! By then it was too late...I drove over it and hear/felt a nassssty *bang / scrape* and felt my car lift a bit from it too. I looked in the mirror and saw it flying down the road spinning like crazy. That was a hard piece of concrete!
I pulled over to make sure everything was still under the SC, and it was, but I have some nice new dents to the secret collection. Well, just afterwards, I noticed my car would smoke black a good deal when I accelerate hard. I later found that my exhaust pipe and cat on the driver side is banged up pretty good and the exhaust is leaking a little. The cat is nice and rattly inside (heat shields are already gone), especially during deceleration. Yesterday while driving home at about 70mph, I sped up to pass some folks, I really saw the black smoke pour out.
So...I'm wondering why the car is running so rich now, especially at WOT. Sometimes it's works than others, but since the concrete football collision, it's been noticable. Would a busted cat. converter (driver's side) cause the car to run this much more rich? Perhaps the pipe is clogged with catalyst pieces? Another note - gas mileage has been creeping down from about 24mpg to 22mpg over the past 2 years..
I need to get under the car and inspect everything a bit better, but it looks like the engine cradle, driver's cat. converter, exhaust pipe, gas tank heat shield and rear bumper all have some degree of damage. Nothing is leaking or broken though. Good thing the oil pan wasn't hit...it would be in pieces for sure!
Any ideas why the car is running so rich? I'll see if gas mileage has changed next time I get the chance.