Hello all I have a 1988 camaro with a rebuilt engine and tranny. I have replaced the catalitic converter due to the sluggish power my car has. I thought it was a stopped up cat but after replacing it the car runs the same. With the lack of money to take it in to a shop i wanted to see if I can find the problem myself and with the help of thrid gen.com fourm members. The car has no power it does run but after driving the cat gets glowing red any info on what i can look for or any advice with help thanks

Ed

 

The timing is off on your engine that is why your cat is glowing red after driving it and the lack of power set it at -8 BTDC

 

Yeah check your timing first off. Factory setting is 6 degrees before TDC. They usually run even a little better timed around 8-12 degrees advanced. If that doesn't cure it, you might be running too lean. This would cause really high exhaust temps too.

 

Thanks guys i will try to re set the timing and go from there, the car does have a aftermarket cam it's a mile cam so it's not factory I have checked the distributor and it is loose so i will mess around with it, Now it might be running lean how do i go about adjusting that.?

 

If your distributor is actually loose enough to be turning where ever it wants while the car is running, then that's almost guaranteed to be your problem. Don't forget to disconnect your EST wire once the car is running and before you set the timing. It's the single tan wire with a black stripe, and it breaks out of the main harness over by the heater motor/AC housing in the engine compartment. If your car is running too rich, it's usually something to do with dirty/clogged injectors, bad fuel pressure regulator, or a bad sensor, such as the oxygen sensor. More than likely, once you get the timing set right, you'll have it taken care of.