Your fleet running reports

[integrale_evo]

Yeah, I get that cats getting very hot, and have to, but you’d usually shouldn’t be able to feel it noticably from inside the car!

I think you’d probably hear a leak that was bad enough to leak fumes or upset the fuel/ air ratio.

My spidey senses still think it’s a fuelling issue rather than a fundamental mechanical one.

[V8Granite]

Normal MAF check, unplug and start the car, if it's better it's the MAF.

Dave!

[Sundayjumper]

Yeah, I get that cats getting very hot, and have to, but you’d usually shouldn’t be able to feel it noticably from inside the car!

Absolutely ! Which points to excess fuel burning off, tying in with the noticeable smell of fuel. There’s obviously multiple reasons why there might be too much fuel though.

Also - I think OEM cats are often double-skinned to help contain the heat. Maybe the new cats aren’t ? Or even, a heatshield on the car is missing ?

[Sundayjumper]

Normal MAF check, unplug and start the car, if it's better it's the MAF.

Dave!

Yep.

I was pondering why it was better for a while after the oil pump was changed. If they disconnected the battery while working on it maybe all the adaptations cleared and it takes some time to get back to not running ? That’s another easy thing to check. Disconnect it for an hour or maybe overnight and see if anything changes.

[Alex88]

Thanks for the comments, chaps! I really appreciate it. Very useful information and I've noted it all.

To answer a few points and give a bit more detail:

- I haven't cleaned the MAF but I will. I'll see if I can pull a spark plug (only did them 500ish miles ago). The exhaust tips look ok and the MPG seemed normal.

- No-one checked the fuel system. Not that they told me, anyway.

- Once the car is on on the move, it seems fine.

- I'm sure the battery was disconnected, as I think they put it on charge after I queried it considering the car was sitting there for weeks.

I've also had a response from them today. They say that the car was fine on their extended test drives and idled fine in their workshop. Apparently the engine temperature didn't get much above 90c. No EML or DTC codes.

All sounds quite reassuring when I read this back!

However:

The engine temperature gauge no longer sits dead-centre. Its new normal is 3/4's of the way towards Hot. I know these gauges aren't scientific measurements, but this felt odd because it had never gone beyond the dead-centre/halfway point until now. They told me this was normal They did replace the oil gauge stepper motor (apparently just the motor was at fault) and maybe they disturbed the engine temperature one. Maybe.

It wasn't slow starting as such, but it grumbled into life. Not a clean start as it used to.

The fuel stench was very real and I'm amazed they'd not mentioned it! My partner commented on it as soon as the car pulled up and before I'd told her about how the car was. I couldn't have the blowers on due to the smell, either.

The heat was also very pronounced, and another thing I'm surprised they'd not noticed. This wasn't ambient temperature as everything else felt normal. But the metal gearstick, and all surrounding trim, were definitely very warm. It felt like something was emanating upwards, hence suspicion of the new cats.

On the idling issue - it's true that it occured later into the drive than before, but I also didn't want to keep testing it on the drive home. I hit traffic, had to slow, and it did exactly as it had done before - started chugging, dropping to 300rpm or so, engine shakes, recovers back up the RPM. I therefore kept the clutch/throttle modulated just in case it stalled. When I got home, it didn't do it It's seems like an intermittent issue, but even when it's idling normally, it still feels like it's mildly chugging, as if it's misfiring.

Also, when it went back in the second time, I mentioned the cats and aftermarket air filter and they said they could adjust the car's map to suit the basic mods. Not for power, but to optimise it. On collection they said they'd made a few adjustments to the fuel trims. That now makes me wonder why that adjustment was necessary?

The EML light is on for catalyst efficiency bank 1 and 2. This was present before it shat itself and before the new cats. I'll see if I can download Forscan or similar to check in more details (if even available)

Perhaps I should grab some new lambda/02 sensors for when the old exhaust goes on?

[Sundayjumper]

Lots of useful info there but wait a freaking minute...

The EML light is on for catalyst efficiency bank 1 and 2. This was present before it shat itself and before the new cats.

They did all that other stuff without dealing with this first ??

Perhaps I should grab some new lambda/02 sensors for when the old exhaust goes on?

I know I'm sounding like a broken record re: lamba sensors, but replacing them, or at least testing them, should have been the very first thing before replacing the cats. Are they expensive ? www.partsinmotion.co.uk is my fave supplier, look up the parts there and check their ebay listings too as they almost always have a promo code. I usually stick to Bosch for parts like this.

[Sundayjumper]

My own minor fleet update while I'm here. We're on holiday in Devon atm. The front wheels on the M5 have needed balancing ever since I swapped the front tyres over myself. It was OK up to 80-ish and not a problem for driving to work but driving down here I had a few bursts of overtaking on the A303 and it was getting pretty annoying. I popped into Elite Garages in Okehampton who fitted me in immediately and rebalanced both front wheels for the grand sum of £20.40 Very pleased with that !

[Sundayjumper]

...look up the parts there and check their ebay listings too as they almost always have a promo code.

I think it's these. A sniff over £34 each but you need to attach the connector yourself.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/318600157744