Catalytic Converter Question

[batmobile]

Stupid question. What would cause a brand new catalytic converter to suddenly turn orange (as in glowing) cause the car to run like crap, and just as suddenly clear up and allow the car to run fine. This is new (well, replacement) engine, new cat, new muffler, pipe between cat and muffler less than 2 years old. This is the only problem I am having with the car. It's an 88 L, carbed....Obviously

[Gomez]

Engine misfire comes to mind first. Also carb too lean, but you would have damaged the engine for it to be so lean as to "glow" the converter. Most likely misfire though. That has been my experience in the past (recent past).

[worfdog]

glowing is sometimes caused by engine running to rich. choke may have hung up for a little while.

[FestYboy]

engine running rich and the cat is burning the leftovers. this causes carbon buildup on the hunnycomb of the cat and clogs it, eventualy causing it to melt down and cause massive backpressure (engine runs like crap). the running rich can be from several things including clogged air filter, lean OR rich misfire, ignition misfire, compression misfire, dead cylinder, etc.

[batmobile]

Perhaps a little history will help, as it seems my two seperate problems may be related. My pride and joy ran just fine, jump in, start her up, and walk away while she warmed up. One morning, fired it up, and it ran until it kicked out of high idle to low idle, and then it just kind of died away. Would start right back up, but would not run on its own once it kicked to low idle. Once the engine was good and warmed up, she would run just fine. This has now devolved to the point that it will not stay running at all, until it is warmed up, without someone staying with their foot on the gas. It's like there is no high/low idle, there is only run or not run. So, I'm sure if this problem were corrected, the cat converter problem would be too, as I am sure that having to stay on the gas so long to keep it running is probably sending unburnt gas to the cat. Thanks in advance for any help.

[batmobile]

Okay, am thinking the carb is bad/going bad. As I said above, even before the cat problem, the car has steadily been losing the ability to idle unless I stay on the gas. New fuel pump, filter, air filter, plugs, wires, cap. If my new carb order ever gets filled :roll: :roll: I will bolt it in and test this theory. Any thoughts?