As I mentioned before, I'm helping a friend get his E320 Convertible back in good running order.

One of the things we've noticed is that there is a rumbling/rattling noise coming from the bottom of the car at idle, particularly when the engine is cold. This reminded me of other cars where I've seen this same symptom caused by a clogged or broken catalytic converter.

Has anyone had any experience with this? It should not be the case on this car, as the odometer only shows 70K miles, but the sound is definitely there.

Has anyone hollowed out the Cat? Does this trigger a CEL light? Is there an aftermarket Cat alternative worth exploring?

Thanks in advance for all the help.
Andres G

 

Hello...

Anyone there?

 

testing testing.... is this thing on ???

Forget hollowing it out - they are cermaic and break apart with age.
Not too mention they clog up with crap and do need changing.
My 1988 300CE runs much much better with a new cat.
Depending on your emission laws there, I went with a hi-flow Magnaflow cat.
It actually deepens the note a little (which is not a bad thing) and as I said the car actually is a little more responsive - which may not be the result of this particular Cat mod but the fact that there is no clogged up piece of grunge collector in the middle anymore.

 

Thanks! That sounds promising... I assume you did not have a CEL come on with the new cat (I checked out Magnaflow and $140 sounds like a decent deal).

I will look to order this soon. I'll post an update once it's done.

Thanks,
Andres G