92 Legacy "missing" low on power, glowing red muffler ...

[PoorBoysRacing]

Ok the wagons in a bad way and I need to get it fixed up by mid july to keep up with my points standings. Any help is apprtiated.

Ok so car did great at the race, I did notice it got louder (exhaust leak) and I could hear a popping at idle from the exhaust.

On the way home I noticed I had no power (flat out in 3rd to do 45mph type sh*t)

So we pulled over and checked the oil (it was low) topped up and kept going.

I noticed the problem got better or worse when we would hit bumps in the road.

I then remembered my neg. terminal was loose at the race and I never fixed it.

Pulled over again and tightened both terminals. Didn't change anything.

My friend started wiggling things and it got better. Noticed when he touched my vacuum line from my gauge it idled better (throttle body line). Removed gauge and zip tied line to secure it...all better.

Drive another while with it skipping only intermittently.

Then it came back. And stayed back.

Kept pushing on until I heard a loud explosion and the car filled with smoke from the back of the car. Pulled Into parking lot and started pulling stuff from the back thinking it was on fire.

Pulled up the carpet and the spare tire had caught fire (or started too) and exploeded. This was due to heat transfer from the muffler into the spare tire well. Paint is burned off of the inside of the well and it also melted the pastic tool tray that sits on top of the spare

We rigged it up ( put everything in back seats and front passenger so nothing was touching the hot metal and pulled the carpets out) and pushed on (windows down so I could breathe) until the car gave up going up a hill, kept downshifting until it had no more power and it stalled then would not re start.

The inside of the muffler was glowing orange and so was the inside of the cat.

Had to have it towed to my house from Dryden Ny (about $350 bucks).

Started it Monday with lots of cranking and throttle playing and backed it into the yard. Was blowing TONS of blue smoke. It stalled shortly after.

Today looked at it some more. Car fired up with just cranking, and ran decent only missing once and awhile. Smoked when reved (black smoke).

That's about where I'm at with it currently.

any tips help.

Thanks guys! the leggy won first in class and is currently at 2nd in the points season! I wanna keep her going.

[Apex3]

Bad cat?

[PoorBoysRacing]

thats what im wondering, if the car fell apart and plugged the muffler... ive got to try and pullt the exhaust off and see what it does.

[91Beater]

The cat burns off unburned fuel exiting the engine. Looks like the missing cylinder is still getting fuel and its spitting it right out the exhaust.

Black smoke indicates way too rich condition.

Pull the spark plugs and look at their conditions. You maybe able to tell which cylinder is the culprit.

[Legacy777]

Yeah I would say you're dumping a lot of unburnt fuel into the exhaust, the cat is burning it and causing the hot temps. You may have nuked the cat as well.

As 91beater suggested, check the plugs and find the cylinder(s) that isn't firing and diagnose from there.

[91Beater]

Check the compression as well. If exhaust valve is bad fuel charge will get dumped into exhaust stream and there is nothing for that cylinder to burn when spark is fired.