Last night I have a long roadtrip and it was raining pretty hard. I hit a few decent size puddles but nothing close to what its gone through before.

Well today on my way to school the truck started to shake. I thought it was the rear end but even when I stopped it was shaking. It only happens after I drive for about 10 minutes, then it starts. When I got home it smelled like rotten eggs coming out of the exhaust and the exhaust make a "plut plut plut" sound when going up a hill. So does this mean a bad cat or just from the rain/ puddles from the night before and just wait to see if it goes away? Could be something else but that's what came up the most after searching.

 

Well to see if it's the cats I want to check the vaccume pressure. What do I need, where do I check to see what the vaccume pressure is? Do I use the brake booster line, and where can I get a guage for this?

 

No Check Engine Light ? Did you by chance notice it blinking at any time? Sounds like raw fuel in the cats. That happens when the misfire.

What size motor you have? COP's or Coil packs? If you have a V8 , you have COP's.

 

5.4L V8

No check engine light. Misfiring? Sounds like that would mean replacement of the COP's. Should I get this checked out, because I have no problem with just gutting the cats.

 

There is a good chance that is it. My 2000 F-150 with the 5.4 is kind of acting the same way. My sister drove thru some rain that was really coming down. She said the road was covered with water. And now the truck misses when its in overdrive and when I'm stopped and its just idling. It doesn't do it right after you start it up but it will once it warms up. The only thing is I changed all the COPs and the plugs in July, and I hate to have to change all the COPs again. I used the ones off of ebay, Global Automotive was the store.

 

Put your hand over the exhaust tip.......does it force you hand away? It should unless the cat is plugging up. You can also check your plugs. A stopped up converter will burn the electrodes excessively.

 

So I went under and tapped the cats with a rubber hammer. 3 out of the 4 sound normal, but one has a different ping sound, so I'm almost positive that it's the cat. I'm bringing it in tomarrow to a friend to be sure. Hopefully I can just get rid of the car, or a pair of cats so I don't have to replace it.

 

So a friend who is a part time mechanic came over tonight, and of coarse the damn truck was solid as ever. No noise or shakes or nothing. He said it wasn't the cats so who knows (though I still think they are), I'm still bringing it in tomarrow.

 

It's more likely cops and boots.

 

Water got into at least one of the plug wells and caused a misfire.

Steve

 

+1 on that. That's just what it sounds like.And now the water probably dried up and it might be fine if it didn't damage the COP!

Phil

 

Wet COPs, misfire, raw fuel to cats = foul smell.
Dry Cops, no misfire, burned fuel = no foul smell.