SEDONA, WITH ARIZONA CLUB - Oct. 21-23, 2011

[CAP]

I put some video on Youtube {rayodude}, see if you can find your car!
=15
http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=rayodude&aq=f

Thanks for the Easter Egg hunt.  Good of you to post the link.  ^2

[Jay M]

I was hoping this was like a one time fluke, not a recurring mystery!  I'm still trying to figure out if the cats are still under warranty or not.

The car was running flawlessly up until I got on the freeway.  Even leaving the parking lot it still felt fine, but seconds later when I got on the freeway on-ramp I felt the sudden loss of power.

I did notice that one exhaust tip was black, and the other was silver.  My assumption that the silver one was clean and the black one was dirty.  Maybe the black one was normal and the silver was covered in metallic dust?

~Jay

[ViperX]

Hey Scott, Jay and others,

"Cats" do clog from time to time.  I had the cats clog in my Supercharged 04 convertible.

A couple of reasons why cats clog in Vipers assuming a stock car:

1 - Oil in the intake, passed into the cats.  If there is no mechanical issue, try installing a catch can to keep the oil out of the intake manifold.

2 - Dirty fuel injectors.  Vipers usually "sit" longer than most cars and injectors tend to get dirty.  Injectors should be cleaned every couple of years, not just on a mileage basis.  I run Red Line fuel system cleaner through my Vipers several times a year and it really helps.  It's available at Pep Boys.  Also, if you are having issues like clogged cats, RC Engineering can flow check your injectors, clean them and return them to "better than new" condition.  I keep a spare set of "cleaned" injectors and change them every year in my track Viper or about 6,000 miles.

3 - Spark plugs get dirty too and should be changed on a "time" basis, like every year or two, not just a mileage basis.  I change the spark plugs every year too.  Very easy to do.

4 - I tried some fuel additives and found that they left a bunch of deposits on my plugs and clogged the cats (as above in my 04).  I now avoid fuel additives like Torco or other octane boosters that leave deposits on spark plugs and valves.  If you want higher octane, you can buy 100 unleaded at several places in the LA area and at most race tracks.

You are in good hands with Eddie Martin.

Dan  <2

[Mr. Fangs]

Jay.

As Dan said. You are in great hands with Eddie Martin.

Eddie is one of the better ViperTechs and works with a fantastic dealer. He will have access to all the right tools and diagnostics to determine your issue, not only with the cats, but what ever might have caused them to fail.

Eddie has tons of experience working on Vipers, and I believe he will have you back on the road with a great running Viper.

If you have any upcoming maintenance needs, or wish to consider performance upgrades, you might wish to have Eddie take care of them while you Viper is in the shop. =27

Paul

[Jay M]

I just got a call from Bill Luke Dodge.  Clogged cat was the problem, and it was covered under warranty!  It won't cost me anything. 

I haven't spoken to Eddie yet, but according to Earl who I talked to, Eddie has never seen anything like it before.  I don't know exactly what that means.

I asked what caused it, and their best guess was all the years of the car just sitting around and not being driven.

What I don't get is how something so severe could happen instantly.  When I talk to Eddie, maybe he'll be able to explain it.

I'm planning to fly out on Thursday to pick up the car and finish our vacation

~Jay

[Speedtactics]

Jay,
As you have seen above from Dan's comments and mine as well. The cats don't get clogged sitting around and not driving. There is a cause and if it's not found then it will happen again. Also as I said be sure that they show you the clogged cat even though its warranty I would check it out anyway.
Hirk

[Jay M]

Hopefully when I talk to Eddie, I might be able to get more information out of him.  The warranty is only good through mid January, so I really do need to get to the heart of the problem.

~Jay

[CAP]

Eddie has never seen anything like it before. 

I've seen something like it.

And I'm eager to see if he can come up with a cause.

[HyperViper]

Good news Jay. Glad it was easily fixable  >v. Have fun

[Jay M]

I was finally able to talk to Eddie.  It appears that the cat just failed for no reason.  I also called Dan at DC, and he said he has seen the same thing a few times before.  At 14,000 miles, maybe it was just a factory defect.

If I had to pay for the repair, I might press for additional testing, but since this isn't costing me one cent, I just need to be thankful, and hope for the best, ... or hope that it fails before January

~Jay

[PCH VIPER]

Craig wins the prize for correct diagnosis of the problem.
But the root cause is still unknown.

Glad to hear that it was a relatively simple fix and I hope you enjoy Sedona !

[Mr. Fangs]

Might be a good time to speak to Eddie about an extended warranty.

[Mr. Fangs]

The Arizona club just posted Sedona event pictures on their site.

http://www.azvipers.com/

This was a well presented event.

Driving through the back way into Sedona while the trees were changing colors was a bonus indeed.

Thanks again for both clubs putting together such a well planned and executed event.

[HISSSN1]

I was finally able to talk to Eddie.  It appears that the cat just failed for no reason.  I also called Dan at DC, and he said he has seen the same thing a few times before.  At 14,000 miles, maybe it was just a factory defect.

If I had to pay for the repair, I might press for additional testing, but since this isn't costing me one cent, I just need to be thankful, and hope for the best, ... or hope that it fails before January

~Jay

I think the way the car is driven is part of the problem with the converters. We drive around town jump on it here and there, that is dumping more fuel than needed. Every time you go W.O.T. ( wide open throttle ) we are dumping more fuel than the engine needs we all drive like this at times  <2.Like Scott was saying about the popping in the exhaust it is normal it is caused but a rich exhaust unburnt fuel hitting the converters and igniting. What I will do once a month when out in the Viper on a long straight I run the engine up to 3,500 to 4,000 rpm and drive for a couple of miles, this heats up the converters very well and will burn off carbon build up in the exhaust. I agree with Dan do not use fuel additives. Some fuel injection cleaners are good to run, dirty injectors is a big part of the problem. The computer control system is to turn on the check engine light if something is out of range. The driving like mentioned above will not set a check engine light on until the damage is done. I get a vehicle in my shop a couple times a year for lacks power does not have the get up and go. We find restricted converters due to short around town driving the vehicle never sees the freeway. After scope and scan on the engine no problems found everything is in specs. We take it out on the freeway heat the converters up blow it out add a carbon cleaning detergent to the gas tank all is good. There could be many causes and it never found for a bad converter, good fuel is a key do not buy off brand fuel for your Viper.