[Alex]

Hmm clogged by richness perhaps? Its possible whatever modifications he had on the car before caused the engine to run extremly rich, the maf could have failed, crappy intake, huge injectors, no EM to help correct the problem.

Some more information for those who are curious taken from Howstuffworks.com

How do I know if my catalytic converter has failed?

There are two ways a converter can fail:

* It can become clogged.
* It can become poisoned.

There really is no "inspection port" for the consumer or mechanic to see an actual clog in a converter. Often, the only way to tell if a catalytic converter is malfunctioning (plugged) is to remove it and check the change in engine performance. When a clogged converter is suspected, some mechanics temporarily remove the O2 sensor from the exhaust pipe ahead of the catalytic converter and look for a change in performance.

A catalytic converter relies on receiving the proper mix of exhaust gases at the proper temperature. Any additives or malfunctions that cause the mixture or the temperature of the exhaust gases to change reduce the effectiveness and life of the catalytic converter. Leaded gasoline and the over-use of certain fuel additives can shorten the life of a catalytic converter.

A catalytic converter can also fail because of:

* Bad exhaust valves on the engine
* Fouled plugs causing unburned fuel to overheat the converter

Sometimes you can tell that a converter is clogged because you don't go any faster when you push the gas pedal. Also, there usually is a noticeable drop in gas mileage associated with a clogged catalytic converter. A partially clogged converter often acts like an engine governor, limiting the actual RPMs to a fast idle. A totally clogged converter causes the engine to quit after a few minutes because of all the increased exhaust back pressure.

[SubyFreak05]

Nice find, thanx for your help buddy. I get the car back tomorrow.

Its like, I never got to really feel the STi's true power, the solution to this whole problem is making me really anxious to drive my "born again STi" cant wait

[SubyFreak05]

Hmmmm...

I bought the car with 1400 miles on it, how the hell did the cats. get clogged within that time, and breakin is 1000 miles if it was broken in properly how in the world did the previous owner clog the cars cats in 400 miles of aftermarket parts?? This makes me worry.

[the-one1]

Just curious, I want to know the ending to this story if you dont mind?

[LightWerkz]

the guy who detailed his car sprayed armor all on his intake and that messed everything up.

[SubyFreak05]

Basically the Armor All threw off my MAF sensor and made the car run rich and clogged the cat's.

[wdb]

Glad they found the problem. All repaired at no cost to you, I hope...

[Conekiller13]

If that happend (the amor all thing) the Mill lamp should have come on because the O2 sensors should have read the rich condition.