2003 Monte Carlo SS w/ 3800 V6 96,000 miles

2003 CHEVROLET MONTE CARLO
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MONTE03
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My in laws gave me their 2003 Monte Carlo w/ a 3800 in it in Dec. 06. For the last few weeks it seems like it takes forever to get to 40 mph. It runs fine between 40-60 mph but if you try to speed up quickly it makes a horrible sound. The harder you press the gas pedal the louder the noise and as soon as you let off the noise stops. The closest I can come to describing the sound is maybe a grinding/knocking noise. That doesn’t really do it justice but no one can think of another way to describe it. I've also noticed that the oil pressure gage moves a lot while accelerating and slowing. This may be normal; I've just never had a car that did as much as this one.

I had a family friend who dabbles in car repair take it for a ride. He has no idea what it is but said it sounds like it is coming from the bottom of the motor. He doesn’t know were to even begin checking. He also said it should have more power due to the size of the motor. I would appreciate any useful tips on where to start. Thanks
Apr 6, 2007 at 2:22 PM
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2CARPRO JACK
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Loosen the exhaust before the cat converter, and drive it. Might be loud but they had problems with the cats.
Apr 8, 2007 at 7:25 AM
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MONTE03
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Thanks for the suggestion. I took the car into the dealership today. They say it is the cat convertor and it needs to be replaced. Do they really need to replace it or can it be adjusted? Also, they're going to charge me $600 to replace it. Is this reasonable?

Thanks agian!
Apr 11, 2007 at 9:57 AM
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NUMBER_19_526
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Had the same problem, cost me $550
Nov 3, 2007 at 10:53 AM
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2CARPRO JACK
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What is the mileage? They have to cover the emissions longer than the rest of the car. Try complaining about it to the service manager, if that doesnt work tell him you want the number of the Chevrolet Rep.
Mar 6, 2008 at 5:46 PM