Catalytic converter removal?

Hi, my cadillac converter is clog. I still drive the car but it is not doing so well. I was wondering how much damage I can do to the car if I contunie to drive. Im a single mother and spent all my money in shop that keep ripping me off. So now I can't afford to fix the car for a couple of weeks.

I have another question. If I buy the parts need to fix my car will a good mechanic work on it. I'm so sick of getting ripped off.

2002 Ford Taurus SES (V6, 3.0 12V)
Is there supposed to be a gasket or donut ring in the the left side exhaust manifold-to-converter Y-pipe flange? (9431-to-SF250, Ford parts list). The right side manifold-to-converter Y-pipe flange (9430-to-SF250) calls for a catalyst converter seal (SF263). I can't imagine this flange not needing a gasket. There wasn't one in there when I opened it up. Please tell me if I need a gasket, and what that part number might be.

I thought so too. I purchased the only gasket they sold at Autozone. They called it an exhaust flange gasket. It fit (diameter), but was about 1/4 thick. After bolting it up, the flange leaks BAD. Funny, it wasn't leaking before I replaced it. I don't know what to do. I can't drive it this way.

My daughter was given this car that belonged to her great-grandmother. It was rarely driven and only had 39,000 miles on it when we got it in July. We recently had to replace the original plugs and wires which led to replacing the gaskets on the intake as well as the coil pack. Car is still running really rough the catalytic converter was glowing orange after only a few minutes. How many catalytic converters are there and what can I expect (ball park figure) in repair costs in Florida?

Thank you for the response. How do I know which catalytic converter I need? We were told that the car has three of them?

On the the 2001 Ford Taurus SES Single overhead cam. Is the cat. Converter in front of vehicle by the fan shroud. Is it bolted onto the pipe. Can anyone e-mail me a diagram of bank 2 cat converter or tell me where I can find it?

Hi, so I discovered recently after my car broke down that someone has installed my spark plugs poorly and they were loose to the touch when we went to check them. We replaced those and are still in the process of fixing the water pump because of a leak. When the car broke down, it made a loud sputtering sort of clanky noise from the passenger side of the car. What I want to know is if lose spark plugs can cause excess fuel to get into he system, and if so could this have caused a failed catalytic converter which was the noise?

Well, when the car broke down it was during a complete downpour, during which time I had a leak in one of the pipes of my cooling system, it was behind the engine right up against the dash area, so I was using water in the system to save money, (this was in August) I opened the hood at a gas station to make sure of enough water still and to add a little oil, I drove the car about 8 miles further and it misfired and then lost all power so I pulled over. The engine was steaming a rattling sort of fluttering noise was coming from the passenger side of the car right before it stopped. The car starts just fine but idles pretty bad, as I had said we discovers my plugs were extremely lose and my dad assumed that opening my hood got them wet in the downpour and caused the breakdown, the car is still not running well and the exhaust is thicker than most I would say, and the car seems like it is fighting to stay at a decent idle. I have gotten new plugs a new water pump and fixed the leak but I'm not sure what the noise was or what is still wrong with my car. I can only assume I did damage to something else when it broke down? I'm not really sure though. On a side note I forgot to mention that the water system got sluged up from using high iron water in the car which is why we replaced the pump and I now have antifreeze in the system

How many catalytic converter does my 01 taurus have. I had one converter replaced and now my mechanic is saying that I need to replace another one?

How many catalytic converters are in my car listed above DOHC engine? I am getting a P0430 code and from what I have read this could be issue. Any help would be appreciated.