I have a 1994 Blazer Sport with a 350 and 108k miles. It went from performing beautifully to almost not running at all in a matter of a few minutes. It was sputtering and had a great loss of power, even died once or twice. I just recently purchased this truck for a 2nd vehicle. All maintenance records indicate the PO took great pride in caring for this truck the 12 years he owned it. It has been suggested to me the cat converter could be clogged. Is this possible even if the vehicle has been well maintained? And what issues would I have if I eliminated the cat converter from the exhaust system?

 

If you were to remove the catalytic converter and not replace it, it is a federal violation punishable by fines up to and sometimes exceeding $3000.

Typically, a clogged catalytic converter will result in the engine falling on its face as the RPMs rise. It may idle find, but once power is requested, it will bog and possibly stall.

To diagnose the catalytic converter, you could remove the oxygen sensor and drive the truck. It should run provided that you completely remove the O2 sensor from the exhaust and disconnect it from the wiring. If the truck runs better with this new "vent" in the system, then the catalytic converter is the most likely cause.