So I'm pulling out of my doctor's office the other day. I engage the clutch more aggressively than usual to pull into heavy traffic. Then BANG - my catalytic converter's pipe between the cat itself and the header pipe separates into two. For 20 agonizing minutes, my little Volvo roars down the road like a dragon in heat, while the cat scrapes on the concrete, probably giving off a nice show of sparks for all to see.

Before this happened, I knew that the cat was cracked in that location. I put some POR-15 putty over it as a temporary repair until I had the time to buy a new cat, but either I didn't do it right or it literally couldn't take the heat.

So now I'm waiting for a genuine Volvo cat to be delivered to my indy Volvo mechanic for me to pick up. I plan on putting it on myself, but I've never done exhaust work before. It seems rather straightforward based on what the Bentley manual and this board says. I don't plan on replacing the rest of the exhaust because it's in relatively good shape. Hopefully I'm not biting off more than I can chew.

I'm gonna soak the old clamp and flange in liquid wrench for now and get some high-temperature lube when I place the new cat into the system. Any other words of wisdom would be appreciated.
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Mike F - 1984 244 DL - 265,000 miles
Original engine, transmission, drive train, alternator, starter
Undergoing reconstructive surgery with POR-15