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Hey Nick,
If you take the car to a muffler shop, they may be able to check the cat by installing a pressure gauge ahead of it temporarily. If the gauge shows an abnormally high reading, the cat is usually bad. They typically do this by making a tiny hole with a cutting torch in the pipe and thread the gauge in. Afterward they just weld the hole closed. We had an old Buick that was running poorly, and everything else was ok. We took it in to a local shop, they put in the pressure gauge, started the motor, and the gauge was blown across the shop from the pressure. 'Yep... I think its bad, said the mechanic'. For the damper, I suppose you could paint another line to mark the timing. However, it will likely continue to slip. It may be a good idea to replace it. As it further deteriorates, the pulley can start to contact the timing cover and also cause strange slipping belt noises. This is a common item to wear out on these engines. More info can be found in the Engine:mechanical section of the 700/900 FAQ. I'm not sure if it could be realigned. If it was done successfully, I doubt it would stay that way for long.
Regards, Jon
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