No, banging on the catalytic converter indicates sound innards.

Reason I'm asking the question is because I had a bad coolant sensor in the
past. It took me some time to figure it out, a month. The tailpipe is
badly blackened, engine was running very rich.

Are you saying to physically remove the O2 sensor to see if there's
difference in engine power at higher rpms, like climbing hills on the
highway? If so, I can see that's markedly decreased in my observations.

--
Dave
"dave AKA vwdoc1" > wrote in message
...
> Now does the cat rattle?
>
> Some muffler places will drill a hole near the entrance of the cat to
> determine backpressure.
> I have removed a plug (02 sensor) to determine that.
>
> What is the engine doing or not doing?
> I always recommend rechecking the camshaft timing!!!
> --
> later,
> (One out of many daves)
>
> "Dioclese" <NONE> wrote in message
> m...
>> How does one determine if a catalytic converter is sufficiently plugged
>> up to affect the engine?
>>
>> --
>> Dave
>>
>
>