Thanks for the replies everybody and apologies for the following tome. I pulled out the cat this afternoon and as far as I can tell, there is nothing in it except for the screens at the ends of the enclosed unit. I shined a strong LED flashlight through both ends and the light was not obstructed by anything but the screens. Anybody got any ideas what is going on here? Did the ceramic interior burn up completely? The screens themselves look just fine. The vehicle was registered in California for over 20 years. Wouldn't an empty cat lead to a failed emission test? Remember I am trying to increase power and this seems to indicate the cat is not the problem (power should increase with a bored or empty one, right?). I don't get it...