Saab: intermittent injection? problem, cat converter, smell of gas

Question
Hi, I have an '88 900 spg  and lately when starting is will fluctuate revs at idle for a minute or two, then stabilise. AIC is relatively new. This morning while in traffic and accelerating there was a thump from the engine, the Check Engine light came on and from that point on the car could be driven only gently, heavy applications of throttle resulted in the engine seeming to stall and backing off allowed gentle gas to be applied again. There seemed to be a strong smell of gas (real or imagined) at this time too. Thanks in advance Jerry, I hope you can point me in the right direction to solve this problem.


Answer
Ron:
 Your symptoms suggest that you have a clogged cat converter..the 'clunk' you heard was likely a piece of it broken off and blocking the outflow. YOU MUST CORRECT ASAP! (I once had a car burn up from under me due to a clogged, subsequently overheated cat converter!!)

                 Hope this helps,

                                    Jerry