I have been trying to get my idleback to normal, after replacing all fuel
lines, and cleaning air intake components and throttle.

I found an air leak at the throttle gasket, fixed it, adjusted idle screw,
idles nicely at around 800-850 rpm.

so I let it idle 20 min while playing, and looking, and testing... I was
curious as to when teh thermostat would open, so I wanted the engine to get
hot.  I reved it to 2000 rpm for about a minute straight, and then smelled
some nasty stinking smoke.

Looked at the engine compartment, and the cable housings for the tail light
cables were beginning to melt!

Turned off engine, looked underneath to the muffler area, and saw that the
area where the Cat connects to the muffler, on the Cat it was RED HOT!

It even was a bit indented on top, making me think that maybe it got to
melting temperature, and began to collapse in on itself?.

I need help to determine what this can be... I cannot drive with this, and I
do not want to replace Cat and/or muffler, without knowing the cause, and
have it happen again.

The only "non-standard" thing I had done, was to replace the fuel lines with
the steel reinforced kind... now that I look at it, I am not so excited
about this, as the lines run dangerously close to the spark plug wires in a
few places, and just the fact that they are now grounds running throughout
the top area of the engine worries me a bit.

PLEASE... can somebody with experience advise me!!! I would love to have
this puppy running by monday!

Thanks

RSF

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Robert S. Fish
Salzburg, Austria
1987 Wolfsburg Vanagon 2.1 GL Weekender
1987 Golf Cabriolet
1991 Golf