low compression
 

hello i have an 8 with 102k miles manual.. i have a flashing cell which is usually a missfire. i have replaced however the spark plugs, the coils and the cables... i took it to the dealership and they told me a had a bad cat.. i dont want to however put a new catalic converter in if it is that i have a bad engine.. i am losing coolant but not that often to be a coolant seal or maybe it is... so my question are if a i do a compression test should i take the cat off? and also what are the symptoms of a bad engine or low compression engine? my car has a rough start when i turn it on in the mornings but after warming it up it runs perfect also after being warm there is not hesitation if i need to turn it on again.. it does however blow some white smoke in the very first start then it goes away. uhmm the cell is p301 which is a missfire on rotor one.. so do i need to rebuild or is it some other crap that i know nothing about.

a bad cat can cause a misfire. Either replace it with an aftermarket (cheaper than OEM) or else get a midpipe.
To test for a bad/ dead cat, remove and inspect. Loose material is bad. Also, you can check under the car to see if it's glowing red following a hard drive...

yeah dude but the things is that are those symptoms consitent with a bad cat? im trying to see if its worth it to change the cat or do i just need a new engine? i find it hard to believe that just the cat would cause all of these symptoms

search for:
white smoke
engine coolant leak

If you find that you are experiencing symptoms like that, then new engine time.
If not, it's a clogged cat