1998 Toyota Rav4 2.0 3FSE Exhaust manifold catalytic converter glowing red

I have NO CODES. I’ve been trying to figure this out for a while. I’ve done compression test, leak down test everything seemed good. I had lack of power for years so I did a head gasket 2 years ago with no improvement. A few months ago I smelt something and I popped the hood and saw the cat glowing. I changed it with another cat from a 99 that I have and the power was back but the cat was still glowing. I’m afraid I’m going to melt this cat down and restrict it. Put a back pressure guage on it and no restrictions on the rest of the exhaust. I get alot of negative numbers on short term fuel trim. I don’t really understand how to read fuel trim but I’m trying my best. I burn a quart of oil every 800-1000 miles. Have pinging now that it’s hot out when under load going up a hill. I was thinking maybe something with the egr but I have NO CODES. I was thinking about smoking the motor to see if there’s a leak somewhere. I swapped the ecm and it did nothing, I’ve been told to swap the fuel rail but I DONT want to be a PARTS CHANGER. Any advice will be greatly appreciated and I will do Any tests that someone will suggest. I’ve had friends that are master techs at Toyota and other guys who have been in the business forever and no one can figure it out. I get a little oil substance under the radiator cap and in the neck of the radiator. That’s one of the reasons I did a head gasket but I still have this problem. I’m not sure if all of this is a cause of the cat glowing by a possible crack inside the block or head. Please put me in the right direction. Thanks guys for any help that can be offered.

You may have multiple issues, one obviously being oil in the cooling system. Apart from the head gasket this might be a cracked head or, if applicable, a failed oil cooler gasket. Pressure test the cooling system, if necessary over night and you should find the leak. These engines are known for not only warping heads but also the aluminium engine block when severly overheated. Were those parts checked/ rectified when you changed the head gasket??

With regards to the glowing cat: some type of "fuel" is burned in the converter and will destroy it again, if it hasn`t happened already. IT may be the mentioned oil consumption....The information you gave points to a rich running engine, please clarify what " a lot of negative numbers" actually means, in numbers please.
Did you check for a dripping injector? What is th A/F sensor reading?

Here are 2 video clips one is the vehicle started cold and the other is while driving on the highway. The engine block is steel. I get a rich smell when I start it up so I was thinking a leaky injector but then I was told I wouldn’t have a good idle. How can I check for a leaky injector? I changed the oil cooler gasket when I did the head and also pressure tested the oil cooler with air in a bucket of water. I was thinking of swapping it with my 99. Maybe it leaks after it heats up.

Here’s the fuel trim numbers and a picture of my plugs. Thank you

Fuel trim videos

mrmossif wrote: Fuel trim videos

Don't see them...

Check the fuel pressure for decline with a gauge inline while koeo. If the pressure drops then pressurize the system again and clog the fuel supply hose before the pressure gauge, between tank and gauge. If the pressure still drops you got a leaky injector. You may also pull the injector rail which is very easy to do on this engine. Then secure the injectors to the rail and open the switch to pressurize the rail.

When leakdown testing did you apply ~ 100 psi to each cylinder at a time and watch for bubbles in the radiator? Did you pressurize the cooling system?

The last word of the procedure to check for a leaky injector is a typo. Can you please give that word again. Thanks. I did the leak down test at 100psi no air bubbles. I’m thinking of doing it on a hot engine maybe it will show a different result???? I also did a test with the blue fluid in the top of the radiator and nothing changed color. I can’t load the videos on here for some reason. When I start the engine it’s around bouncing up to -14.8 short term and while driving releasing the throttle I can get as high as -21. I’m really trying to understand the fuel trim. I even disconnected a vacuum line and added some propane to the intake to see how the numbers would react. I had a P0446 that I changed the vsv on the charcoal canister because it wasn’t switching on and off. And now I got a pending P0446. I never erased the codes. I wanted it to clear itself after a bunch of key cycles. I didn’t want to monitor readiness because they take so long to hit the parameters. Do you think smoking anything would help??? Could I have a lean condition???? Thank you for all your input.

KOEO= key on engine off.....

The computer is seeing a RICH condition and therefore it's taking fuel away. This is expressed by the negative sign "-". During a perceived lean condition the computer will add fuel and the fuel trim numbers will not show the "-" sign.