There are four ways where a catalytic converter can fail, depending on the different conditions with which it is in. Here are the four basic problems that you may encounter:

-Your catalytic converter may become clogged

-Your catalytic converter may become poisoned

-Failure due to bad exhaust valves on the engine

-Failure due to fouled plugs causing some unburned fuel to overheat the converter

Detecting the possible cause of your catalytic converter’s failure may need the help of a professional mechanic since there is no “inspection port” for you to see the actual dilemma of your catcon. You will be able to tell that your catcon is malfunctioning when you try to remove it and then observe the change in the performance of the engine.

To tell if your catalytic converter is clogged up, professional mechanics usually remove the oxygen sensors for a while from the exhaust pipe and then observe if there will be a change in the performance. On other occasions, you can immediately tell that your catcon is clogged when you are not able to speed up while pushing the gas pedal. Check the gas mileage as well since it can drop evidently due to a clogged catcon. In other circumstances though, catcons can be partially clogged. This causes the engine to limit its RPM to a fast idle—a fully clogged catcon can cause the engine to quit after only a few minutes since it increases the exhaust back pressure.

Here is one big DON’T for your catcon: Do not park your car over tall grass or piles of dry leaves. Your car’s perfectly running catalytic converter gets very hot…enough to start fires! Keep your ignition system in mint condition to prevent any unburnt fuel from entering your catcon. These are the immediate and simple ways to treat your catcon and avoid any possible clogs or damage.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, September 5th, 2007 at 10:55 pm and is filed under Maintenance. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.