Rather than bringing your 19 year old car to the garage and having the catalytic converter cleaned while filling the atmosphere of the whole town, if not the whole region, and this is one potentially explosive region, with unbreathable soot, the Auto-cleaning catalytic converter takes the same gasoline that is used to clean it once in 19 years, and sends it through the pipes once or twice a month.-- pashute, Apr 20 2015 Can you clean a catalytic converter? The short answer - you can't. http://www.life123....ic-converters.shtml [normzone, Apr 21 2015] Or just buy a new one-- evilpenguin, Apr 20 2015 Hm, I've never heard of cleaning a catalytic converter. I've also never had a 19 year old gasoline car though so maybe I was just 2 years away from needing it done.
On the diesel busses I used to drive the diesel particulate filter was self-cleaning.-- DIYMatt, Apr 20 2015 During 18 months working with 50+ UK garages, I never heard of a dirty catalytic converter. The only time they ever seemed to break was when a super hot one encountered a big puddle ("spirited driving" 'round the better roads in the pennies was a culprit) and cracked. I suspect this is a US thing. Having seen how cars are treated here, I'm not surprised. I suspect prevention is better than dubious cures here. Don't put stickers over check engine lights. What ever that really nasty stuff at the gas stations is, I'm amazed you can call it fuel. Get the 93 octane stuff, it's still terrible compared to the 98 octane in europe, but at least it won't leave your tank 1/5th full of water like the 87 RON ethanol garbage.
My point being, if you don't poison a cat, they are self cleaning.-- bs0u0155, Apr 21 2015 Catalytic convertors only need to work for the annual test. So the trick is to buy a pre-owned unit, and swap it for the one in your vehicle. Keep the original on the shelf. Then, once a year, swap in the standby unit just for the test, then put the other one back once it's passed.
A few minutes work with a couple of spanners can save you $$$$$$$ !-- 8th of 7, Apr 21 2015 //Catalytic converters only need to work for the annual test//
True
//buy a pre-owned unit, and swap it for the one in your vehicle.//
Nah, by a de-cat pipe. Bolts straight in, then, swap your real cat back in for the emissions inspection.
//A few minutes work with a couple of spanners //
heh... on a new car maybe..
You should pretty much count on the nuts and bolts holding an exhaust together to be a rusted mess. You can pretty much count on having to cut them off, so save time and buy a whole box of nuts bolts and washers.-- bs0u0155, Apr 21 2015 The trick is to use stainless steel nuts, bolts and washers, and replace them every year. Keep one "dirty" set of plain steel ones for the test.
It's useful to have a look alike device in line, then if anyone looks, they see a "cat". Not your fault if your emissions are above spec ... how are you to know ? How many private citizens own an EGT unit ?-- 8th of 7, Apr 21 2015 Stainless is pricey, and tough to cut. You don't need to worry about shiny bolts. Why does the test centre care if you recently replaced an exhaust component? It's not their job to do retrospective exhaust emissions detective work. When they issue an MOT, they're only certifying that it was within compliance in their hands.
//It's useful to have a look alike device in line//
Take an old cat, a lump hammer and a scaffolding pole. not as svelte as a proper de-cat pipe. Actually, my '96 MX5 passed the emissions test with no cat. Trick was to have the engine well and truly up to temp. I think it was something to do with it being a relatively low compression engine by modern standards.-- bs0u0155, Apr 21 2015 My cat (which incidentally resembles Garfield in almost every way) refuses to enter the motor.-- pashute, Apr 22 2015 Seriously, after reading normzone's link, what the guy was doing was cleaning my motor and carburetor. He explained that it was "cleaning the catalytic converter" which perhaps was simply overloaded with soot.
I don't know, but it definitely put out a lot of dirt, and did clean up the system (It smelled terribly before, and now hardly at all, getting better each day).
A new one (pertaining [evilpenguin]'s suggestion, costs the same price as the old car I decided to take a chance on (and meanwhile am very happy with it).
I was told to bring it in for a re-test next week, and meanwhile drive around with it. It did not pass the second test after cleaning. Actually got worse.-- pashute, Apr 22 2015 carburetor? and a catalytic converter? Wait, does your starting handle interfere with your radar collision sensor? I'm confused.
Normally Cats are only fitted to engines with fairly modern fuel air control systems. Normally, sooted up engines are a result of one, or a combination of: many short journeys, terrible fuel, dirty idle control valves dirty/faulty mass air flow sensors or exhaust O2 sensors. You could always get yourself down to a junk yard and get new sensors and a new cat. Alternatively, find something new and crashed. Anything with the right diameter exhaust pipe you can take the cat from, any moderately skilled exhaust shop should be able to splice it in for you.-- bs0u0155, Apr 22 2015 random, halfbakery