That BIG thing between your exhaust manifold and the engine does a lot to the car you drive every day. I am going to give you a breakdown of what this Big thing under the car can do, what happens when it is bad and what you will notice when it as gone bad.
So what does the catalytic converter really do?
All modern petrol car exhausts manufactured from 1993 include a catalytic converter. This is to reduce harmful emissions of hydrocarbons, carbon monoxide and nitrogen oxides into the atmosphere.
The catalytic converter works by converting gases into water vapour and less harmful gases (so when you see drops of water from the exhaust it means the converter is working well) Catalytic converters are equipped with one or more oxygen (O2) sensors that monitor the efficiency of the car’s exhaust system continuously.
Modern cars have 2 catalytic converter and O2 sensors which are called the upstream (front) catalytic converter and downstream (back) catalytic converter depending on the model year of the vehicle.
What does it look like?
From the above diagram, we can see how it looks like. It will usually take the form of a rectangular or rounded “box” in the middle of your exhaust system. Some models can have a roughly cylindrical shape.
What are the Symptoms?
- Your vehicle’s fuel efficiency suddenly drops.
- Your vehicle does not accelerate when you step on the gas pedal.
- Your vehicle may refuse to start.
- Check Engine light comes on.
- An increase in the sound of the engine.
The most common cause of failure in a catalytic converter in an older car is that it becomes so clogged that the exhaust gases cannot get through it to the muffler and out of the car. (If air cannot get out the rear of the vehicle, it cannot come in the front end, so the engine dies because no air is coming in to form the fuel/air mixture.)
Every modern car has an OBD (On-Board Diagnostic) II system that tests the catalytic converter (among many other things). If the unit allows too much pollution to escape from the tailpipe, it illuminates the check engine light and produces a trouble code that can be read by a technician with what’s called a “scan tool.”
The catalytic converter is sensitive to changes in the contents and temperature of the exhaust gases, so another possible cause for failure is if the cylinder head gasket is damaged, allowing oil or coolant to get into the combustion chamber and be burned in the cylinders. Also, if your ignition system isn’t operating properly, unburned fuel in the exhaust gases can cause the catalytic converter to wear out or break down.
Cost: Unfortunately to change a catalytic converter is expensive because of these special metals like platinum, palladium, rhodium, and gold which are the compositions of a catalytic converter and they are very valuable and costly.
The range is: N 78,660 – N 142,140 (depends on the model and year of vehicle). This can be converted to dollars if you are outside Nigeria.
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