What are the symptoms of a faulty catalytic converter?
3 Answers
The symptoms of a faulty catalytic converter mainly include three points. Below is a detailed introduction to the symptoms of catalytic converter failure: 1. Decreased engine power performance: During driving, the catalytic converter is prone to being affected by road conditions, causing bottoming or strong vibrations. This can lead to collisions of the catalytic converter, resulting in the fragmentation of the catalytic converter carrier, which can easily block the exhaust passage, causing decreased power performance, increased fuel consumption, and worsened emissions. 2. Increased exhaust passage resistance: Due to faults in the fuel supply system, ignition system, etc., engine overheating or backfire can cause sintering and peeling of the catalytic converter carrier, increasing exhaust resistance, which also leads to increased exhaust passage resistance. 3. Disordered engine air-fuel mixture concentration: When the catalytic converter is damaged, the secondary oxygen sensor cannot correctly provide data to the vehicle's computer ECU, causing the engine air-fuel mixture concentration to become too lean or too rich. A too lean mixture can cause ignition difficulties, weak driving, engine backfire, etc. A too rich mixture can increase fuel consumption, incomplete combustion, and severe carbon deposits in the cylinders and spark plugs.
If the catalytic converter in your car is malfunctioning, as someone who frequently tinkers with cars, I can tell you the symptoms are quite obvious. The engine check light will stay on, alerting you to a problem. The car will feel sluggish, with acceleration lagging when you step on the gas, and a significant drop in power. The exhaust might emit a strange odor, like a sulfur-like stench, which is unpleasant. Fuel consumption will inexplicably increase, and a full tank won’t last long before needing a refill. Sometimes, the exhaust noise will become louder or produce odd sounds, which can be annoying. The worst part is that a clogged catalytic converter can affect the entire engine, and delaying repairs will only make it more expensive. I recommend getting it checked at a professional shop as soon as possible—don’t wait for a small issue to become a big one.
My old car's catalytic converter failed once, and it really made me frown. The throttle felt sluggish, as if something was holding it back, making acceleration difficult. The exhaust pipe emitted a foul rotten egg smell that made people cough. Fuel consumption skyrocketed—what used to last a week now ran out in three days. The engine light kept coming on, reminding me not to ignore it. It felt like the car's overall performance was declining, with the engine wheezing like it was out of breath. The key issue was that if these symptoms persisted, the excessive exhaust emissions could lead to fines. So as soon as I noticed the problem, I immediately took it to a repair shop to replace the catalytic converter, to avoid higher costs down the line.
