Why Catalytic Converters Fail - Tire Review Magazine

Why Catalytic Converters Fail

In this video, Tire Review's David Sickels gives reasons why most converters fail, from the Tire Review Continental Tire Garage Studio at Babcox Media.

Have a customer whose engine has stalled due to a catalytic converter failure? In this video, Tire Review’s David Sickels gives reasons why most converters fail, from the Tire Review Continental Tire Garage Studio at Babcox Media.

So, what does cause most converters to fail? A lot of times, it’s a single misfiring spark plug or a leaky exhaust valve that dumps enough unburned fuel into the exhaust to overheat and damage the converter.

When the converter gets too hot, it literally can melt the ceramic honeycomb or pellets that hold the catalyst. From there, this can cause a partial or complete blockage in the exhaust system that chokes engine performance and may even cause the engine to stall.

Most converters start out at about 99% efficiency when new, and quickly taper off to about 95% efficiency after 4,000 miles or so of driving. As long as efficiency doesn’t drop off more than a few percentage points, the converter will do a good job of cleaning up the exhaust. But if efficiency drops much below 92%, it will usually turn on the malfunction indicator lamp.

There are a few chemicals that can prevent a catalytic converter from breaking down some of the gasses and harmful elements in an exhaust stream, particularly zinc and phosphorous, without the driver even knowing it. These two chemicals can taint the catalyst bed inside the converter and cause it to no longer be efficient or effective in reducing emissions. This typically results in a code from the vehicle that indicates that the converter is below efficiency.

Replacing the converter will eliminate the blockage, but unless the underlying cause of the failure is diagnosed and repaired, the replacement converter will likely suffer the same fate. Replacing these are expensive for the customer, so it makes sense to protect their longevity.

This underscores the need to return your customers’ vehicle to proper operating condition, especially as it relates to a misfire, fuel issue or ignition issue, so that the catalyst inside the converter can operate properly and keep the check engine light out.

You May Also Like

Diagnosing chassis alignment complaints

When it comes to chassis alignment, there are so many factors that can throw things off, like angles, electronics or even the tires.

TR-Continental-chassisAlign

When it comes to dealing with a customer's chassis or steering issues, chassis alignment is like examining a work of art. You know, like those paintings that make you scratch your head and go, "What does it all mean?" The same goes for chassis alignment. There are so many factors that can throw things off, like angles, electronics or even the tires.

Recent trends in the mud-terrain (M/T) tire segment

With more drivers outfitting their trucks and SUVs for off-road use, M/T tires turned to wider sizes and larger diameters to satisfy demands.

TR-Continental-mudterrian
Understanding hybrid regenerative braking and its impact on brake wear

Hybrid brakes capture kinetic energy through regenerative braking instead of losing it as heat.

TR-Continental-regenerative brake
How tire traction and tread design affect tire performance

Even though tires might all look the same to some customers, you should inform them how tread design works to improve their experience.

TR-Continental-treaddesign
Cutting corners on brake jobs can cost customers down the road

Spending more on brake services can help customers understand the importance of quality repairs.

Other Posts

Continental’s ContiConnect Lite to allow digital tire management for OTR tires

Continental said ContiConnect Lite helps fleet managers monitor the condition of their tires via bluetooth.

ContiConnect-Lite-OTR
Continental introduces digital tool to check truck tire health

Continental said it’s allowing fleets and truck drivers to test the system for free and users can configure up to five vehicles.

continental_pp_conticonnect_lite
Is it time to rethink your wheel weight assortment?

The extra time needed to install or replace cheap weights per wheel adds up, which can impact your shop’s productivity and bottom line.

TR Continental-wheelweight
Continental highlights OEM vs. replacement EV tire differences during K&M Tire conference

Continental is providing existing replacement offerings that cover EV customer needs in its portfolio and is designating them as “EV ready.”