If you drive a car, truck, or utility vehicle that is 10 years old or older, you may end up with a malfunctioning catalytic converter underneath the automobile. When this happens, you generally also end up with the check engine warning on the dashboard. Ideal Automotive advises that this is just one sign that your catalytic converter is malfunctioning. We are going to list the other signs of a faulty catalytic converter below. Bring your vehicle to our shop at the first sign of trouble.
Engine Performance Lag
The catalytic converter processes engine exhaust before it is released out of the tailpipe. It takes the dangerous and toxic emissions and converts them into safe emissions that are okay to be released into the environment. A common problem that an older catalytic converter faces is being clogged by carbon deposits. When this happens, the exhaust backs up into the combustion chamber rather than being released out of the tailpipe. Unfortunately, your vehicle’s acceleration and engine performance will suffer. It will become sluggish and lag.
Dark Black Exhaust Smoke
Another sign that your catalytic converter is going bad is if you see black exhaust smoke flowing out of the tailpipe. This can be caused by a faulty catalytic converter or a rich fuel mixture. Either way, it can be dangerous to continue to drive your automobile because your engine is burning excess fuel. You don’t want to run the risk of starting an engine fire, so have your vehicle inspected right away. If the problem is the catalytic converter, we can replace it.
Burning Sulfur Exhaust Odors
Another sign that is hard to miss is burning sulfur odors in your vehicle’s exhaust. This smells like rotten eggs. Unfortunately, this points to a problem with the catalytic converter that needs to be addressed right away. Aside from smelling the bad eggs in the exhaust, you might also smell them underneath your automobile and in the engine bay.
Excessive Undercarriage Heat
Finally, if there is excessive heat underneath your automobile, this suggests that the catalytic converter has gone bad. It overheats when it is malfunctioning and produces heat that rises into the engine. Unfortunately, your engine will overheat until you get the catalytic converter replaced. If you drive your automobile when the engine is overheating, you run the risk of damaging the engine.
Call Ideal Automotive in Blaine, MN, today to schedule a service appointment if your vehicle is experiencing any of the problems listed above. We will inspect the catalytic converter and replace it if necessary.
