Catalytic converters, also known as cats, are required by law on every motor vehicle in order to keep exhaust emissions clean. If your cat runs into trouble, you’ll need to have it repaired or replaced at your local Honda dealer as soon as possible. Here are five common signs that you might have a problem with your cat.
6 Signs Your Honda Needs a New Catalytic Converter
Your Gas Mileage Is Dropping
The airflow that runs through your engine and exhaust system can become impeded by a clogged or malfunctioning cat. This creates a backup of gases and air that prevents fresh oxygen from entering the engine. As a result, you’ll soon notice reduced engine efficiency and falling gas mileage.
Your Engine’s Losing Power
An engine with less oxygen because of a faulty cat will also lose power. As the fuel-air mixture inside each cylinder is no longer well-balanced, it becomes fuel-rich, which can’t generate as much explosive force each time it’s ignited.
Your Car Starts Misfiring
Fuel-rich cylinders lead to a buildup of excess, unburned fuel inside the combustion chambers. This excess fuel coats the spark plugs in a sooty carbon residue, which causes the spark plugs to misfire. As a result, your engine will begin to sputter and shake, especially when you slow down or pause at idle.
Your Tailpipe Emits Black Smoke
When a cat clogs up the airflow and causes problems inside the combustion chambers, the excess of unburned fuel can begin to leak back into the exhaust system. This fuel can partially ignite inside the exhaust pipes, eventually escaping out of the tailpipe as black smoke.
You Catch an Unpleasant Smell
As the cat’s primary purpose is to clean your car’s exhaust fumes, a failing cat will allow these toxic emissions to escape from your car. One of these noxious gases, hydrogen sulfide, has a strong smell of rotten eggs which you might smell inside the cabin. If you do smell rotten eggs, exit your car at once, as hydrogen sulfide is a dangerous gas for humans to breathe.
You Can Hear Your Cat Rattling
If the delicate meshwork inside your cat has broken down from age or an impact, you’re likely to hear the loose pieces rattling around below you. This rattling may become louder whenever you rev your engine and a stronger rush of fumes is forced through the cat.
Ask Your Honda Dealer To Clean Your Converter
When a cat becomes clogged, a skillful technician at your local dealership may be able to restore its function by pressure washing it. However, seriously clogged cats or cats with damaged internal meshwork will usually need to be replaced.
Have your converter examined and repaired or replaced today at Tony Honda Kona. Over the past several decades, our family-owned dealership has become a trusted name in the local Hawaiian automotive industry.
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