As harmful emissions from a car’s engine pass through the catalytic converter, toxic fumes are either burned up in the cat’s heat or separated into nitrogen, oxygen, and other benign gases. When a cat breaks down, you’ll soon smell the difference as the dangerous emissions make it out of the exhaust into the air. Your car will also experience various other problems as outlined below, all of which you can have promptly resolved at your nearest Cadillac dealership.
Does Your Cadillac Need a New Catalytic Converter?
Rotten Egg Stench
Hydrogen sulfide is the smelliest of toxic fumes produced by the engine. If a failing cat stops converting this noxious gas into odorless sulfur dioxide, you’ll be able to smell the hydrogen sulfide escaping.
Rattling Sounds
The honeycomb mesh inside a converter may start to break into pieces as it ages or becomes damaged by an impact. If this happens, you may hear the loose pieces of meshwork rattling around as the engine’s gases pump through the exhaust.
Misfiring Engine
A healthy car needs an unimpeded flow of oxygen and gases through the engine and exhaust system. When a bad cat becomes clogged up, it can block the outflow of exhaust fumes, causing a backup that prevents sufficient oxygen from entering the engine.
This lack of oxygen causes the fuel-oxygen mixture inside the engine’s combustion chambers to become unbalanced. As a result, the spark plugs start misfiring, which will make the engine sputter and shudder.
Sluggish Acceleration
With a bad cat causing misfiring, the engine will also rapidly lose power. You’ll find your car struggling to accelerate as quickly as before. This can be hazardous when attempting to overtake or cross a busy intersection.
Falling Fuel Economy
While fouled spark plugs start to misfire, the cylinders will still be injecting the same amount of fuel into the chambers. This excess fuel won’t be combusting properly, leading to wastage and falling gas mileage.
Smoke in the Exhaust
The unburned fuel will eventually make its way back into the exhaust system, where it may partially burn up in the intense heat of the exhaust. This causes black smoke to pour from the tailpipe. You might also hear backfiring as the fuel ignites inside the exhaust pipes.
How Your Cadillac Dealer Can Diagnose Cat Problems
There are various ways a technician can diagnose cat trouble. They may measure temperatures upstream and downstream of the converter. They can also use a vacuum gauge or other tools to measure for heightened back pressure that would be created by a clogged cat. An emissions test will also let them know if the fumes are being properly cleaned.
Have your converter tested and repaired or replaced today at Airport Cadillac. For over thirty years, we’ve been providing the area’s drivers with a broad inventory of top-notch cars and excellent customer service as well.
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