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Your catalytic converter converts dangerous engine gases into water and harmless gases. Damage from objects thrown up from the road and the failure of other engine components can damage your converter. As your Chevy dealer, we can repair or replace the converter for you. These are some of the signs that your converter could be failing.
3 Signs You Need a New Catalytic Converter From Your Chevy Dealer
Strong Sulfur Smell
No one likes the smell of rotten eggs, particularly if the smell comes from your exhaust. Sulfur dioxide is one of the toxic polluting gases that your converter should remove. Gases from combustion should flow from the engine into the converter, where they’re changed by pressure, heat, and chemical reactions. If you smell sulfur, your converter is failing in its job.
The converter can fail due to a high fuel-air mix in the engine. If your engine has more fuel than air, most of the fuel in the cylinders won’t be used. This hot, unburnt fuel from the cylinders is dumped into the exhaust system. When this fuel reaches the converter, it can overwhelm the converter’s ability to break it down. Our technicians will investigate and repair or replace the converter to fix the problem.
Low Engine Performance
Your converter may not have failed: it could merely be blocked. Some of the byproducts of the conversion process, for example, carbon, can gradually build up in the converter and block the exit to the exhaust system. When the cylinders dump their contents into the exhaust system, these gases should flow into the converter, be converted, and exit the exhaust. A blockage in the converter will prevent this.
The blockage will force the gases back into your engine. Once these gases arrive in your engine, they raise the percentage of fuel in the chamber. The higher fuel concentration can cause misfiring, stalling, and even cause your engine to cut out within seconds of starting. Our technicians can check for a blockage and remove it if there is one. Your converter will then begin working correctly again.
Your Converter Is Blue
If you look underneath your car, you can see the oval-like shape of the converter hooked into your exhaust system. Under normal conditions, the converter should have a slightly shiny exterior. If the converter is tinged with blue, your converter has suffered serious internal damage.
The constant flow of unburnt fuel into the converter can heat the interior beyond its normal tolerances. The interior of your converter will burn, and it will fail. We would need to replace your converter as we can’t repair it.
If your converter shows signs of failure, call us right away at Service Chevrolet Cadillac.
Photo courtesy of Pixabay
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