What are the symptoms of a bad catalytic converter? I have noticed for a while now, that my car has lost power. I changed the wires and spark plugs thinking that, that was my problem. I don't have the engine light on, would a clogged cat turn my engine light on. I have a 2005 gp.
View 5 RepliesMy 2007 Pontiac Grand Prix loses power steering fluid within a couple of days of having the power steering fixed. I've gotten a new power steering unit, new hoses, had some kind of treatment put in to try to stop leaks, and nothing has worked. Every mechanic that's looked at it says there's no leak that they can see. What the heck is going on?
View 5 RepliesCar: 2004 Pontiac Grand Prix GTPEngine: 3.8L SuperchargedMileage: 94,300 miles
Issue : Usually after driving the car for a long period of time (approx 20 miles or more), Ill begin to hear a grinding coming from the front of the car. The grinding/ groaning can be felt in the gas pedal as well. Depending how hard I hit the gas the frequency increases. I am not sure if this is associated with the grinding, but i noticed that when I turn sharply and go easy on the gas and progressively add pressure the car will cut out until i cut straighten the wheel. Then all the power I requested is applied all at once.
What the locals think :
CV Shafts - Sears told me the first time i went to get them checked that my CV shaft boot was a little loose, suggested changing it. Then I went back two weeks later and they denied saying that and said my cv shafts were fine. (talk about confusing)
Wheel Bearings - Someone I know said my wheel bearing could be slipping or my traction control could be on its way out, so i replaced both front bearings.
Tune up - Someone suggested it could be mis-firing, with it coming up on 100,000 miles, i did a tune up. (plugs, wires, coil packs)
Transmission - Someone said the transmission could be going bad. So i did a flush and inspected the fluid, no shavings or any sign of extreme wear. (car shifts great too.)
Clogged Catalytic converter - the cat was clogged, two new 02 sensors and a new cat didn't even solve the issue I am describing, but it does have more power now.
Throttle Body - Someone said it could be a dirty throttle body....so i had that cleaned also.
And finally, some electric temperature sensor - someone said it wasn't getting the right fuel mixture, so i replaced the sensor to remedy that.
Fuel pressure was also tested to ensure the fuel pump was doing its job, everything checked out great
Ok here's the problem. I have a 2003 grand prix se 3.1 and a 1998 grand prix gtp series II sc. Both have the exact same problem running and both had overheating issues prior to. I can start either one on a given day while cold and drive them as if nothing is wrong. But soon as either one hits operating temp, I start to hear what sounds like a rattling or sputtering like sound from under the hood, accompanied with a sudden loss of power and then the engine shuts off. Now yesterday I attempted further diagnostics with the se model GP. I let it idle rather than driving it this time, and it ran perfectly fine for about 20 mins, started to make the aforementioned noise, I revved the engine to about 2000 rpm and it kept it from cutting off and smoothed, but the second I let up, it was off and wouldn't restart till it was cooled off. Same goes for the gtp. I'm really stumped on this one.
View 3 RepliesAbout two months ago I bought a used 2005 Elantra from a reputable dealership. I had my mechanic friend check it out before I bought it and everything seemed fine. This week the check engine light came on. I took it to a shop, they diagnosed the issue and said I needed a new catalytic converter .....
View 9 RepliesI just took my 2005 Camry to get smogged and it failed. The reading said that my evaporator and my catalytic converter failed. I reset and drove her for almost 200 miles to get the reading settled, but that did not work. I checked all my fuses and the smog-guy and I have no clue what the issue could be. I don't think that the catalytic converter needs replacing since she only has 60,000 miles on her, but what could be the problem that it keeps saying 'fail'.
View 6 RepliesSomeone put sugar in my gas tank so I had it worked on at the Dodge place they replaced my fuel pump..fuel filter cleaned the tank..flushed the lines cleaned my injectors and replaced the plugs..I went to pick it up I barely made it a mile down the road I had no power and a lady flagged me down to tell me to pull over because I had sparks coming from the bottom of my van I looked under the van and the catalytic converter was red like hit coals the Dodge place is telling me its my flex plate? I think they are misdiagnosing the issue because before the sugar issue I had no problems with my van?
View 14 RepliesMy cat converter is rattling on driver's side and check engine light is on. Rattle is the inside of the converter, not the heat shield. How much $ and what kind of converter replacement is recommended?
View 10 RepliesLooking for a used catalytic converter that is bad ? I want to hollow it out. I have a couple of these trucks so I thought about just hollowing one and swapping it back and forth for smog testing but my luck i will hollow the one that is going to fail next year.
View 12 Replies06 Camry SE I4
I had to replace my catalytic converter because of the code I was getting. It wasn't difficult to do, but took me a while because I had to transfer the thread rods to the new CAT. Once the new CAT was installed, I went to test her out, but noticed that the car all of a sudden, has no electrical power. Nothing at all. I checked all fuses and nothing is blown. The only electrical I messed with on the car was the O2 sensor.
Car has a brand new battery from yesterday. The only thing I didn't do is install a support bracket on one side, because it was missing a bolt and one thread rod was stuck in the old CAT, i couldn't remove it.
A friend suggested that the missing bracket may be causing a ground issue. Is this true?
I recently had my catalytic converter replaced with a non-OEM cat. The check engine light came on and a different shop (different from the shop that replaced the cat) said that it will keep coming on because I had the cat replaced with a non-OEM cat.
View 3 RepliesI have a 2001 VT GTI with 155K miles on it. It is in very good condition. I have loved the car except for the high maintenance costs that typically seem to be associated with VWs.
I found out this week after my check engine light came on that the car needs a new catalytic converter and a new new secondary air pump.
Let's assume that this diagnosis is correct and the repair is accurate for the sake of this posting (and I have no doubt it is). In other words, I don't want to get my question derailed on that issue.
The car has new Michelin tires on it and runs well. The problem is that it will fail the state emissions test I am required to take next December, and I will either be forced to have the car repaired or will not be able to get updated license tabs (isn't that sweet?!).
It seems that I have a few options:
1. Get the repair done (ouch) and keep driving the car for a few more years. Repair cost is about what the market value of the car is (from what I have seen).
2. Sell the car "as-is" between now and December and see what cash I can get out of it. Any buyer will discount the value of the vehicle based on the repairs needed. Of course, then I'll need a replacement vehicle of some sort.
See related guides and technical advice from our community experts:
How to Replace a Catalytic Converter
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Engine starts then runs for a period of time until it warms up, then fans come on and then EGR clicks on and off every other second , then it eventually quits. Replaced the coolant temp sensor. And it never sets a code. Have checked wiring for shorts and nothing. Is it a ECM going bad?? When trying to drive it , it will only go about a half a block , then quits , Then will start up again.???
1990 Pontiac Grand Prix with 121000 miles. Scan shows all items within limits or normal.
I have a 2000 Lincoln Town Car with a single exhaust system, part of/attached to the frontal area of the exhaust "Y" pipe are two lumps with heat shields, the muffler is obvious in the mid-section of the car, but are those "lumps" the catalytic converters, and if so, why two when the older cars had only one?
View 2 RepliesI have a 2002 Toyota Prius that is currently in limp mode...
Took it to the dealer for diagnostics and they said the Catalytic Converter has failed...So I went online, bought a new one and replaced it. The symptoms prior the Cat replacement were still there...mpg loss, power loss, and exhaust air was not exiting the end of the pipe but actually leaking out the connection point where the Cat and the manifold met.
So this morning (Kind of Cold) I went out site and started my car. I heard some noise under the car and I noticed that the noise bad been coming from the Catalytic Converter area and there was water dripping off of it.
My guess is that it was just warming up and the water was from the cold. Is it normal?
I have a GLX V6 ...
I own a 2004 Acura RSX that I purchased new nearly 10 years ago. The car currently has 182,000 miles on it. Two years ago (approx. 130,000 miles), I had to replace the catalytic converter and both O2 sensors. This lightened my wallet to the tune of $1,200 (aftermarket franchise, OEM replacement). A few weeks ago, the "check engine" light came on. I used my scanner, and got the dreaded P0420 code, and had it verified by another shop. O2 sensors were OK. What REALLY shocked me was that replacement catalytic converters are only warranted for 5 years/25,000 miles (50k in CA). The first replacement piece lasted 52,000 miles (less than half the miles/years of the original part)
Here are THE QUESTIONS: What killed this catalytic converter? What can I do to prolong the life of this part? My car has the base powertrain that (according to the owner's manual) recommends 87 octane fuel. That's all I've ever used. The mechanic suggested moving up to mid-grade fuel, though he admitted that he wasn't sure.
I have a 2000 Chevy Camaro. Two years ago my catalytic converter went out and I had it replaced. 20,000 miles later my mechanic says that I need to replace it again. Is this accurate? I thought the life of a Catalytic Converter was much longer.
View 2 RepliesOn my 2002 Subaru Forester (137,000 m), the check engine light came on. They diagnosed and repaired O2 sensor. About 300 miles later it came on again, this time they said the catalytic converter was cooked, and they blamed whatever caused the O2 sensor to fail (or the O2 sensor failure itself). After the repair (about $1300 and 30 miles later), I discovered that the engine oil was so low that it was not showing up on the dipstick (tho the oil light was not yet on). The shop (after admitting that they did not check the oil while it was in there) said it was related to catalytic converter failure. Does this make sense? I have only gone another 60 miles since the oil was refilled, but so far it looks OK. Should I be on the look-out for anything else?
View 16 RepliesMy car had its check engine light come on a few days ago, and the engine started to get extremely loud whenever I was accelerating. I would also smell gas whenever I would start the car. I decided to take it to a mechanic, who did a diagnostic check and told me that my catalytic converter was busted. This troubled me because I had just had the part replaced a little over two years ago. I figured the part would still be under warranty, but the mechanic that I had used to replace the cat told me that it was only under warranty for one year or 12,000 miles, according to the distributor. Well, I got a hold of the distributor, and he told me that he didn't have the information for the specific part that he used (he just told me that he "figured" it would be one year or 12,000 miles because most of the parts that they receive have warranties of that length....). Shops are closed now for the weekend, and I am getting worried about my bank account here...should I be?
Well, my questions for you all are as follows:1) Have you all ever heard of a catalytic converter ever having only a 1 year or 12,000-mile warranty? My current mechanic tells me he has never heard of one being so short, and that usually they are 5 years or 50,000 miles. I did minimal research on the internet and also found similar results.2) Who do I need to get into contact with in order to find out how long the warranty is, and how I redeem the warranty?