A catalyic converter

What is a catalytic converter and what does it do? The honeycomb mesh maximises the surface area for the exhaust gases to interact with.

So what is a sports cat? The honeycomb structure within has disintegrated due to extremely high temperatures created by unburnt fuel. Is a decat a viable option? Here you can see a catalytic converter has been completely replaced by a straight 'decat pipe'.

Decatting will inevitably increase the volume of your exhaust system but will yield very little power increase. Video via YouTube channel robsri The aftermath of a 'DIY' cat stripping. Sort by Best Sort by Latest. Show Comments. Sign in to your Car Throttle account Before you sign in Please confirm you agree to the use of tracking cookies as outlined in the Cookies Policy.

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Email Please enter your email address. I am currently in the U. Military, Guard, Reserves or I am a veteran. Military Release Date Required. Get Info Get Info. Previous Step. Table of Contents. Who Invented the Catalytic Converter? What Does a Catalytic Converter Do? What Is Inside a Catalytic Converter? There are two main types of catalysts that might be featured in a car: Reduction catalysts: Help reduce nitrogen oxide pollution by removing oxygen.

Nitrogen oxides are broken up into nitrogen and oxygen gases, which on their own are harmless. Oxidation catalysts: Used to change carbon monoxide into carbon dioxide through an opposite process of adding oxygen. Types of Catalytic Converters As mentioned before, there are two primary catalysts — reduction and oxidation — that can be used within an exhaust system to handle specific gases. There are two primary kinds of catalytic converters: Two-way: The two-way catalytic converter was present on vehicles in the United States until They only have oxidation catalysts, which help change carbon monoxide to carbon dioxide.

Hydrocarbons which is unburned and partially burned fuel are changed to carbon dioxide and water. Three-way: Since , the three-way catalytic converter has been used. This performs the same as the two-way converter with the addition of a reduction catalyst. As stated earlier, this is used to change nitrogen oxides to nitrogen and oxygen gases. How to Prevent Catalytic Converter Theft Catalytic converters are often the target of thieves because the part contains valuable precious metals.

Regardless of the type of vehicle you have, there are some steps you can take to help prevent theft: Park in well-lighted areas close to building entrances if a secure garage is unavailable.

Weld the catalytic converter to the vehicle frame, which can make it harder to remove. Consider buying an aftermarket part similar to a metal cage that can be installed to cover the converter. Install a car alarm with a vibration alert sensor.

Engrave your vehicle identification number VIN to the converter, which can help make selling the part harder and help alert you if your converter is stolen. Knowing key metrics about your converter loads safeguards you against potentially misleading metrics. The inside of the catalytic converter is a honeycomb set of passageways or small ceramic beads coated with catalysts.

A chemical reaction takes place to make the pollutants less harmful. There are many passages for the exhaust gases to flow, to allow for the maximum amount of surface area for the hot gases to pass. There are three primary metals used inside of catalytic converters as well as other materials. Platinum is the most widely used. You could also find palladium, rhodium, cerium, manganese, and nickel. How much your catalytic converters are worth depends on a few factors: the market prices at the time of settlement for the Platinum and the other precious metals that can be reclaimed from your catalytic converters.

The combustion of this excessive mixture causes an odor like rotten eggs. This mixture then burns in the converter and melts its inner material, causing blockages.

This clogging restricts gas flow through the converter and creates a back pressure that affects engine performance. Thermal damage can also occur when hot converters contact the cold area, damaging their parts. If the catalytic converter is clogged, the engine gets too much fuel that the engine cannot burn. This excess fuel ignites in the exhaust, which causes the car to have difficulty starting. The catalytic converter can also be so clogged that the engine cant gets the emissions out of the engine, but the engine will most often start for seconds in this case.

The overall purpose of the catalytic converter is to remove emissions, so this is maybe pretty obvious. When the catalytic converter is clogged, it restricts the flow of oxygen in engines, and engines require a lot of oxygen for proper fuel combustion. This reduced air intake leads to overheating due to an excessive amount of unburned gases caused by spark plug misfiring. The catalytic converter is a device located in the exhaust system of a car. The structure of the catalytic converter has the shape of a honeycomb.

The honeycomb shape aims to ensure that the pollutant gases flow through the more exposed surface and are converted into fewer pollutant gases at the maximum. Despite being one of the most expensive products, Platinum is normally used as a catalyst in catalytic converters.

However, in some cases, rhodium and palladium are also used. A perfect converter usually lasts up to 10 years. But if the same worn basic engine is repaired and you still find that your car is either still missing or is shut down, then your catalytic converter car must be checked out. The catalytic converter is located on the exhaust pipe system, between your muffler and the exhaust pipe manifold.

Depending on the car model, it is installed at different lengths away from the exhaust pipe manifold.