How do you know when a cat goes bad?
Great question.
First, how many actually know what a cat is doing? The cat is converting harmful gases to water and other more benign gases.
The catalysts include:
- Oxidation catalysts: Palladium (Pd) and platinum (Pt) metals in very small amounts (to keep the catalytic converter price down) convert the hydrocarbons of unburned gasoline and carbon monoxide to carbon dioxide and water.
- Reduction catalysts: Palladium and rhodium (Rh) metals also in very small amounts convert the nitrogen oxide to nitrogen and oxygen. Nitrogen oxide is a big contributor to smog.
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"The average light off temperature at which the catalytic converter begins to function ranges from 400 to 600 degrees F. The normal operating temperature can range up to 1,200 to 1,600 degrees F. But as the amount of pollutants in the exhaust go up, so does the converter's operating temperature. If the temperature gets up around 2,000 degrees F or higher, several things happen. The aluminum oxide honeycomb begins to degrade and weaken. The platinum and palladium coating on the honeycomb also starts to melt and sink into the ceramic substrate reducing its effect on the exhaust. This accelerates the aging process and causes the converter to lose efficiency."
They can fail from essentially four reasons.
1. Bad tunes (PCM plus whatever your using) send way too much fuel (rich, unburned) through them and they become so hot that they fail or are "poisoned".
2. Bad valves, they can do the same thing.
3. Bad plugs...of course, bad plugs, fouled plugs do the exact same thing....unburned fuel down the tubes.
4. Crap cat construction.
So, given all that what should one do....or, how can one tell.
1. Car running poorly?
2. Sills red hot?
3. Smoke, fumes out the exhaust?
4. Hard starting, or better yet...starts then chocks out?
5. Got a Fuel/Air meter? Are you running near Lambda? Air fuel meters are a must for large engines.
6. Logs showing variations, especially at higher RPMs?
7. Stuck in Open Loop all the time?
Some guys remove the front O2 sensor and see if the motor runs better.
Some guys check back pressure.
Best shot...tune it yourself and check it every four months....or go to a great tuner and have them tune it regularly.