Catalytic converter

[SlaughterhouseSean]

Anybody have any experience/tips or tricks cleaning them? Thinking about taking it off and maybe soaking and pressure washing it. I have a some minimal experience working on my own truck but am no mechanic. I just dumped a good bit of money into my ranger with a good ol’ boy mechanic just to find that after all the crap he told me would fix the issue was done I still have the same issue I have had for some time and had guessed myself before taking it to him, which is the catalytic converter.After paying him for a bunch of things I probably didn’t need he tells me basically I should just remove the catalytic converter and clamp on some flex pipe in its place.88 ranger 2.3 liter. Please and thank you!

 

[MikeG]

Ran some stuff called 'cata-clean' through both my car and truck. (2008 mazda 3 and 97 B4000). Both picked up a few mpgs.

 

[SlaughterhouseSean]

Ran some stuff called 'cata-clean' through both my car and truck. (2008 mazda 3 and 97 B4000). Both picked up a few mpgs.

Thanks for the reply, I thought about ordering some cleaner stuff but I don’t know if that will cut it for me. I would say it’s a severe clog that hinders the trucks ability to drive so I might need a heavier approach. I hear the part itself is hard to find and costly so I’m wondering if I could go another way

 

[franklin2]

If you had something wrong with the engine before and it was running rich, the cat can become overheated and melt. This clogs it and there is no repairing it, it has to be replaced.

 

[sgtsandman]

Rock Auto has them for $115. Two different makes. I have a Walker on the driver’s side of my 2011 that has been working just fine for me for a few years now.

 

[ericbphoto]

Might be worth trying the cleaner. I just saw it's only $25 a bottle. If that doesn't work, then replace the cat.

We can't and won't recommend deleting catalytic converters because that's a federal offense.

 

[SlaughterhouseSean]

If you had something wrong with the engine before and it was running rich, the cat can become overheated and melt. This clogs it and there is no repairing it, it has to be replaced.

Damn, not exactly what I wanted to hear but thanks. So before I brought it to the mechanic it would basically not go over 15 mph until it was warmed up for 15 to 20 minutes, then the exhaust would kick something out and it would run fine. After mechanic my engine is a lot louder than it used to be. Do you think the work he did is just making it run better or do you think he increased the fuel to air ratio and it’s running rich now, and is that going to cause me problems later?

 

[SlaughterhouseSean]

Might be worth trying the cleaner. I just saw it's only $25 a bottle. If that doesn't work, then replace the cat.

We can't and won't recommend deleting catalytic converters because that's a federal offense.

Oh damn, I didn’t know that. The mechanic just told me that in my state it’s not a problem but In some states I wouldn’t pass emissions

 

[Shran]

If you're not in California you can probably put a universal cat on it, check with your state smog inspectors first if you have them though. Removing them is a federal deal, your mechanic is wrong. 100% illegal in every state.

Can't say for sure what your guy would have done that made it louder. Is it louder as in, the exhaust is louder, or fan noise, or something else?

Don't think there's much that will clean out a plugged up cat. Even when they get super heated when they're clogged, they stay clogged...you can't burn them out.

 

[SlaughterhouseSean]

If you're not in California you can probably put a universal cat on it, check with your state smog inspectors first if you have them though. Removing them is a federal deal, your mechanic is wrong. 100% illegal in every state.

Can't say for sure what your guy would have done that made it louder. Is it louder as in, the exhaust is louder, or fan noise, or something else?

Don't think there's much that will clean out a plugged up cat. Even when they get super heated when they're clogged, they stay clogged...you can't burn them out.

Hmm, forgive me, I would say the engine itself is louder maybe, and the exhaust. I know he did a tune up but I did my own tune up a few years back with the help of a mechanic buddy of mine and that didn’t change the overall loudness. Truck used to go vroom vroom now it goes VROOM VROOM!!! Haha. The engine definitely sounds more powerful I guess I would say. I know he took my O2 sensor out, it’s currently sitting above my glove box...?

 

[Shran]

Hahaha...well... if he didn't plug the O2 sensor hole, that would explain the nose... you've got an exhaust leak if that's the case.

Removing the O2 sensor is kind of a bandaid fix for plugged cats, it will let the engine breathe better but the computer stays in open loop mode and will not run at peak performance.

 

[SlaughterhouseSean]

Hahaha...well... if he didn't plug the O2 sensor hole, that would explain the nose... you've got an exhaust leak if that's the case.

Removing the O2 sensor is kind of a bandaid fix for plugged cats, it will let the engine breathe better but the computer stays in open loop mode and will not run at peak performance.

Great, haha, any ideas on where I should go from here? Wish I didn’t just pay a guy to fix a bunch of shit I probably didn’t need only for him to not address the real problem until I picked up the truck and it’s still sputtering. Then he tells me what I suspected the whole time.And tells me just to get rid of it and replace with pipe. I don’t get why this guy told me to spend all this money on other shit probably knowing full well the entire time what the real problem was. Why didn’t he just order that part and properly fix it? I spent well over the amount that the converter would have cost, the budget was there.

 

[Shran]

One of my '88's - similar to yours but with a 5 speed - does the same thing. It spits and sputters for a couple miles after every cold start and then runs fine. I have replaced every sensor on it, plus the EGR valve and some other things. I will tell you that I removed the cat temporarily and it did not improve it at all.

I suspect that in my case it's a fuel issue, possibly related to the fuel reservoir canister (some of them had an extra filter in them, black plastic deal on the driver's side frame rail) or a pump issue. If I hold mine at wide open throttle for a bit and then let it return to idle it will die and is very hard to start. Fuel pressure bleeds off to zero almost immediately too.

I have not ruled out something in the ECM or ignition system yet but they could be secondary issues since it seems to fix itself after a while every time I drive it. It's a very irritating issue but it's been like this for years and is otherwise a really reliable truck.

Keep us posted, I guess my best suggestion is to take it to a reputable shop if you can't or don't want to mess with it yourself.

 

[SlaughterhouseSean]

One of my '88's - similar to yours but with a 5 speed - does the same thing. It spits and sputters for a couple miles after every cold start and then runs fine. I have replaced every sensor on it, plus the EGR valve and some other things. I will tell you that I removed the cat temporarily and it did not improve it at all.

I suspect that in my case it's a fuel issue, possibly related to the fuel reservoir canister (some of them had an extra filter in them, black plastic deal on the driver's side frame rail) or a pump issue. If I hold mine at wide open throttle for a bit and then let it return to idle it will die and is very hard to start. Fuel pressure bleeds off to zero almost immediately too.

I have not ruled out something in the ECM or ignition system yet but they could be secondary issues since it seems to fix itself after a while every time I drive it. It's a very irritating issue but it's been like this for years and is otherwise a really reliable truck.

Keep us posted, I guess my best suggestion is to take it to a reputable shop if you can't or don't want to mess with it yourself.

Same, mine is a 5 speed manual too, it does the same thing in regard to when I rev it up and let go back to idle instead of easing off it dies sometimes. Is this not somehow related to the cat? I replace the fuel filter a couple years back thinking maybe it was clogged with no change. I’ll get a better feel for it soon, haven’t been able to drive it much since I got it back from the mechanic due to my registration being out of date. Taking care of that tomorrow

 

[SlaughterhouseSean]

Same, mine is a 5 speed manual too, it does the same thing in regard to when I rev it up and let go back to idle instead of easing off it dies sometimes. Is this not somehow related to the cat? I replace the fuel filter a couple years back thinking maybe it was clogged with no change. I’ll get a better feel for it soon, haven’t been able to drive it much since I got it back from the mechanic due to my registration being out of date. Taking care of that tomorrow

One of my '88's - similar to yours but with a 5 speed - does the same thing. It spits and sputters for a couple miles after every cold start and then runs fine. I have replaced every sensor on it, plus the EGR valve and some other things. I will tell you that I removed the cat temporarily and it did not improve it at all.

I suspect that in my case it's a fuel issue, possibly related to the fuel reservoir canister (some of them had an extra filter in them, black plastic deal on the driver's side frame rail) or a pump issue. If I hold mine at wide open throttle for a bit and then let it return to idle it will die and is very hard to start. Fuel pressure bleeds off to zero almost immediately too.

I have not ruled out something in the ECM or ignition system yet but they could be secondary issues since it seems to fix itself after a while every time I drive it. It's a very irritating issue but it's been like this for years and is otherwise a really reliable truck.

Keep us posted, I guess my best suggestion is to take it to a reputable shop if you can't or don't want to mess with it yourself.

i remember what I replaced was on the drivers side frame rail like you said