Car Parts Plus

A Closer Look At Your Vehicle’s Catalytic Converter

Given the job it performs, your car’s catalytic converter receives less attention than it deserves. Auto technicians agree that this relatively small component is one of the marvels of recent automotive technology. It converts the harmful pollutants that are produced within your vehicle’s engine into less harmful emissions. Like all auto parts, it can fail due to a number of factors. When it does, your engine will be less able to perform efficiently.

I’ll explain the basic operation of your catalytic converter and how it performs its job below. I’ll also describe the types of emissions it prevents your vehicle from releasing as well as common reasons the component can malfunction.

How The Component Works

Your engine produces exhaust gases as the result of its 4-stroke combustion process. Those gases contain a number of emissions that are considered harmful to people and the environment. Your catalytic converter sits underneath your car and functions as a crossing guard between your engine and tailpipe. The gases produced by your engine’s combustion process enter the cat.

Inside the component, there is a grid-like ceramic honeycomb. This honeycomb has been covered with special compounds that are activated when exhaust comes into the converter. The compounds adhere to the pollutants and prevent them from escaping through your tailpipe. They convert them into less harmful elements, such as carbon dioxide and nitrogen.

Types Of Emissions

There are three main pollutants that your catalytic converter is designed to capture and convert: carbon monoxide, hydrocarbons, and nitrogen compounds.

Carbon monoxide is produced due to imprecise combustion. Normally, the exhaust generated in your engine is largely comprised of carbon dioxide – or technically, carbon with two oxygen molecules. However, due to a lack of precision during combustion, the carbon molecules often bind with a single oxygen molecule. That results in carbon monoxide.

Hydrocarbons are generated by carbon and hydrogen molecules that are not burned. When they bind together, they become harmful to anyone who breathes them.

Nitrogen compounds result from the same process as hydrocarbons. They are unburned nitrogen molecules that bind to oxygen molecules. They contribute to smog.

Potential Causes Of Failure

Your catalytic converter relies heavily on your car’s oxygen sensors. If the sensors are working properly, the level of emissions within the gases that emerge from the combustion process will be manageable. If any of the sensors fail, the air-fuel mixture can be too lean or rich. That causes your engine to produce a higher volume of pollutants, which can lead to your cat overheating and melting.

Your cat can also fail to perform its job effectively if your vehicle is burning oil. Over time, that leads to contaminants and deposits accumulating within the component. A clog will become imminent.

If you suspect that your catalytic converter is failing, visit your dealership or a local repair garage. In the event that it is damaged, clogged, or contaminated, you’ll need to have it replaced.

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