ArtsAutosBooksBusinessEducationEntertainmentFamilyFashionFoodGamesGenderHealthHolidaysHomeHubPagesPersonal FinancePetsPoliticsReligionSportsTechnologyTravel

Catalytic Converter Repair

Updated on December 31, 2014

Should You Repair Your Catalytic Converter?

The catalytic convert plays an important role in your car emission system by reducing the polluting toxins released back into the atmosphere. Eventually the catalytic converter will lose its capacity to bind the excess waste produced by the internal combustion engine and you will have to repair the emission system.

The first indication that your catalytic convert needs repairing is by failing your annual/biannual smog test required by most States. Sometimes only a quick adjustment to your emission system is required to pass the smog test; however, if adjustments do not work, you will need to have your catalytic converter pressure tested to see if your exhaust is flowing with adequate pressure.

Your car may experience other symptoms of a bad catalytic converter such as low power, stalling poor gas mileage and even overheating. These issues may go away once your converter is repaired.

A simple test that your mechanic will perform is measuring the exhaust pressure entering and exiting the converter. A small hole is drilled in the exhaust pipe to measure the exhaust pressure after the conversion process and a small hole is drilled just before converter. Unbalanced pressure readings indicated that you need to repair your catalytic converter.

Catalytic Converter
Catalytic Converter

Catalytic Converters Come with a Factory Warranty

All catalytic converters come with a 7 year or 70,000 mile warranty mandated by the Federal Government.  If your car falls within those criteria have the repair done, otherwise you will need to have the converter replaced at your cost.

Repairing your catalytic converter may run several hundred dollars to repair.  To replace the catalytic converter on my 1997 Toyota Avalon, the Toyota dealer quoted $1,700.  I had to shop around, but a local muffler shop repaired the catalytic converter for $420.

Other Options to Catalytic Converter Repair

Some States, such as California, offer low-income assistance in helping pay for your auto repair. You will have to apply to the program since they need to verify your income.

California also offers a vehicle retirement program that pays up to $1,000 to take your polluting vehicle off the road. Again, you need to apply for the program and once approved, you will receive instructions on where to drop off your car.

Catalytic Converter Cleaner

There are several Catalytic Converter Cleaners such as Solder-It that help clean the exhaust system. Usually if you are smelling rotten eggs in your exhaust, the Solder-It will eliminate it.  Just add a can to a full tank of gas and it should clean up your system.  Normally it is a temporary solution but it may help prolong the life of the converter.  The cost is under $20 and is far less expensive than what catalytic converter prices run even at muffler shops.

working

This website uses cookies

As a user in the EEA, your approval is needed on a few things. To provide a better website experience, hubpages.com uses cookies (and other similar technologies) and may collect, process, and share personal data. Please choose which areas of our service you consent to our doing so.

For more information on managing or withdrawing consents and how we handle data, visit our Privacy Policy at: https://corp.maven.io/privacy-policy

Show Details
Necessary
HubPages Device IDThis is used to identify particular browsers or devices when the access the service, and is used for security reasons.
LoginThis is necessary to sign in to the HubPages Service.
Google RecaptchaThis is used to prevent bots and spam. (Privacy Policy)
AkismetThis is used to detect comment spam. (Privacy Policy)
HubPages Google AnalyticsThis is used to provide data on traffic to our website, all personally identifyable data is anonymized. (Privacy Policy)
HubPages Traffic PixelThis is used to collect data on traffic to articles and other pages on our site. Unless you are signed in to a HubPages account, all personally identifiable information is anonymized.
Amazon Web ServicesThis is a cloud services platform that we used to host our service. (Privacy Policy)
CloudflareThis is a cloud CDN service that we use to efficiently deliver files required for our service to operate such as javascript, cascading style sheets, images, and videos. (Privacy Policy)
Google Hosted LibrariesJavascript software libraries such as jQuery are loaded at endpoints on the googleapis.com or gstatic.com domains, for performance and efficiency reasons. (Privacy Policy)
Features
Google Custom SearchThis is feature allows you to search the site. (Privacy Policy)
Google MapsSome articles have Google Maps embedded in them. (Privacy Policy)
Google ChartsThis is used to display charts and graphs on articles and the author center. (Privacy Policy)
Google AdSense Host APIThis service allows you to sign up for or associate a Google AdSense account with HubPages, so that you can earn money from ads on your articles. No data is shared unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)
Google YouTubeSome articles have YouTube videos embedded in them. (Privacy Policy)
VimeoSome articles have Vimeo videos embedded in them. (Privacy Policy)
PaypalThis is used for a registered author who enrolls in the HubPages Earnings program and requests to be paid via PayPal. No data is shared with Paypal unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)
Facebook LoginYou can use this to streamline signing up for, or signing in to your Hubpages account. No data is shared with Facebook unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)
MavenThis supports the Maven widget and search functionality. (Privacy Policy)
Marketing
Google AdSenseThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Google DoubleClickGoogle provides ad serving technology and runs an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Index ExchangeThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
SovrnThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Facebook AdsThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Amazon Unified Ad MarketplaceThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
AppNexusThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
OpenxThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Rubicon ProjectThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
TripleLiftThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Say MediaWe partner with Say Media to deliver ad campaigns on our sites. (Privacy Policy)
Remarketing PixelsWe may use remarketing pixels from advertising networks such as Google AdWords, Bing Ads, and Facebook in order to advertise the HubPages Service to people that have visited our sites.
Conversion Tracking PixelsWe may use conversion tracking pixels from advertising networks such as Google AdWords, Bing Ads, and Facebook in order to identify when an advertisement has successfully resulted in the desired action, such as signing up for the HubPages Service or publishing an article on the HubPages Service.
Statistics
Author Google AnalyticsThis is used to provide traffic data and reports to the authors of articles on the HubPages Service. (Privacy Policy)
ComscoreComScore is a media measurement and analytics company providing marketing data and analytics to enterprises, media and advertising agencies, and publishers. Non-consent will result in ComScore only processing obfuscated personal data. (Privacy Policy)
Amazon Tracking PixelSome articles display amazon products as part of the Amazon Affiliate program, this pixel provides traffic statistics for those products (Privacy Policy)
ClickscoThis is a data management platform studying reader behavior (Privacy Policy)