Diagnosing Catalytic Converter Problems | Car Tips

Although a faulty catalytic converter may just be a minor annoyance for some individuals, catalytic converter problems the potential to affect your vehicle’s performance greatly. Your catalytic converter helps prevent pollution and carbon-based emissions, so it’s important that you can identify the symptoms and get it fixed right away.

If you notice that your car doesn’t have the same kind of power when you press on the gas, there’s a decent chance you have a faulty catalytic converter. A bad converter will cause your vehicle to run less efficiently and produce far less power. Sudden jerking can also be a sign of a faulty converter.

The easiest way to tell if you have a faulty converter is by the smell it gives off. If it smells like rotten eggs around your vehicle, it’s almost guaranteed that the aroma is from a bad converter. Clearly, you will need to replace your converter immediately if there’s an awful smell when you start your vehicle.

If your car is producing black smoke, this could be due to a large amount of carbon-based emissions your vehicle is giving off. Since your catalytic converter is designed to prevent the amount of emissions, there’s a good chance you have a faulty one and that it needs to be replaced.

Patrick Britton – Guest Blogger