Can cheap fuel additives contribute to this problem?
2006-08-23 13:00:47 · 5 answers · asked by RetroTA 1 in Cars & Transportation ➔ Maintenance & Repairs
depending on how clogged it is, a clogged cat conv. engine will usually idle ok, but when you accelerate the car, even in park, there will be a loud air rush type noise from under the car. this car will struggle to accelerate, and run at hiway speeds, all the while haveing a loud hiss noise under the car.when you hold your hand at the tailpipe exit, at idle, the exhaust will be extremely hot, and will not be a puff-puff sensation you can feel. it will be a very very hot steady weak stream of "air".this is caused by rich air/fuel mixture, or engine misfires dumping unburnt fuel into the exhaust stream, and the converter can't handle the fuel. the only additive in the fuel that will kill the converter is an additive of lead. i don't believe it is even available for purchase anymore. used to be sold for pre-cat cars (74 and older) that needed this to extend intake and exhaust valve life. this was over 20 years ago. like i say, i haven't seen any of this stuff for sale in years.if you got clogged converters, chances are it is because of an engine tuning problem that killed the cat. conv.
2006-08-23 17:26:16 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
additives won;'t generally cause this problem, bad injectors or bad gas or o2censor will add to the shortness of the life of a converter, some symtoms will be a kind of whistling threw the exhaust when y ou press on the gas with a load and another one is to drive at highway speeds at night time and do it for a good five miles and then stop as fast and safley as possible and then get out and look under the car at the converter and see if it is cherry red if it is then it is getting restricted\, another way is it sometimes will smell like rotten eggs.
2006-08-23 20:08:19 · answer #2 · answered by handyman 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Nothing can fix a clogged converter except a drill with a round rod chucked into it. Symptoms are that it will start OK but will run really rough at highway speeds. It will also glow red at night after the car is driven for a while. Good luck.
2006-08-23 20:07:17 · answer #3 · answered by jeff s 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Poor gas milage, rough idle, stalling, loss of power, check engine light, loud exhaust, overheating. Unless you are running a performance motor you should not have need to add ANY fuel additives except the occasional bottle of dry gas to a full tank.
2006-08-23 20:10:11 · answer #4 · answered by mike k 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
maybe but your car would run slugish if the converters are bad
2006-08-23 20:07:39 · answer #5 · answered by Cutlass Crusader 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋