Will driving bad catalytic convertor ruin my engine?

Question

I bought a 2001 rodeo 3 ths ago and now find Ineed a new catalytic convertor The thing sonds like I am dragging cans under it not to mention no acceleration I drive 70 mles a day and put all my money into the down payment and need at least 2wks before i can pay the 1500 they say it will cost . My husband says i will be ok for now, But I worry. This whole thing has been horrible

Answer 1

Something's not kosher. If your vehicle has less than 80K miles (and unless you drive a LOT 2001 should be right around the corner) catalytic converter replacement should be FREE per EPA regulations. The site is about Land Rovers, but the info applies to every car sold in the US since 1995.

http://www.discoweb.org/warranty.htm

Answer 2

it shouldn't harm the engine, but it will cause poor fuel mileage. A cheaper way to go about fixing it is to buy a universal fit convertor which costs about $100, and take the vehicle to a muffler or custom exaust shop and they will probably charge anywhere from $100 to $300 depending on their rate and the difficulty of the install. GOOD LUCK

Answer 3

depends... If it's a leakage (characterized by a louder-than-usual sound when the engine is on), the only thing you should be harming is the sleep of others at night and the air around you.

If it's clogged, there might be some damage in the long run if it affects the flow rate, but generally not if it's just very mildly clogged (meaning you'll pollute the air and not pass your emissions test/smog check).

Answer 4

1500 for a cataletic converter? did they offer you vasaline first? that's a $200 job. cats are easy to get and are just welded in place. Depending on the location of the oxy sensor that may need to be replaced to after welding, for about another $100 bucks. find and cut rate muffler shop and go down there for a good price,, talk to them like you know what your talking about, and you should be ok.