My renualt has started making odd puffy noises from the exhuast, and there is a loss of power. Its struggling to hit 50 mph, and even that is taking awhile to reach.
I've just rang my local garage who said it sounds like the CAT, do you agree, and is it expensive to fix ?
The car is a Renualt megane scenic sports Elise .. W reg .. 2lt
2007-03-15 00:29:36 · 17 answers · asked by Hippy 2 in Cars & Transportation ➔ Maintenance & Repairs
Hi
This sounds more like a failed coil pack than a blocked catalytic convertor.
The bad running and inability to reach speed would be due to the fact that your car is probably only running on two cylinders, and the puffing noise from the exhaust would be unburnt fuel being burnt in the exhaust rather than in the cylinders.
Is your emissions light illumnated? This would be another giveaway.
Coil packs are relatively inexpensive, whereas catalytic convertors are very expensive.
Have someone check for sparks for you. I bet two plugs aren't firing, but if I am wrong then I apologise for getting your hopes up.
Cheers and good luck
Geordie
2007-03-15 08:31:06 · answer #1 · answered by Grizz 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Your cat is a catalytic converter, and they are very expensive to replace. Bad cats are usually discovered with a failed emissions test.
The odd puffy noises could be from a very slight miss in the engine which can be caused by improper voltage in the ignition system or an issue with the fuel injectors. ...so I think your real problem is either with an injector or ignition system. It's also possible the problem is as simple as a dirty injector. Letting a shop clean them is going to be expensive so I would try an injector cleaner from your local parts store first. My preferred brand of cleaner is Lucas. It worked really great with the old 240 Volvo sedan I used to own.
If you notice any improvement after the cleaners then you have dirty injectors. You can use more cleaners or have a shop clean them (very expensive).
If there is no improvement it is most likely the ignition system. Instead of taking it the local garage, you might want to take it to the Renault dealer and have them run a diagnostic check to find the problem. ...and then back to the garage with the diagnostic results in hand to show to the mechanic so they can fix the problem.
2007-03-15 11:04:11 · answer #2 · answered by ModelFlyerChick 6 · 2⤊ 0⤋
The cat is a section of the exhaust that reduces the poisonous gases that come out of a car engine. It sounds like the cat may be the problem but before you go ahead and replace it have the O2 sensor checked out first.
If you need to replace the cat your best bet is at a scrap yard as a new one will cost many hundreds of pounds.
2007-03-15 10:50:31 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
What about a scrap yard.I drive an r32 skyline if didnt have import scrap yards and had to buy from nissan it would choke me.
Might be worth ringing scrappy if poss Renualt scappys or look on ebay under part name or someone breaking that car.
2007-03-15 08:42:43 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
It could be the Cat which can be expensive - however let the garage check it out as I had a similar problem with a Megane, but it was a coil/fuel injector that had failed which wasn't cheap but cheaper than a cat.
2007-03-15 07:38:27 · answer #5 · answered by myattclaire 2 · 2⤊ 0⤋
If you buy your cat from your local Partco it will save you about £100!
Then just pay someone to fit it!
But i have never herd of a car loosing power because of the cat!
Normally they would gain power!
I would get a good mechanic to look at it first!
I feel its something else!
2007-03-15 11:34:16 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
The price is gonna depend on if you go OEM or aftermarket. At our shop- newer cars (OBDII) we reccomend OEM, for a older vehicle go aftermarket. It will save you money and labor should not be too extream. I just changed mine on a 03 Grand Prix- it was $600 (and I work at a shop).
Good luck honey!
2007-03-15 10:20:29 · answer #7 · answered by stayc 4 · 0⤊ 1⤋
a cat is a catalytic converter it looks like a muffler and yes there a couple hundred bucks cause they filter the exhaust. for 10 bucks you can cut it out and fill in the gap with exhaust pipe. you dont need your cat its only for emissions test.
2007-03-15 07:39:04 · answer #8 · answered by ARMY GUY 2 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Does sound like the Cat, and it ain't cheap, figure on spending about £500-£700 maybe a bit more being a Renault
2007-03-15 07:34:47 · answer #9 · answered by RRM 4 · 1⤊ 2⤋
I had to have my cataclystic converter changed at my last MOT, it cost me £260 for my 10 year old Ford Fiesta, :-( I feel really bad cos all these answers are not what you want to hear.
2007-03-15 07:40:02 · answer #10 · answered by Skippy 4 · 0⤊ 1⤋