3 Signs You Need a New Catalytic Converter From Your Ford Dealer

The catalytic converter is attached to your exhaust system. Its job is to convert the dangerous gases that are released by combustion into harmless ones. This helps to reduce the amount of pollution created by automobiles. Converters have a long life, but they can become blocked or damaged and need repair or replacement at your Ford dealer. We’d like you to know some signs you have a converter problem.

Rattling Noises

Your converter uses a combination of great pressure, intense heat, and chemical reactions to convert chemicals like carbon monoxide into carbon dioxide and water. The inside of your converter is shaped like a honeycomb to provide the largest possible surface area for conversion. This honeycomb is light yet strong, but it can wear out.

Age, heat, and pressure can gradually cause cracks in the honeycomb surface. The cracks will expand, and pieces of the honeycomb can break off. The broken pieces will weaken the remaining structure and lead to further damage. These pieces will also move around inside the converter as you drive. We’ll examine your converter. If the honeycomb has broken, we can’t repair it, but we can install a new converter for you.

Engine Dies.

When you start the engine, an electrical charge from the battery activates the starter motor. The starter motor then cranks the engine and the combustion process begins. The fuel-air mix is drawn into the cylinders where it’s ignited, and this process moves your car. If your engine suddenly dies without warning after it’s started, you probably have a blocked converter.

As we’ve seen, the converter changes the residual gases from combustion, then expels them once they’re converted. Carbon can slowly build up in the converter and block access to the exhaust system. This blockage forces the gases back into your engine. The arrival of these gases causes a back pressure in your engine that will quickly shut it down. We can easily clear a carbon blockage, and your engine will work normally again.

Black Exhaust Smoke

Regular exhaust smoke should look thin and white after the converter has done its job. If your exhaust smoke turns black and smells of sulfur, this is a sign the converter has failed. The black smoke contains carbon monoxide, hydrogen sulfide, and other toxic chemicals, which all escape into the atmosphere and create pollution.

The converter can fail due to age, but it can also fail because of a fuel-rich engine. In this situation, large quantities of hot, unburnt fuel are being dumped into the converter, raising the temperature and causing the converter to burn out. We’ll investigate and install a new converter if needed.

Call us today at Plantation Ford, and we’ll fix your converter problem.

Tags: Auto Repair, Catalytic Converter, Florida Ford Dealer, Ford Service, Plantation FL, Plantation Ford
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