The catalytic converter syndrome

Home > Gari Forums > Others Forums > Others Other Forums > Others Other Comfort and Convenience Forums

The catalytic converter syndrome

Hello Members;

I was just viewing a thread on this topic specifically for VITZ and thought that we should all share our views and problems faced with vehicles equipped with CAT converters.

I will start with my vehicle which is a 1.8 VTI and for the 1st 1000 kms I drove it on super. Afterwards I recalled the conversation that I had at the dealership on how to go about maintaining the fuel efficiency of my vehicle. The advise I got was to ensure that the Catcon remains functional by mixing super and Hi-Oct half and half at each top up. I started using Hi-Oct after the 1st 1000kms and at 12K noticed a change in the sound of the engine. Since the vehicle was under warranty, I took it to Honda and had it inspected, diagnosis were that the catcon needs to be checked.

Since this was considered out of warranty, I agreed to pay for it and had it checked. I was told by the dealership that the vehicle should be driven on Hi-Oct and when I confirmed that this was being done, they had no answer for the problem. They cleaned and reinstalled the converter without specifying the problem and the engine sound and acceleration and fuel efficiency improved considerably. The vehicle continues to maintain the same performance at 20k kms and when compared to other cars, yes there is distinct difference in the engine sound and engine response when floored, but all of this is at a premium and I find Hi-Oct to be unaffordable at its current price.

In short, I would like all experts, owners of all CAT-CON equipped vehicles to share their experiences and expertise to help understand the preservation of this equipment at no additional cost (if designed for PK, why use Hi-Oct) to the owner and remain ECO friendly.

Best regards

Gari.pk User 13019 asked on 16 Mar 2011 10:08:48 am

1 Answer

1541 views |

Ayaan - on 16 Mar 2011 10:09:00 am

What car do you have? A civic, city of Vitz. Well all three are equipped with catalytic converters so its a moot point. But a Vitz is a high compression engine thats why it performs better with Hi Octane. The civic and the new city do not specifically require Hi Octane and will run just fine with supreme.

Catalytic converter, as a simple Google search will tell you, converts toxic carbon monoxide to carbon dioxide. Fantastic technology and useful in a country where emission testing is done every year. In pakistan this does not apply and majority of people opt to remove the converter when it gets clogged and restricts their cars performance. Given the cost of a new one (around 40-60K) people run their cars without it...fair enough as no emission testing is done here and 60K is a lot of money.

Why does it get chocked so quickly. I believe our dirty petrol plays a big hand in it. So even if you do get a new converter (environmentalist) than it will again choke up in 30-40K kms so big hit your wallet takes again. I must say i am surprised how Honda workers claim to have removed and cleaned the converter on your car as i have yet to see people do that. Maybe they must have sprayed copious amounts of carb cleaner down your O2 sensor hole and air'd out the cat while it was still attached and charged you for a cleaning.

If you CAT is blocked you can tell easily. The car will have poor acceleration and will occasionally overheat. Hi Octane fuel people say is less dirty than regular supreme (yet to see any evidence of that) so maybe that's better for your CAT. A vitz is a high compression 3 cylinder engine (new one not old 4 banger one!) and requires Hi octane to avoid knocking. Again it will run fine on supreme as a knock sensor installed on all efi cars eliminates knocking by automatically advancing and retarding the timing to compensate for the lower grade petrol.

I honestly have no straight answer as to how to preserve your CAT. With the petrol sold here its just a matter of time. You can buy aftermarket distill nts to purify your petrol but again...its only a matter of time. You can continue using clean unleaded petrol and run the engine under load to try and clean it up (like how WW2 planes would clean their spark plugs by running them lean in flight) and do the same with your car, also called an italian tune-up. Its a losing battle in this country sorry. Remove it and install a second muffler to dampen the 'kholki' awaaz common in many vitz with no cats. on a city or civic its not necessary as enough sound deadening is provided and u will see no increase in exhaust noise without CAT.

Good luck