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All of our ceramic catalytic converters carry a 2 year manufacturers warranty and metallic catalytic converters carry a 3 year manufacturer warranty. Although every effort is made to ensure our catalytic converters will not fail, sometimes a problem with the vehicle will cause them to break down. The following problems are not covered by our guarantee.
Road Damage
This is external damage caused to the catalytic converter by hitting solid objects in the road, i.e. speed ramps. Large rocks etc.
Plugged or Contaminated
Plugged or contaminated catalytic converters are caused by using the wrong sort of fuel in your car. Using leaded or lead replacement fuel will plug up the monolith and cause it to stop working. A similar thing will happen if fuel additives are used that are not suitable for use with a catalytic converter.
Oil Fouled
This is caused by oil getting into the exhaust system and contaminating the catalytic converter. The most likely cause would be a failing seal or gasket.
Broken Substrate
The monolith is usually broken when it is impacted by an object or when it suffers a sudden change in temperature. If the catalytic converter suffers road damage the monolith inside can be cracked due to it being crushed by movement of the steel can.
The use of exhaust paste before the catalytic converter can cause the monolith to break. When the exhaust paste has hardened small pellets may break away and shoot into the catalytic converter. The monolith will gradually be destroyed by these pellets and break down. The catalytic converter can also be damaged by excessive engine vibration.
Overheating
There are many problems that can cause the catalytic converter to overheat or fail. The most common cause is unburned fuel entering the catalytic converter. Faulty spark plugs or ignition leads will cause the engine to misfire sending unburned fuel into the catalytic converter leading to overheating and failure.
a) Oxygen Sensor
An oxygen sensor collects readings and sends information to the electronic control unit. This information is used to control the air/fuel mix. If the oxygen sensor is faulty the air/fuel mix will not be corrected and excess fuel will enter the catalytic converter causing it to overheat and fail.
b) Fuel Injection Systems
If a fuel injector is leaking internally or dribbling fuel into the engine the excess fuel will enter the exhaust system causing the catalytic converter to overheat and fail.
c) Map Sensors
Map Sensors tell the electronic control unit the load the engine is under and the amount of fuel entering it. If a map sensor fails it causes the engine to run too rich which causes the catalytic converter to overheat and fail.
d) Carburettor Systems
A worn or defective carburettor can cause a catalytic converter to overheat and fail. Problems such as improper float or air/fuel mix adjustments, worn metering rods or a faulty choke system can cause too much fuel to enter the engine and then the exhaust system causing the catalytic converter to overheat and fail.
e) Canister Purge Valve Control
This vacuum operated valve vents fuel vapour from the carburettor bowl to the charcoal canister. If the vacuum is breached the charcoal canister will flood causing the air/fuel mixture to become too rich which will cause the catalytic converter to overheat and fail.
If you think your catalytic converter is faulty
If you have reason to believe your catalytic converter is faulty your first contact must be to our technical department to explain the problems you are experiencing. If necessary the catalytic converter will need to be removed and returned to the manufacturer. On arrival at the manufacturer the catalytic converter will be thoroughly inspected to establish if a warranty claim is justified. |
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