Most drivers don’t know much about their catalytic converter. The converter is attached to your car’s exhaust system and converts dangerous engine gases into harmless chemicals before they leave via the exhaust. A converter is robust, but it can become blocked or damaged. Your Chevy dealer in Medford, OR, can fix these problems for you. These are signs that your converter could be in trouble.
Your Engine Is Misfiring
Misfiring can be caused by several different problems, and one of these is a blocked converter. Carbon and other combustion byproducts can slowly block the exit from the converter. If this happens, the converted gases can’t escape your car. These gases are forced back into your engine compartment.
Misfiring is caused by the failure of a spark plug to ignite the fuel-air mix in its chamber. This usually occurs due to a lack of air in your engine. The exhaust gases that reenter your engine have high levels of fuel vapor, which skews the fuel-air mix. If your engine has more air than fuel, the spark plugs won’t ignite, and this causes a misfire. We’ll find and remove the blockage, and the misfiring will cease.
Check Engine Light Comes On
The check engine light is a warning that something is going wrong in your engine. This light connects to a host of sensors attached to the most important engine components. These sensors provide information to your computer that it uses to make numerous decisions. Sensors also report to your computer if they detect a problem with their component.
The converter can trigger this light if it’s damaged. A damaged converter doesn’t supply the amount of oxygen your engine needs. The oxygen sensors in the exhaust will detect a low oxygen level in the exhaust fumes. Your computer will note this and activate the warning light. Our technicians will attach your computer to our diagnostic system to confirm the problem, and we can then repair or replace the converter.
Strong Sulfur Smell
The rotten egg smell of sulfur is very distinctive. If you smell it wafting from the exhaust, this means that your converter is failing. Hydrogen sulfide is one of the gases that your converter changes before it’s expelled from your exhaust. A strong smell of sulfur means that the conversion process isn’t happening and your exhaust is emitting dangerous and polluting chemicals.
We’ll need to examine your converter to find the cause of the problem. We’ll repair the converter if possible, but we may need to replace it if it’s damaged. In either case, the sulfur smell will stop.
A damaged or blocked converter can damage your engine. Call our service department today at Airport Chevrolet GMC.
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