You never thought it would take an hour to get your grocery shopping done, but it did. You head out to your car and unload the cart into the trunk. You put the cart in the cart return and hop into the driver’s seat. You turn the key in the ignition and realize there is something wrong right away. Unbelievably, people steal catalytic converters from automobiles when they are parked in public parking lots.
Check Engine Warning
The first thing that you notice is that the check engine light has turned on and won’t turn off. This is because the exhaust system sensors are sending various error codes to your automobile’s main computer chip, the engine control unit. The unit cannot replace the catalytic converter, i.e., repair the problem, so it will turn on the check engine light to let you know something is wrong.
A Very Loud Engine
Another thing that you notice right away is that your engine is extremely loud; much louder than normal. It’s also roaring as if you were a racecar driver pressing down on the accelerator before you get the green light to start. What you are actually hearing is the force of the exhaust that is being pushed out of the exhaust manifold into the open air where the catalytic converter once was.
Acceleration Jerks
If you opt to drive your automobile, which we discourage you from doing, you will notice that every time you press down on the accelerator, your vehicle jerks. This, again, is the exhaust being pushed out of the exhaust manifold. Although it technically isn’t a muffler, the catalytic converter reduces the noise the exhaust push makes as well as prevents your vehicle from jerking during the push.
Slow-Speed Lagging
Aside from jerky acceleration, your vehicle is also going to lag until you pick up enough speed that the engine is using its high-end torque production. For some reason, the catalytic converter indirectly helps the engine when it needs to produce low-end torque. This is the power it produces when you drive slowly. Unfortunately, your vehicle is going to lag at slower speeds without the converter.
Strong Exhaust Odors
Finally, the reason why we discourage you from driving your automobile if the catalytic converter has been stolen is that the exhaust manifold pushes the engine’s exhaust into the open air. Naturally, this exhaust rises and is drawn into your passenger cabin. Consequently, you could be inhaling exhaust while you are driving your automobile that will make you sick.
J&S Auto Repair in Warwick, RI, is here to help, so call us today if you are the victim of catalytic converter theft.
