The combustion process that provides the energy to move your car also generates toxic chemicals. These chemicals would contribute to airborne pollution, but your Chrysler has a very efficient catalytic converter that prevents this. The converter will eventually wear out or get damaged, and you’ll need a replacement from your Chrysler dealer. We’d like you to know some signs that your converter could be in trouble.
Signs You Need a New Catalytic Converter From Your Chrysler Dealer
Your Engine Dies Just After It Starts
If you start the engine, and it dies within seconds of starting, you could have a converter problem. When the engine is running, the combustion process produces a residue in each cylinder. This residue consists of burnt fuel and air, and it’s dumped into the converter when each cylinder opens. Once inside the converter, the residue is converted into less toxic chemicals and then passes out of the exhaust pipe.
Carbon is a byproduct of conversion, and it can build up in the converter and block the exit of the converter. This blockage forces the exhaust gases back into the engine and increases engine pressure. If the converter is completely blocked, the exhaust gases produced when your engine starts can raise the pressure high enough to shut down your engine. We can fix this problem by removing the blockage.
Your Converter is Blue
The converter is one of your car’s components that you can examine without any special tools or effort. If you look underneath your car and follow the exhaust pipe to the front of your car, you’ll spot the converter. It’s bulbous or oblong and looks shinier than the rest of the exhaust system. If you look at the converter, and it’s blue or blue-tinged, your converter has failed.
A converter operates at a temperature of 1,200 F to 1,600 F, and a temperature of 2,000 F or over, can destroy its internal structure. The internal temperature in the converter can rise due to engine misfiring. When this happens, the hot, unburnt contents of the cylinder are dumped into the converter and can raise it enough to burn out. We’ll examine the converter and replace it if it’s damaged.
Check Engine Light
An illuminated check engine light is always a sign of an engine problem. Every vital component in your engine has a sensor connected to it. These sensors report any problem with the component they’re attached to.
If the converter is blocked or has developed any other problem, sensors will detect the problem and inform your computer. When this happens, the check engine light will illuminate as a warning of the problem. Our technicians will identify the problem and repair or replace the converter if it’s damaged.
If your converter is failing, call us right away at Tom O’Brien CDJR – Indianapolis.
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