I'm sure many of you are familiar with what those expensive sometimes smelly things are on new vehicles. Amazingly cars ran perfectly well before these were added to aid in slowing down exhaust and eventually plugging it up. Without getting too involved in the whys and wherefores they were created to help stop pollution. Never mind that volcanoes, incinerators, and other forms of burning waste continues to pollute way more than our cars ever will. I admit, I've never lived in a large city where pollution was very bad. So I assume these catalytic converters do serve a purpose. But no one told me they have a life limit. They may not wear out but they do plug up. My pick up truck with a Hemi supposedly runs on 87 octane fuel, altho not as well as real gas, which is no longer available. I hated spending 30 to 40 cents a gallon more for mid grade or high test. Which is not really high test either, rather more like the old regular with a shot of corn juice added. So my truck, a 2004 bought at the end of the year, making it roughly eight years old and maybe 70,000 miles on it, is about to finally get some tail pipes added to the converted duel exhaust which both run out the passenger side and ends at the rear axle. Just never got around to adding tail pipes to the two glasspacs and being near the right rear tire there was no smell. This is a quadcab so it's not like the fumes are coming up inside a tailgate or back windows. Hey after 5 or 6 years it will get tailpipes! Son got a deal while at the U-Pull-It. A Chevy pick up had a single Magnaflow stainless muffler that split to duels coming out the rear at each side of the trailer hitch. Same sized pipes and same configuration as my Dodge with perfect bends over the axle. Even have nice 18" stainless Magnaflow tips. They will fit perfectly to my glaspac mufflers which end just before the axle. Cost--$16. But here's the real story. Son was talking to his boss at the bike shop and a few other guys. He told them how cheap his dad is and how I ran 87 octane all these years. Also how my fuel mileage keeps going down. They all agreed my catalytic converters were plugged. Now was the time to check. First he started my truck and just crawled under it. Both catalytic converters soon glowed red. He removed the mufflers and short pipes ahead of them. Ran the engine up to a few thousand RPM's and let it run a few minutes. This time both catalytic converters looked like molten metal inside and glowed outside. How long had I been driving this way? Oddly the truck was as quiet as if it had regular mufflers on it. I won't say what he did after removing both oxygen sensors from each side but now both catalytic converters flow clearly and no longer get red. In fact he could actually briefly touch both catalytic converters. I was amazed at the tiny openings those things have inside that mess of baffles. He ran the truck down the street and back and said it hurt his neck as he tromped down on the throttle. Sounded to me like a rail job over on the other street. Temporally replaced the mufflers and now it sounds and runs much better. Again a rough fit to make sure those $16 tail pipes weren't a waste of money. Gonna look good and sound even better. I'm sure my stinkin 14.8 MPG will go up too! Gonna have a redneck pick up! [FONT=book antiqua,palatino][/FONT]
My work truck, owned by the company, is an '02 Dodge Ram 1500 4x4 extended cab, with a 6' bed, 360 motor, 275x70x20 tires, 183k miles, POS, that gets 10.4 MPG, no matter what I do, where I drive, or gas I put in it! Recently had a water pump, and the chain and gears are fine! Put a trailer on the back, and it's a super dog 5 MPG! Had a complete exhaust @ 170k, including converter - NO DIFFERENCE! Everyone I've talked to says they're all the same, and stay away from Dodge gas - buy diesel! Hemi's are a little better!
My dad has a 2006 1500 with the hemi and he gets around 16 with it. I drive it and can get 16.8 out of it. That is the first year of the MDS cylinder deactivation technology, so I guess it is good for a mile or two more to the gallon than earlier hemi's. As far as the diesel goes, his '03 3500 gets 18 mpg with 300,000 miles and a bed full of tools. Usually 3 days a week, a trailer loaded also and still can get 17 or 18 mpg. Only down fall is price of diesel.
The biggest problem with catalytic converters is that the O2 sensors get dirty, which makes the engine run rich. This is what clogs the cats. Ma's 90 Volvo has about 140,000 miles on it, and after 23 years, the performance is still extremely close to original, and the cat has never been touched. We have, however, changed the O2 sensor 3 times. I normally do it about every 60,000 miles, or when the timing belt is being done. Of course, Canadian gas has more sulfur than American, and that makes the situation worse, too. No codes from the old sensors, either, as they are working just fine electrically, but they are out of spec anyway. O2 sensors, by the way, can make a 30% difference to your fuel economy!
Thanks for all the input. I always thought catalytic converters last well over 100,000+ so don't know if they really were plugged or not. I'm sure something wasn't right because with them only and no pipes beyond, the hemi at high rpm sounded like it had full mufflers. Now with minor tweaking of the converters it sounds like straight pipes. Didn't have time to get the tail pipes on but the mufflers and short pipes are back on. It's looking like it did the last 5 or 6 years but sounding much healthier. It had to affected the 14.8 fuel mileage. Years ago, with the stock single large muffler I often got 17 mpg on the road. Always got 9 mpg with a 23 ft RV though. Right after installing the cold air intake tube and cone shaped air cleaner I was getting 17 mpg city and highway in Illinois and all the way home and back there again. But returning to Florida it kept dropping to 14.8 or 14.9 which it got for years before the air cleaner swap. I am only writing so that if you see a decrease in mpg and performance you may want to look into your catalytic converters---LITERALLY ! By the way, my Hemi is still the type that runs on all 8cyl. all the time. At first I was getting something like 17-18 mpg. Sticker and dealers said that was way better than it should get. That was also on 87 octane.
C'mon man! Everyone knows that FL is at sea level. When you travel north you're going uphill and the air gets leaner at higher altitudes resulting in better gas mileage.
Yes but Or butt! As someone who may have driven through the HILLS of north west Tenn you may notice that the engine works harder up hill. But I guess it rests going down the backside. I really was impressed after swapping all those plastic boxers, tubes, and square air cleaner to a simple plastic tube and cone air cleaner. Mileage actually went up to 23mpg according to the magic digital dial thing on the dash but continued to drop in the 17 mpg range. We soon returned to Florida then right back to central Illinois. I don't drove 55 to stay alive. I usually drive 70+ to get to where I'm going before I do die! All the time in Illinois doing a lot of city driving and part way back DOWNHILL to Florida I was getting 17mpg on 87 octane. Not sure why or what caused my fuel mileage to go back down to where it's been for years. Could be the air. I will admit I get light headed while driving through Tennessee and Kentucky. But that could be from lack of sleep!
I don't know how or why, BUT when my son was attending Tulane (below sea level) I used to make the trip from Downers Grove to New Orleans several times a year. I always got 2-3 mpg better on the trip back than on the trip down. Maybe it just took 1000 miles to blow the cobs out of the motor.
So---- are you from Illinois? Or lived there awhile? There's your problem! From right here where I sit it is exactly 998 miles to Pekin where I was almost raised! Son just spent another hour making adjustments to the Cats. They weren't as CLEAN as he thought yesterday. Him and my boss took it to town and he said it sounds and feels much better. Still no tailpipes. May never get them on. If I had a 90's wagon I'd be checking those catalytic converters.
Spending much time pretending to be a trucker, I love diesel engines. But I couldn't see spending several thousand dollars more for a diesel for a few miles per gallon more. It made sense when diesel fuel was lower in cost. But fuel mileage is not that much difference.
Yer a little slow, ain't ya!! I would have thought that you'd figure it out in the Steak n Shake thread. I lived there for 58 years. Born in Springfield, raised in Georgetown, went to Elmhurst College, came back from RVN, bought a business and settled in Downers Grove until I moved down here. I consider it an asset. Actually, I get your humor but mine went over your head.
I can't keep track of everyone who writes threads. Forgot about who said what on the Steak-N-Shake thread. Remember, we were talkin about food!!!!!! HAMBURGERS!---->Now what was the question? So you actually know where Pekin is, up the road a piece from Springfield. Actually went right thru Springfield two years ago on our way up hill. Actually got lost downtown like I always did!:banghead3:
