How to tell if the cat converter is gone?

Atomic Pineapple

Just wondering is there any tell tale signs that the cat converter is on its way out or gone?? My car has become increasingly loud through the exhaust lately and with low to mid revs you can hear a sort of gurgling type of sound coming through the exhaust.

Also just coming home there they was a sort of eggy type smell through the car, I do have A/C that could do with regassing I think, so this could be nothin to do with the noise from the exhaust??

blackbox

Based on your description I suspect that there may be hole in the exhaust pipe or a connection has come loose rather than a problem with the cat. How old is your car?

The only way to tell if it is working properly is with an emissions test.

Exhaust pipe corrosion is most common on cars that do short journies.

As for the eggy smell, this sometimes even comes from new cats. I think it may be related to the sulphur content of the fuel.

michaelanthony

Loud when the car is cold and quieter after it it heats up. Smell of petrol from the exhaust.

TheBazman

It went in my wifes Golf a couple of months ago - kind of like a hole in the exhaust but it was coming from almost between the two front wheels

Atomic Pineapple

its 9 years old and has just over 97k miles on the clock, I suspect it might be a loose connection or a hole myself, probably more a loose connection as by times it can go back to the normal amount of noise it makes.

Th car is loud the whole time even when the car is started cold and nope theres no smell of petrol from the exhaust.

Atomic Pineapple

hhmmm have been told now that a cat can make a gurgly noise when its on the way out and will cause damage if its left like that.

Also that it may be a hole in the manifold and the car may be getting too rich a fuel mix causing the eggy smell?