1.4 Petrol Golf : Catalytic Converter Light On

JonathanAnon

Hi lads,

Engine was low on oil, and the light came on... shortly after the Catalytic Converter light came on... topped up the oil with a Litre so that it's bang in the middle on the dipstick..

I've read on another thread here, that I should "open it up" on the motorway to clear out the fumes in the exhaust system, but this hasnt worked.. Any suggestions people?

thanks,
J

Atlantic Dawn

What year is it? Is it the EPC light?

JonathanAnon

sorry, it's a 2002 model and this is my dashboard..



Manual says..

Exhaust Emission Warning Lamp...

Lights Up: If a fault which reduces the quality of the exhaust gas (e.g. a Lambda probe fault) occurs during a drive. Let off on the accelerator, drive carefully to the next Volkswagen dealer and have the engine checked.

Car was NCT'd in May 2010, just before I bought it..

Muckie

You'd be aswell getting it checked out. Recently work on a 02 VW Polo

same lights came on. Turns out No.3 pencil coil was at fault(lights were on

and running very rough) Coil cost €45 from a motorfactors. Clear the

faults and its running fine now.

groupb

And keep the oil level topped up.

derry

JonathanAnon wrote: »

Hi lads,

Engine was low on oil, and the light came on... shortly after the Catalytic Converter light came on... topped up the oil with a Litre so that it's bang in the middle on the dipstick..

I've read on another thread here, that I should "open it up" on the motorway to clear out the fumes in the exhaust system, but this hasnt worked.. Any suggestions people?

thanks,
J

This information isnt presented with any garentees it is correct .Any experments to abuse CATs or use other fuels than Petrols are done are done at your own risk .I dont take any resposibilty for any issues from any experments you chose to do with this info.Anyway its Always better to consult mechanics with more knowlege before conducting any experment to your cars or CATS

High milegage noted on Dash 98,000 miles

Cats can last from ~50,000 to ~150,000 average tends to be ~120,000

The princible of the CAT explains the issues .The petrol fuel has some crap in it including Toxic crap that doesnt burn in the engine properly.
This partly burnt or unburnt fuel goes into the exhast system.
There it meets the CAT which has Platinum in it .This platinum when it is hot causes the unburnt fuel or partly burnt fuel to catch fire chemicaly eg not fire that we see but makes heat from chemical break down similar to fire.

The end result is similar to fire complex hydro carbon molicules break into only H20 and CO2 molicules
These wanted emmisions are called zero emmisions even though they are emmisions (These emmisions are not measured so are sort of zero emmisions )

Hopefullly there no unwanted emmisions CO carbon monoxide , NO2 nitrogen oxide ,SO sulfer dioxide molicules
These are emmisions that are measured and if there is to many of them in a NCT the car fails it emmisions test

Those unwanted molicules if there are to many of them are what fails a car in a NCT emmisions test
This chemical reaction and the hot exhast gasses makes the CAT hot and and the fully burnt fuel air mix exits the tail pipe with below NCT emmision limits eg little or no emmisions

If the platinum has soot layers on it surfaces or is too cold the unburnt fuel or half burnt fuel then ignores the CAT and exits the tail pipe and the car fails its emmisions tests and there is to much CO ,NO2 ,SO in the emmisions

If there is too way much soot in the CAT this can even block the exit of all gasses and create unwanted emmisions
This is even when CAT is hot it stops the platinum causing the needed chemical reactions to break down the complex petrol molicules that didnt burn inside the engine cyclinders

If there is mechanical issue such as spark coil is gone or dicky and the car doesnt burn fuel properly the soot can gum up the cat very quickly eg a few hundred miles and muck it up completly .
Often even going for a burn after the coil is fixxed often wont ever sort that out
This because soot is real sticky crap and blocks the long hollow tubes in the cat

Also if the engine ever runs real too hot the CAT can get so hot its feccked for good .
If you look the cat and the colour is rainbow colours on the outside it got above the melt down temperature and is probably history .
This overheat effect often happens driving over long grass in feilds in summer time when many cars can wonder into feilds for events like open food markets or beach events in summer time.
Worse sometimes the grass can catch fire from rubbing against the very hot exposed CAT under the car and thn set the whole grass feild alight and this can burn the whole car with driver and passengers to a crisp


Equaly driving through big water puddles can cause the Cat to experiece heat cold shock and it breaks up the interior of the CAT into tiny peices . If you go through small rivers and water gets into exhast pipe it history CAT is DOA to the garage that goes to try to fix it

If you ever put leaded fuel into a CAT its dead within minutes

also if there is excessive oil being burnt in the engine from leaks over the pistons or gaskets whatever the thicker engine oil makes sticky heavy soot and gums the CAT up

If the CAT is dead and you still want to pass a NCT emmisions test merly convert the car to run on E85 ethanol alchol fuel. This fuel has such a simple molicule compared to complex petrol molicules that often a well tuned engine burns all the ethanol fuel properly and has zero emmissions using this fuel (when the engine is nice and warm). Then the CAT doesnt have any work to do and the car passes the NCT emmisions .Cheaper than buying a new CAT

After you pass the NCT you could convert the car back to petrol and remove the faulty CAT if it is real gummed up and drive for two more years with no problems if the EPA dont catch up with you .Howeve if you knew the toxic fumes you would be exposing yourself to you probably would never drive the car as it would be killing you your family and your neighbours with the full belt of the toxic mix .Bear in mind that even with a CAT you are always exposed to that toxic mix when the CAT is cold as the toxic crud comes out he tail pipeunburnt until the CAT get hot which takes about ten minutes


Bettter still get a E85 convertor kit and when the fuel prices rise to probably 2.20 per liter next year 2011 buy the cheaper E85 fuel abourt 1.15 per liter and save money and dont make so much polution with your broken CAT

The only reason we need a cat with petrol fuels is the oil companies put so much oil waste in the petrol knowing we will get less MPG and they dont have to dispose of this oil waste crud
The oil companies pass the problem onto our car with CATS in them .
Needless to say if petrol was made much cleaner with no oil waste in it we wouldnt need any CATS to have good emmisions and we would get better MPG to boot .

The real crap petrol we get in Ireland gums up the CATS much quicker than most much cleaner European fuels do. Often the European cars using cleaner petrol get much closer to ~200,000 miles from their CATS in their cars

Sometimes adding some E85 fuel to the fuel mix such as E25 mix for a few weeks to a dicky CAT can rescue it and clean out the tubes

My 1998 Susiki swift 1000cc car with 50,000 miles on it using 25% E85 and 75% E5 fuel got a NCT reading of 0.01 CO any less than this would be 0.00 CO eg otaly ZERO so definitly there are ways to reduce the emmisions a lot
Pass rate for CO is 0.50 CO so I was something like thirty times lowwer than the pass level and very close o zero emmisions for CO
All Other reading were also way below the pass rates

If you dont want to use E85 solutions there does exist in the UK super clean petrol fuels.
Often these fuels are in garden shops and are sold for lawnmowers . The most lawnmowers on the market do not have CATs fitted to them .When you use the lawnmower with ordinary dirty car petrol you expose your self to real nasty stuff from the lawn mowers fumes .
This super clean lawnmower fuel is often manditory to use in big cities in te UK with lawnmovers or chain saws etc .Its to stop poisoning your neigbours with the toxic fumes from normal toxic car petrol
This super clean Petrol fuel costs like ~10 euros a liter so it ant cheap .If you put that stuff into car with a broken CAT the car will still probably still pass the NCT with flying colours

Also cars that run on natural gas often run very clean and dont dont need the CAT so much

Running cars which are fully maintained with clean fuel natural gas super clean petrols Ethanols alcohols fuels will often allow the CAT to last millions of miles as they dont have any work to do

Running cars with dirty Irish car petrols strains the CATS a lot and reduces the life expecency of the CATS a lot

Derry

EPM

Could be a lambda sensor (oxygen sensor). Gives the same warning light. You need to get it to a garage to have the fault code read and then you'll know where you stand

playtimeover

JonathanAnon wrote: »

Hi lads,

Engine was low on oil, and the light came on... shortly after the Catalytic Converter light came on... topped up the oil with a Litre so that it's bang in the middle on the dipstick..

I've read on another thread here, that I should "open it up" on the motorway to clear out the fumes in the exhaust system, but this hasnt worked.. Any suggestions people?

thanks,
J

Hmm. I've heard this from a friend before. I think that you should try to open it again and see what happen next.

JonathanAnon

playtimeover wrote: »

Hmm. I've heard this from a friend before. I think that you should try to open it again and see what happen next.

Thanks to everybody who responded btw.. ;-)

I dont get out on the motorway much.. I try to cycle most places tbh... But I've hit 120kmph in it for a few short periods of time on the motorway... I'm not sure if they guys who suggested "opening it up" meant to go much higher.. I'll try it again during the week.

JonathanAnon

update:

well lads, two full weeks after the light came on, and having tried to "open it up" on the motorway... the light has suddenly just disappeared on a short journey to the shops (i.e. at reasonably slow speed)... I cant say for sure but it seemed to go off after I had come over a humpy back bridge, dont know if anybody can make sense of that...

Then I get home and discover that my headlight is cracked... :-( Cant win...