

The trick is to allow the catalytic converter to reach its maximum operating temperature so it can burn off the contaminants. As an alternative, you can drive the vehicle normally, but you should find an empty highway so you can drive at higher speeds more consistently. Start the engine and raise the engine speed to 2,500 rpm for about 30 minutes. This method involves pouring a gallon of lacquer thinner into the gas tank, preferably with a half tank of gasoline. Method 2: This may sound crazy, but you can reinvigorate an ailing catalytic converter by using lacquer thinner. The next is a rapid-induction deposit cleaner to remove excess carbon and soot. The first is a fuel system treatment that you pour inside the gas tank.

This kit not only cleans the catalytic converter, but it also removes performance-robbing deposits from the valves, injectors, and combustion chambers inside the engine. We also like the Run-Rite Sledgehammer Decarbonizing Kit. You can expect better results after two or more treatments of Oxicat. Oxicat will only work if the catalytic converter is hot enough to literally burn off the contaminants. In order to achieve the best results, you should drive at higher engine speeds. Simply pour the entire contents into a full tank of gas and drive your vehicle normally. Oxicat is designed for gasoline and diesel engines. You can try Oxicat to restore and clean oxygen sensors and the catalytic converter. But we found two that are better than the rest. Method 1: There many products you can use. If this is the case, you can try cleaning the catalytic converter using a specialized cleaning product. This also holds true for vehicles equipped with turbochargers or forced-induction. Of course, there’s also the option of removing the catalytic converter and breaking it apart to see if the catalyst is burned out, but this is illegal and takes a lot of work to accomplish.ĭepending on the vehicle type, there are times when it is impractical to unbolt the catalyst from the exhaust system. But if your vehicle has a check engine light and P0420 trouble code, you are most likely dealing with a broken or burned-out catalytic converter. Other codes associated with this problem are P0421, P0422, P0423, and P0424. The most common trouble code for a failing catalytic converter is P0420. When this happens, you’ll need an OBD2 scan tool to determine the source and meaning of the fault code.


In other words, it’s the check engine lamp, which is usually accompanied by fault codes stored in the vehicle’s CPU. With that being said, the first symptom is an illuminated MIL or malfunction indicator lamp. But if you have a scan tool and you know how to use it, you can easily rule out a catalyst failure by interpreting the live OBD2 data. Since the catalytic converter is resting under the vehicle, you’ll need to raise the vehicle and remove the unit from the exhaust pipe.
