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life of a catalytic converter


skyman

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My 91 Eldorado has 134k miles on it. I noticed some traits in it latley that my Dodge pickup had before I discovered that the cat was shot. Lower gas milage. higher temps and less pickup. Does anyone know if there is a lifespan to these things after which they should be replaced?

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Replaced only when they show signs of clog or failure. Certainly if you see symptoms consistent with catalytic converter failure then you qualify at 134k miles.

Bruce

2023 Cadillac CT4-V Blackwing

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A muffler shop once told me that miles don't kill cats, engine problems kill cats. I partially clogged mine at over 100,000 miles with a lot of coolant. I've seen posts here that too much ZDP reduces the life of a cat, so oil additives may be a problem if you use tham and your car consumes any oil at all.

Has the engine torque actually increased at low RPM, while decreased at high RPM? That's a dead giveaway of exhaust system obstruction. Another sure sign of a cat breaking down is a rattle under the car.

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Given proper engine tune, a converter should last the life of the vehicle. There are no "consumables" (wear items) in the converter. It can get clogged from the factors listed above, but this should not happen under normal circumstances.

Jason(2001 STS, White Diamond)

"When you turn your car on...does it return the favor?"

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My 91 Eldorado has 134k miles on it. I noticed some traits in it latley that my Dodge pickup had before I discovered that the cat was shot. Lower gas milage. higher temps and less pickup. Does anyone know if there is a lifespan to these things after which they should be replaced?

Mine began to rattle at 90K miles in my 91 Seville. I have seen them self destruct mechanically in those years. In and about 2002, GM got a bad batch of CATs and they were clogging, the CAT on my 2002 Monte Carlo clogged up at 35K miles and was replaced under warranty.

Pre-1995 - DTC codes OBD1  >>

1996 and newer - DTC codes OBD2 >> https://www.obd-codes.com/trouble_codes/gm/obd_codes.htm

How to check for codes Caddyinfo How To Technical Archive >> http://www.caddyinfo.com/wordpress/cadillac-how-to-faq/

Cadillac History & Specifications Year by Year  http://www.motorera.com/cadillac/index.htm

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