Let's talk Catalytic Converters...
FTE Leadership Emeritus
Joined: Sep 2000
Posts: 23,174
Likes: 1,678
From: Stephensville WI
Before you spend money on a new converter, you should test to see if your old converter is causing the problem.
Disconnect the exhaust system in front of the converter (usually at the Y-pipe) and take the truck for a spin. If your lost power is restored, you've found the culprit. If not, you know to look somewhere else.
As an added bonus, you'll get to find out what your truck sounds like with open pipes.
Disconnect the exhaust system in front of the converter (usually at the Y-pipe) and take the truck for a spin. If your lost power is restored, you've found the culprit. If not, you know to look somewhere else.
As an added bonus, you'll get to find out what your truck sounds like with open pipes.
Thread Starter
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Tuned
Joined: Sep 2005
Posts: 272
Likes: 3
Before you spend money on a new converter, you should test to see if your old converter is causing the problem.
Disconnect the exhaust system in front of the converter (usually at the Y-pipe) and take the truck for a spin. If your lost power is restored, you've found the culprit. If not, you know to look somewhere else.
As an added bonus, you'll get to find out what your truck sounds like with open pipes.
Disconnect the exhaust system in front of the converter (usually at the Y-pipe) and take the truck for a spin. If your lost power is restored, you've found the culprit. If not, you know to look somewhere else.
As an added bonus, you'll get to find out what your truck sounds like with open pipes.
FTE Leadership Emeritus
Joined: Sep 2000
Posts: 23,174
Likes: 1,678
From: Stephensville WI
My cat failed on my old 1995 F-150 due to using the wrong spark plugs, I think. I installed a set from a mail order house, then took a 600 mile drive in the dead of winter. I noticed my mileage had dropped and figured it was just the weather, but in hind site I think what happened is I was getting incomplete combustion. The cat tried to burn off the excess fuel, but burned itself out. When I finally took it off the inlet was crammed full of chunks of burned up ceramic material.
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Tuned
Joined: Sep 2005
Posts: 272
Likes: 3
My cat failed on my old 1995 F-150 due to using the wrong spark plugs, I think. I installed a set from a mail order house, then took a 600 mile drive in the dead of winter. I noticed my mileage had dropped and figured it was just the weather, but in hind site I think what happened is I was getting incomplete combustion. The cat tried to burn off the excess fuel, but burned itself out. When I finally took it off the inlet was crammed full of chunks of burned up ceramic material.
Thread Starter
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Tuned
Joined: Sep 2005
Posts: 272
Likes: 3
My cat failed on my old 1995 F-150 due to using the wrong spark plugs, I think. I installed a set from a mail order house, then took a 600 mile drive in the dead of winter. I noticed my mileage had dropped and figured it was just the weather, but in hind site I think what happened is I was getting incomplete combustion. The cat tried to burn off the excess fuel, but burned itself out. When I finally took it off the inlet was crammed full of chunks of burned up ceramic material.
Is there anyway to prove the wrong spark plug would cause converter problems? The reason I ask is that my mechanic installed aftermarket plugs and this is when the problem started. He knows this and checked one plug yesterday to make sure it was the correct part number and it was. He then told me to go to the dealer because of the converter warranty. Being over the 8500lbs GVRW I can't go to Ford. I know that if I tell my mechanic that the aftermarket spark plugs may have caused the converter problem he'll probably say no. That's why I'm curious to know if there is a way to tell?
Postmaster
Joined: Oct 2009
Posts: 3,432
Likes: 7
walker makes a very good direct replacement cat, their also a oem. supplier. i used one on my '94 f250, it was a walker direct fit which looked exactly like the ford cat i removed, but had no ford logo's stamped on it, also cost less than half of what the ford dealer wanted
Walkers part for the Fords is good, but they don't make it themselves, it is outsourced to another company.
Don't be quick to jump to the converter as the cause of the problem. A clogged converter is an effect, an effect of another failure that causes it to fail. A clogged fuel filter is both cheaper and more likely. Replace the fuel filter first and see if that doesn't clear up the issue.
On the spark plugs, aftermarket plugs can absolutely cause issues. Put OEM grade plugs made by Autolite (The Motorcraft brand is made by Autolite) and the issue may resolve itself. The converters should only be considered if a backpressure test reveals they are bad, and other possibilities are exhausted.
Sit. Stay.
Joined: Oct 2001
Posts: 18,308
Likes: 20
From: Washington State
To the OP...how many miles are on your 5.4L? The catalytic converter is warrantied for 8 years and 80K miles.
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Elder User
Joined: Mar 2005
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---sorry Ken-on dis side of the pond--vehicles over 8000 gvw are only 3/36 on the cat warranty---did anyone scan this vehicle to see if it had cat efficiency codes????
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Tuned
Joined: Sep 2005
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Don't be quick to jump to the converter as the cause of the problem. A clogged converter is an effect, an effect of another failure that causes it to fail. A clogged fuel filter is both cheaper and more likely. Replace the fuel filter first and see if that doesn't clear up the issue.
On the spark plugs, aftermarket plugs can absolutely cause issues. Put OEM grade plugs made by Autolite (The Motorcraft brand is made by Autolite) and the issue may resolve itself. The converters should only be considered if a backpressure test reveals they are bad, and other possibilities are exhausted.
On the spark plugs, aftermarket plugs can absolutely cause issues. Put OEM grade plugs made by Autolite (The Motorcraft brand is made by Autolite) and the issue may resolve itself. The converters should only be considered if a backpressure test reveals they are bad, and other possibilities are exhausted.
1buzzbait; what you do mean by "did anyone scan this vehicle to see if it had cat efficiency codes????"
I don't want to create a touchy situation with the mechanic and imply that the plugs are the cause unless there is a way to prove it. I feel stuck between a rock and a hard place.
New User
Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 3
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First of all Ford Vehicles run best when use motorcraft plugs, i dont like anything else, plus the aftermarket plug's got a dendacy to spit the plug out of the cylinder for some reason. The best way to determine if cat is ok is to watch the 02 sensor's on a scan tool, the first sensor should go up and down anyway from 0v-1v and the second sensor at an idle should pretty much stay the same voltage if everything is alright, if the second sensor reads the same as the first u got a bad cat, i would also check fuel psi and make sure there isn't any vacum leak's as well
Elder User
Joined: Mar 2005
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[quote=CNC;8451851]
1buzzbait; what you do mean by "did anyone scan this vehicle to see if it had cat efficiency codes????"
[quote]--a decent (or ford) ids should be able to tell if its the cats-or 02's or whatever--but if you have a collapsed pcv line-is still think some blockage is in order here
1buzzbait; what you do mean by "did anyone scan this vehicle to see if it had cat efficiency codes????"
[quote]--a decent (or ford) ids should be able to tell if its the cats-or 02's or whatever--but if you have a collapsed pcv line-is still think some blockage is in order here
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Tuned
Joined: Sep 2005
Posts: 272
Likes: 3
[quote=1buzzbait;8452583][quote=CNC;8451851]
1buzzbait; what you do mean by "did anyone scan this vehicle to see if it had cat efficiency codes????"
"collapsed pcv line", that's interesting. My mechanic changed the pcv valve with all the other parts as part of the tune up. Anyway to tell that I have a collapsed pcv line?
1buzzbait; what you do mean by "did anyone scan this vehicle to see if it had cat efficiency codes????"
--a decent (or ford) ids should be able to tell if its the cats-or 02's or whatever--but if you have a collapsed pcv line-is still think some blockage is in order here
"collapsed pcv line", that's interesting. My mechanic changed the pcv valve with all the other parts as part of the tune up. Anyway to tell that I have a collapsed pcv line?
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Tuned
Joined: Sep 2005
Posts: 272
Likes: 3
Not recently. After the mechanic did the tuneup he forgot to connect a connector and it gave him a code. He reset the computer and that was the last time he checked.