If your car, truck, or utility vehicle roars like a race car when you start it, Willoughby Hills Auto Repair advises that you have likely become the victim of catalytic converter theft. If your car was parked in a public place, it’s possible that someone has crawled underneath it and removed the catalytic converter using a metal saw. A loud and roaring engine is just one sign that the catalytic converter has been stolen. We are going to list the other signs of a missing catalytic converter below for your information.
Jerky Acceleration
If you try to drive your vehicle with the engine roaring loudly, you will notice that the acceleration jerks and the engine gets louder with each jerking motion. What is happening is the engine is pushing the exhaust out of it and into the space where the catalytic converter once was. The catalytic converter is no longer there to absorb the force or noise that the exiting exhaust makes. Consequently, you will have problems accelerating your vehicle as the engine releases the exhaust.
Low-Speed Trouble
You will also have trouble driving at slow speeds because the engine will struggle to produce what is called low-end torque. This is the power production to support motion when you are driving slowly. The fact that the catalytic converter is gone directly affects this power production. As you pick up speed, the engine operation will smooth out because it can still produce high-end torque without a problem. Replacing the missing catalytic converter will restore your engine’s performance.
Check Engine Warning
Another thing that you are going to notice is your check engine light is going to turn on and remain on until you have the catalytic converter replaced. As you can imagine, many things are going wrong in the exhaust system because the catalytic converter is no longer there. Consequently, the engine control unit, your vehicle’s main computer chip, is going to receive numerous errors from system sensors. It will turn on the check engine light as a result of these error codes.
Overbearing Exhaust
Finally, we highly recommend that you actually avoid driving your automobile until the catalytic converter is replaced. As the engine releases the exhaust into the open space, the exhaust will waft upward and enter your vehicle’s passenger cabin. Consequently, you will start to feel sick as you drive your automobile because you are inhaling vehicle exhaust.
Call Willoughby Hills Auto Repair in Willoughby Hills, OH, after you have contacted the authorities and your insurance company to schedule an appointment for a new catalytic converter.