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Please don’t reply unless you know what you’re talking about.
I recently bought a 1999 Volvo V70 XC for a steal.
An oil seal in the turbo had blown so I; rebuilt the turbo, cleaned all intake tubes, replaced the PCV system, replaced all vacuum lines, replaced the intake manifold gasket, replaced injector “o” rings, replaced exhaust manifold gaskets along with the studs and nuts, Cleaned throttle body (thoroughly) and replaced the gasket.
I replaced all this stuff because it was either maintenance that was over due or because it needed it.
Now to the point: I pulled the Cat and saw that the inside is blown apart. I am not going to put a universal Cat on it (for a number of reasons). What harm could come from me leaving the old ruined cat on the car for a couple months until I can afford an OEM?
I know I’ll have a CEL, but I want to make sure it won’t affect anything further than that.
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Blown apart as in there isn’t any of the honey comb left inside?
If the converter is “Punched Out”. (totally empty box) Yeah you’ll have a CEL. There won’t be much else, maybe without the back pressure on the O2 sensors you might have power issues and oddball fuel trims. (as my understanding is based upon older cars/trucks. This may not hold true)
If the converter bed is broken apart and still floating around inside the housing? I would not recommend driving it. If one part of the honey comb converter bed happens to break free and block your exhaust flow exiting–You’ll kill the engine with high back pressures.
This does not address the chance of the converter bed overheating and “Bluing” the housing. (basically it overheats to the point of being a fire hazard. As a former firefighter I have responded to many car fires due to overheating converters.) If the converter bed is punched out and removed on a TEMP basis? I’d run it for a short while until correct parts can be sourced.
This is only my opinion and others have opinions as well. This should not be taken as a blessing to run a car without correct emission devices. Please note depending on the area you reside–this can cause the car to fail state emission inspections. Anything you decide to do is at your own risk.
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What he said basically with one amendment. On a turbo car the turbo controls the back pressure and usually holds enough for most applications. So assuming there’s physically a hole through the converter material then carry on and you should only get a CEL if there’s a second O2 sensor.
There are two O2 sensors (upstream and downstream).
The honey comb is broken up. But not completely. I will try to bust the rest of it out of there before I put it back on.
I simply can’t afford the new converter right now. That is the only reason I am doing this. I try to be as responsible as I can be about emmisions. Also I like my vehicles to run as perfectly as possible. I was worried about goofy fuel trims possibly causing ignition issues.lol As an example of how anal I am (which I get made fun of relentlessly): this Volvo is replacing my 1986 Volvo 240 wagon (may she rest in peace) that got totaled.
I had historic tags (meaning it was emissions exempt) on my ’86, but I would take it into emissions to have it tested, anyway, every couple years to make sure it was tip top.
I love the old Volvo 2.4s. It had 400k miles on it and ran better than most cars a fraction of the age.Have you exhausted (pun intended) your options? Have you checked car-part.com or any othr source be it local or online for a used one? While my go to suggestion wouldn’t generally be to go used on a converter, they don’t usually go south unless there’s an engine problem.
A common mode of failure in turbo cars is that the oil sludges up due to neglect then a piece blocks the oil hole in the turbo. The bearing gets starved of oil and wears quickly. You’ll get a large amount of axial and/or radial play in the turbo shaft which will allow oil to leak by. If you are consuming a lot of oil and getting smoke out the tailpipe it can damage your cat.
I would hazard to guess that the turbo failure probably caused the cat failure. I would also take a look at the oiling system of the car – drop the oil pan and see if it’s full of sludge. I had this in my SAAB recently and, although the oil looked good on the dipstick it was like molasses in the pan when we dropped it. If you don’t address this the turbo (and cat if you replace it) will go bad again.
For the cat sometimes they’re not that price if you’re prepared to go aftermarket. I had one done in my pickup for $200 taxes included + installation after it rotted out. There are perfectly good brands for a decent price if you avoid the stealership.
Anyway that’s just my two cents.
Dafimz: it is illegal to sell and a horrible idea to buy a used cat.
Arcturus: I already stated that the turbo has been rebuilt. Turbos sludge up oil because they are running too hot due to a cooling issue.
I will not install junk on my car and all issues with the engine have been addressed. This thread was only created to make sure the engine would be ok without a working cat for a brief time period. I would appreciate it if you two did not comment on this thread again.I’ve never seen a faulty catalyst (broken up, looks good but not working, element completely missing) on any car cause any residual problem except for one. Pieces of a broken up catalyst element clogging a secondary cat or a muffler. It’s a purely ‘mechanical’ problem though, which causes either an exhaust rattle or performance problem due to restricted exhaust flow.
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