If your vehicle is doing the following, then yes, someone stole the catalytic converter. Tri Valley Auto Repair & Diesel advises that aside from heavy-duty pickups, the most common victims of catalytic converter theft are drivers that operate Toyota Priuses. The catalytic converter underneath your vehicle is made of precious metal that is in demand on the black market.
Noticeable Engine Roar
After the catalytic converter has been stolen, the engine in your vehicle is going to roar loudly when you start the automobile. The engine will be much louder than normal and make roaring sounds as the exhaust is expelled from the combustion chamber. Normally, the exhaust is routed through the exhaust manifold into the catalytic converter, and the converter muffles the noise to a certain point. Now that the converter is gone, you’re going to hear the noise in all of its glory.
Jerky Acceleration
The catalytic converter also helps to control the forceful push the exhaust manifold makes when it moves the exhaust into the converter. Unfortunately, because the converter is gone, your vehcile is going to jerk roughly every time you accelerate.
Slow-Speed Lagging
You are also going to notice that thecar or truck has problems operating when you are driving slowly. There are two types of torque that the engine produces. When you are driving at slower speeds, the torque that is produced is called low-end. Faster speeds require high-end torque. For some reason, the engine has a problem producing the low-end torque when the catalytic converter is missing.
Check Engine Warning
As you can imagine, there are all sorts of sensors freaking out because part of your vehicle’s exhaust system is missing. Consequently, the engine control module is going to turn on the check engine light and leave it on until you have the catalytic converter replaced. A missing catalytic converter not only affects how the exhaust is routed through the system but also how the exhaust is treated.
Strong Exhaust Odors
As such, you will smell strong exhaust odors coming from your vehicle. As the exhaust manifold pushes the exhaust into the space where the catalytic converter once was, the exhaust will waft upward and into your vehicle’s passenger cabin. Consequently, you will be able to detect the exhaust odors, and inhaling the exhaust will start to make you feel sick.
As such, Tri Valley Auto Repair & Diesel in Limon, CO, recommends that you have your vehicle towed to our shop if the catalytic converter was taken from underneath the automobile.
