Miller Brothers Auto Repair advises that if your car has started to jerk when you accelerate, it’s possible that someone has stolen the catalytic converter from underneath the automobile. If the jerking started after your vehicle was parked in a public place, this points even more to converter theft. Pull over and call the authorities to report the theft. The next call you want to make is to your auto insurance company to see if they will cover the damages. Aside from jerking acceleration, here are other signs that you have had the catalytic converter stolen from your vehicle.
Slow-Speed Sputtering
Jerking acceleration is just one problem that you will notice while you are driving your automobile. Another thing you are going to notice is that the engine sputters when you are driving at slower speeds. The engine produces torque, i.e., power, in two separate ways. It produces high-end torque when you are driving fast and low-end torque when you are driving slowly. A missing catalytic converter causes problems with the engine’s production of low-end torque.
Check Engine Warning
Both of the problems discussed above are under the assumption that you are driving your automobile. Before you put the vehicle into gear, you are going to know that something is wrong. When you first fire up your car, truck, or utility vehicle, the check engine light is going to turn on and remain on. It will not turn off because the exhaust system sensors are sending error codes due to the loss of the catalytic converter.
Roaringly Loud Engine
Another thing that you are going to notice is that your engine is extremely loud. In fact, it will roar like a lion. This is an indication that as the exhaust manifold pushes the exhaust out of the engine and into the catalytic converter that there is no converter there to take in the exhaust. The excessively loud noise that you are hearing is the force of the exhaust being pushed out of the engine.
Noticeable Exhaust Odors
These two things alone may make you not want to drive your automobile. We discourage you from operating the vehicle for another reason and that is the vehicle’s exhaust. The exhaust manifold pushes the exhaust into the catalytic converter where it treats it and pushes it through the rest of the exhaust system. Because the catalytic converter is missing, the exhaust is released into the air and wafts into your vehicle’s interior. This could leave you inhaling the exhaust.
Naturally, this is very dangerous, so have your automobile towed to Miller Brothers Auto Repair in Somerset, WI, so we can replace the catalytic converter and inspect the exhaust system for additional damage. Call