I'm having low-efficiency codes coming up on my scanner tool for the catalytic converter. What is the best catalytic converter cleaner? I already tried that cataclean. It did nothing.

 

I'll catch all hell for this but the gasoline tank fuel Cat-Cleaners wont work, since they are burnt in the combustion chamber. Does your engine smoke? Oil burning and too much (rich) fuel will kill a Cat. Might have a bad exhaust sensor. Or you may well have a bad Cat. Like everything else on a vehicle they go bad, but as before, too much oil use and/or a rich condition, will destroy a Cat pretty fast.If you Cat is indeed gone, you need to have that repaired or you new Cat will be subject to the same thing. BTW, does your motor use engine oil?

 

It uses about a quart of oil between oil changes. Not to bad but I'm running lean and eats up gas faster than before and I can feel the engine like hesitating when I stop. And the scanner telling me I have a small vacuum leak. No smoke or anything. Just running a lil rough and getn a code for engine temp sensor but I done changed that 3 times. Change thermostat 3 times and put a new water pump in last week. Now I'm getn good heat since I changed water pump but still reading car temp not up to normal operating temperature. I'm gonna put valve cover gasket in next week and if it keeps telling me same thing then I dunno what to do next

 

You won't catch hell from me for saying that !!!! I'm a retired industrial R&D chemist, and anything you pour into the gas tank will be practically 100% carbon dioxide and water by the time it leaves the combustion chamber.

Or you could try the Kilmer method like my brother in law after "someone said" he had a dirty converter. He set the car on fire. That set the garage on fire. That set the house on fire. Total loss.

 

Oh wow, caught the house fire!!! Well I'm not putting nothing in my tank then. My truck is throwing all kinds of codes and then I check the scanner again tha codes it threw before are gone but the things that are constantly there is temp sensor and inefficient catalytic and lean. Oh and pcm lost communication wit drivers panel and cruise control and torque converter stuck off. I changed transmission solenoids except 1 cuz I didn't know what it was and that was the control solenoid. The one you have to cut the wire and put new one in so now I gotta go back in transmission to put that in smh

 

Yeah, I don't think Scotty Kilmer has this correct and I cant stand to smell Acetone either. I would not attempt this in a closed location at all and not without gloves and a breather. Sorry about your B-I-Laws home going up in flames, Cusser.

Betcha this is Scotty Kilmer's YouTube video you speak of:

 

I have that code on my 99 Suburban right now on my right Cat (230K and original Cats).I read to put in premium gas and run down the highway for a while and get it it hot.I put it in D3 and ran for 20 minutes on my regular gas and the engine light did go out but came on the next day.I'm down to 10 gallons now so I am going to fill it with premium soon and run it longer next time.I have a 44 gallon tank and I want as much premium as I can get.

 

Before I retired, I was in the commercial petroleum sales and distribution business, so I know a lot about that, Premium fuel is unneeded unless that vehicle calls for it, you are doing nothing but wasting your money, if you use it. It's just higher octane fuel.

It would save your money if you put Seafoam, Techron or Lucas.fuel additive when you fill your gas tank. I'm not deriding you here, just letting you know that Premium or Super grade gasoline is simply higher in octane and that is all it is. If your vehicle knocks (and they don't anymore since your ECM will not allow for that, since it will self-adjust the ignition timing, unlike older cars) and your vehicle does not need higher octane fuel, which most vehicles do not, it will _not_ clean a catalytic converter.

I would do a YouTube search on what might work. Scotty Kilmer, a 68 year old car mechanic, swears by using acetone to clean out a Catalytic converter, but premium gasoline is waste of time and money, IMO..You may well have a bad exhaust sensor. You have run the OBD II codes hopefully. If not they can do that at most auto parts stores without buying an OBD II sensor.

 

Thank you oilcan.I think you are correct on what to do.I had 5 gallons in my tank and then added 10 gallons of Exxon mid grade gas just for grins.I haven't been on a highway run to get it hot. Like I said, that short highway run last week did make the engine light go out temporarily. The code did show the right CAT as being degraded. So far I'm only out $8 on the premium gas since I didn't fill it up.I will try the Techron.

 

Techron additive will not clean a bad/clogged CAT, but it will clean-up your fuel injection system, intake valves and some of the carbon on your pistons/rings, and if you have a carburetor it can also work very well. I've used Techron, or Chevron gasoline's for years and have never had fuel injector issues at all, not even once. Trust me, it works.

Here is a bit more on PolyEtherAmine (PEA's), additives, the main cleaning ingredient in Chevron/Texaco gasoline's, quite different then other gasoline detergents/cleaners by far:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Techron