Does the catalytic converter need to be replaced?

[alphabets13]

i have 120,000 on the X, is there a time when it should be replaced? some told me i should look into it for gas saving purposes. what do you suggest?

 

[briwayjones]

It shouldn't need to be replaced unless you had an engine that wasn't working right like burning a lot of Anti-Freeze or oil. They are for the most part a lifetime part.

 

[alphabets13]

It shouldn't need to be replaced unless you had an engine that wasn't working right like burning a lot of Anti-Freeze or oil. They are for the most part a lifetime part.

that is what i thought, and no i have no engine problems, or any problems for that matter, except i would like a little more gas mileage, i get about 12 city, i have an apten chip and put in 93 octane all the time, which it a little expensive.

 

[ExplorerDMB]

Well, with the chip - I'm sure your not but so easy on the gas pedal. However, a high-flow cat won't save you any on gas mileage, and I doubt a new cat will do anything either. Look into maybe an exhaust system or intake system with your chip

-Drew

 

[alphabets13]

Well, with the chip - I'm sure your not but so easy on the gas pedal. However, a high-flow cat won't save you any on gas mileage, and I doubt a new cat will do anything either. Look into maybe an exhaust system or intake system with your chip

-Drew

i have a gibson exhaust and a MAC intake, both programmed with the chip

 

[mikehawk]

A clogged cat will certainly screw up your gas mileage. I just had to deal with that on my 91 that I picked up maybe a month ago. The cats were clogged up so bad it made the engine so incredibly weak that the truck couldn't even break the wheels free when I tried power braking in GRASS, and the truck actually drove slower at WOT then when you let it shift at 2500RPM. I was getting about 12mpg with most shifts at 2kRPM or lower. I asked about 4.0 performance issues here on the board, but people assured me that the x was supposed to be slow and run out of breath in high RPMs, yada yada. When the guy at the exhaust shop took down the old cats and tipped the pipe sideways, it looked like sand was pouring out.

Well, both mileage and power have been restored. If you've checked out all the other possibilities for bad gas mielage, then you should have an exhaust shop check out your cats because they do go bad.

 

[aldive]

However, a high-flow cat won't save you any on gas mileage,

Any data to support that claim?

 

[aldive]

bump

 

[stang99x]

General consensus from several articles

It is not uncommon today for service advisors to suggest the replacement of a converter after a 150k interval (typically the period at which converters begin to lose their effectiveness). However, the lifespan of a catalytic converter can be as long as that of the car, if the car's engine is kept in top running condition and its oil changed regularly. Conversely, an engine that runs consistently rich will drastically reduce the life span of a catalytic converter.