4 ms·

Is it possible to have the catalytic converter stolen without knowing about it?

ingalls 5y ago
You would notice as soon as you turned on your car. It would sound like a roaring sound from under your car and would get worse any time you give the engine more fuel. You can drive a car without a catalytic converter but it is almost universally illegal and you assuredly won't pass emissions.
- bittercynic 5y ago
  >You can drive a car without... There is at least one case where this doesn't hold: On a 3rd generation prius the coolant loops around the cat to warm up the engine faster, and the coolant will leak out if someone steals your cat. The engine would be destroyed pretty quickly if you run it without coolant I think.
- rmetzler 5y ago
  You would think there is something wrong but you wouldn't necessarily think there was a part stolen. We only found out there was something stolen when the mechanic sent us pictures from underneath the car. It was his first of these cases.
- lotsofpulp 5y ago
  Emissions inspections are not required in most rural areas, and not required in quite a few state (FL/WA/MI come to mind as populous places that do not require inspections): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vehicle_inspection_in_the_United_States https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vehicle_inspection_in_the_Unit... I would just straight pipe it if someone cut out my cats. Although, my cats have been dead for years, so I wonder if they would even get paid for them.
gregoriol 5y ago
If your exhaust line is cut, broken or just rusted to the point of having holes, the sound of it will change, but also the exhaust gases won't come out from the back of the car but in the middle under it, and go inside the cabin very easily, you'll be able to smell it, and this might get seriously dangerous to inhale if you try to drive
rmetzler 5y ago
Thieves stole the catalytic converter of our 1996 Mitsubishi last year. They can do this in ~1 minute and you don't realise it is missing until you start the motor and then you probably think something is broken instead it is missing. Our car was very loud, we thought there might be a hole in the exhaust pipe. And the missing catalytic converter is indeed something like a hole. :-) And we don't use it daily, as the city I live in is very bike friendly. So our car can stand here a whole week without getting moved. Fixing it cost us I think between 700 to 1000 EUR, and I think we were lucky at that time. Because it was one of the first of the cases in our area and we were lucky to find a used one.
shbooms 5y ago
removing the catalytic converter essentially renders your muffler useless since it's located in the middle of the exhaust pipe [0]. therefore removing the cat. converter will make your car incredibly loud and virtually impossible to go unrecognized. [0] https://media.hswstatic.com/eyJidWNrZXQiOiJjb250ZW50Lmhzd3N0YXRpYy5jb20iLCJrZXkiOiJnaWZcL2NhdGFseXRpYy1jb252ZXJ0ZXItbG9jYXRpb24uanBnIiwiZWRpdHMiOnsicmVzaXplIjp7IndpZHRoIjoyOTB9fX0= https://media.hswstatic.com/eyJidWNrZXQiOiJjb250ZW50Lmhzd3N0...

You would notice as soon as you turned on your car. It would sound like a roaring sound from under your car and would get worse any time you give the engine more fuel. You can drive a car without a catalytic converter but it is almost universally illegal and you assuredly won't pass emissions.

bittercynic 5y ago
>You can drive a car without... There is at least one case where this doesn't hold: On a 3rd generation prius the coolant loops around the cat to warm up the engine faster, and the coolant will leak out if someone steals your cat. The engine would be destroyed pretty quickly if you run it without coolant I think.
rmetzler 5y ago
You would think there is something wrong but you wouldn't necessarily think there was a part stolen. We only found out there was something stolen when the mechanic sent us pictures from underneath the car. It was his first of these cases.
lotsofpulp 5y ago
Emissions inspections are not required in most rural areas, and not required in quite a few state (FL/WA/MI come to mind as populous places that do not require inspections): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vehicle_inspection_in_the_United_States https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vehicle_inspection_in_the_Unit... I would just straight pipe it if someone cut out my cats. Although, my cats have been dead for years, so I wonder if they would even get paid for them.

gregoriol 5y ago

If your exhaust line is cut, broken or just rusted to the point of having holes, the sound of it will change, but also the exhaust gases won't come out from the back of the car but in the middle under it, and go inside the cabin very easily, you'll be able to smell it, and this might get seriously dangerous to inhale if you try to drive

rmetzler 5y ago

Thieves stole the catalytic converter of our 1996 Mitsubishi last year. They can do this in ~1 minute and you don't realise it is missing until you start the motor and then you probably think something is broken instead it is missing. Our car was very loud, we thought there might be a hole in the exhaust pipe. And the missing catalytic converter is indeed something like a hole. :-) And we don't use it daily, as the city I live in is very bike friendly. So our car can stand here a whole week without getting moved. Fixing it cost us I think between 700 to 1000 EUR, and I think we were lucky at that time. Because it was one of the first of the cases in our area and we were lucky to find a used one.

shbooms 5y ago

removing the catalytic converter essentially renders your muffler useless since it's located in the middle of the exhaust pipe [0]. therefore removing the cat. converter will make your car incredibly loud and virtually impossible to go unrecognized. [0] https://media.hswstatic.com/eyJidWNrZXQiOiJjb250ZW50Lmhzd3N0YXRpYy5jb20iLCJrZXkiOiJnaWZcL2NhdGFseXRpYy1jb252ZXJ0ZXItbG9jYXRpb24uanBnIiwiZWRpdHMiOnsicmVzaXplIjp7IndpZHRoIjoyOTB9fX0= https://media.hswstatic.com/eyJidWNrZXQiOiJjb250ZW50Lmhzd3N0...