Driving Without A Catalytic Converter

Driving Without A Catalytic Converter FAQ

Can you still drive your car with a bad catalytic converter?

Driving with a bad catalytic converter is not too dangerous. If some small parts of your catalytic converter is plugged, you can still drive your car as usual. You will see that there is a drop in performance of the catalytic converter. In the case that the catalytic converter is totally plugged, it will prevent you from running your vehicle.

How long can you drive with a bad catalytic converter?

Technically, you can drive with a bad catalytic converter as long as you want. Your car or RV can and will function without a catalytic converter. In fact, vehicles didn't even have catalytic converters until 1975.

Will driving with a bad catalytic converter hurt the car?

Driving with a failing or bad catalytic converter can damage your car further, hurt the environment due to poor emissions, reduce your overall fuel mileage, and damage other components of your exhaust system. Knowing that a bad catalytic converter can ruin your engine is crucial to keep you on top of the maintenance of your catalytic converter.

What does a car sound like with no catalytic converter?

A car without a catalytic converter will have a loud exhaust note. Check the exhaust system under your car. The catalytic converter will look like a bulge somewhere in the middle of the exhaust piping in between the muffler and where the headers connect to the exhaust downpipes (see the illustration in the resources).