Fuel Economy, Hypermiling, EcoModding News and Forum - EcoModder.com - View Single Post - Restoring old catalytic converter's efficiency (cleaning method)

cajunfj40 · 06-21-2017, 10:57 AM

Hello California98Civic,
Huh, the paper you linked is interesting - seems like a workable idea. The whole thing is available on ResearchGate as a pdf. Bummer on the no re-test. Did you happen to keep your old smog results over the years before cleaning, to see the degradation over time? If so, you can still get some information by comparing the next few smog test results after the cleaning process to see if there's a change in the downward slope angle, or if the slope moved higher, indicating either it is working better or worse or degrading at a slower or faster rate. True, you won't have an immediate A/B test result, but you can look at the trend over time. More variables in play - state of the test equipment, what it's baseline setting was, etc. - but better than no result at all.

Poking around, I found an older thread by BamZipPow here: Catalytic converter cleaning would you do it?

He noted that he'd cleaned his 380,000 mile T100 converter and put 41,000 more miles on it after that - but I can't tell if he had any code differences before or after. BamZipPow, you reading this? Do you have any info on whether the cleaning was effective or not in your application, like a code going away/staying away longer or smog test results?

I'm looking for a way to clean an O2 sensor - it would seem that similar deposits would be to blame, and it is also a ceramic-based device, so maybe this method could also be used for them. Google is useless - the most cited method is to soak the whole thing in gasoline. Yeah, no. Second is to heat it with a torch to cherry red and dip in water to get the carbon to flake off. Seems to me that would shatter the ceramic. O2 sensors are not that expensive, though, so it may not be worth it - especially here in the rust belt where it might bust off trying to remove it in the first place. My guess is that my rear O2 sensor has bad wiring or is totally gunked over from the outside with oil sludge from the leaks over the years - it reads 0.0V all the time. Pain to get to, have to yank the center console and remove a panel to get to the top of the transmission from the inside of the truck to reach the plug.

BTW, there are a number of patents around for systems using the solution to clean catalysts, like this one for hooking up via the O2 sensor bungs to clean them in situ: US8888921

06-21-2017, 10:57 AM	#13 (permalink)
cajunfj40 Lurking Eco-wall-o-texter Join Date: Dec 2015 Location: MPLS, MN area Posts: 128 Thanks: 0 Thanked 65 Times in 45 Posts	Hello California98Civic, Huh, the paper you linked is interesting - seems like a workable idea. The whole thing is available on ResearchGate as a pdf. Bummer on the no re-test. Did you happen to keep your old smog results over the years before cleaning, to see the degradation over time? If so, you can still get some information by comparing the next few smog test results after the cleaning process to see if there's a change in the downward slope angle, or if the slope moved higher, indicating either it is working better or worse or degrading at a slower or faster rate. True, you won't have an immediate A/B test result, but you can look at the trend over time. More variables in play - state of the test equipment, what it's baseline setting was, etc. - but better than no result at all. Poking around, I found an older thread by BamZipPow here: Catalytic converter cleaning would you do it? He noted that he'd cleaned his 380,000 mile T100 converter and put 41,000 more miles on it after that - but I can't tell if he had any code differences before or after. BamZipPow, you reading this? Do you have any info on whether the cleaning was effective or not in your application, like a code going away/staying away longer or smog test results? I'm looking for a way to clean an O2 sensor - it would seem that similar deposits would be to blame, and it is also a ceramic-based device, so maybe this method could also be used for them. Google is useless - the most cited method is to soak the whole thing in gasoline. Yeah, no. Second is to heat it with a torch to cherry red and dip in water to get the carbon to flake off. Seems to me that would shatter the ceramic. O2 sensors are not that expensive, though, so it may not be worth it - especially here in the rust belt where it might bust off trying to remove it in the first place. My guess is that my rear O2 sensor has bad wiring or is totally gunked over from the outside with oil sludge from the leaks over the years - it reads 0.0V all the time. Pain to get to, have to yank the center console and remove a panel to get to the top of the transmission from the inside of the truck to reach the plug. BTW, there are a number of patents around for systems using the solution to clean catalysts, like this one for hooking up via the O2 sensor bungs to clean them in situ: US8888921