Cat Converter type/source - help required

[gouldsborough7]

My Hunter has just failed its MOT on excessive emissions from the exhaust pipe. The garage guy said that it was almost certain that the Cat is partially blocked. Well I suppose after 16 years and only 16000 miles of motoring that this could be correct. Their problem is to find a replacement not knowing exactly the model of the Cat - the guy is looking into this.


My car is fitted with a 2 litre Ford Scorpio twin-cam engine with 8 valves, injection, electronic ignition / no dizzy. It was assembled by Marlin in 1998, and while the engine was sold as 'new', I think it had been 'on the shelf' for a few years.

Has anyone got some ideas on this please?

Cheers
Mike

[cameronfurnival]

Re: Cat Converter type/source - help required

pity the engine wasnt produced in or before 1992 as that unit was used without a cat at that time. You can get universal cats in varying sizes, even on ebay...click here

[lil_red_roadster]

Re: Cat Converter type/source - help required

Whilst generally sceptical of snake-oil remedies, I did hear a few good stories about Cataclean when it was first marketed. For the sake of £15 or so you could think about giving it a try before finding a new cat.

http://www.cataclean.com/

[dbazdavies]

Re: Cat Converter type/source - help required

Yes my MG ZR160 VVC failed the same, garage owner told me to pour a bottle of some stuff into the fuel and run the engine at over 3000 revs for 5 mins - as I sat there you could see the crap coming out of the exhaust till it was clean - rechecked it and it was clean and passed..

[djj_engineer]

Re: Cat Converter type/source - help required

My MOT man warned us about the non standard CAT of our Z3. He said that there was a scam whereby a garage may say that the CAT on the car is U/s and they can replace it with a new one. Then then take the original CAT off the car and weigh it in leaving them with a large profit after fitting the new but short lived replacement.
With such a small mileage are you sure that the engine is OK as the CAT will only deal with a good setup

[milliemarlin]

Re: Cat Converter type/source - help required

Are you sure you need a cat? Although my car has a date of first registration in the UK of 2005 but the date of first registration is 1989. It is this second date that sets the emission target she must meet. The engine was made in 2005 so a couple of MOT testers have argued that it should meet 2005 emission standards. They are wrong. The 1989 emissions also set the extortionate cost of my tax disc.
Paul

[gouldsborough7]

Re: Cat Converter type/source - help required

The same garage and engineer tested my car last year, so assuming he knows what he is doing and wants to keep my custom, so I have to assume that my 16 year old Cat needs replacing. At this moment the garage are searching around for a replacement. I've seen a bunch of them on e-Bay, all designed to fit Scorpios & Granadas, with photos looking similar to mine. I'll come back hopefully with a successful conclusion to this saga.

Cheers
Mike

[stevejgreen]

Re: Cat Converter type/source - help required

I presume that you have referenced this document Exhaust Emissions

[Mike]

Re: Cat Converter type/source - help required

The current (IVA) rules governing exhaust emissions are based on the date of manufacture of the engine, not the car.
Upto 31st July 1995 an engine does not require a cat.

If you can prove your engine was manufactured before 31st July 1995 you will not require a CAT. This is reasonably easy if you can identify the engine number, by writing to the manufacturer and asking for a letter stating the date of manufacture.

My donor car was a 1993 BMW fitted with a CAT, but because the engine was manufactured before July 31st 1995 my engine was deemed not to require a CAT. (BMW were happy to provide me with proof of manufacture date, and this was requested by the examiner at my IVA).


Note - a Marlin does not have an EXACT model reference in the In Service Emissions book.

Emissions Guidelines - IVA June 2013.jpg

[gouldsborough7]

Re: Cat Converter type/source - help required

Thanks guys for your info. Long-story-short, the garage couldn't find a suitable replacement Cat after much searching. The main problem was the flange design to bolt to the exhaust manifold.

I think in desperation the guy poured a can of Cataclean into the petrol tank (in my presence). I left him to it for a few hours, and got a phone-call later telling me that my car had passed the emissions' test. I wasn't going to debate what ever he did, resulting with just a £15 bill for the Cataclean rather than a £100+ bill for a new Cat + his labour time. Next year, assuming the exhaust hasn't sprung any holes, a day or two before the next MOT test, I will pour a can of Cataclean into the tank and hope it passes first time.

Cheers
Mike

[CompoSimmonite]

Re: Cat Converter type/source - help required

After a failed MOT on emissions tester told me to take it for a run and rev the engine hard by staying in low gears then come back in 10-15 mins. This was an auto Chrysler Neon so I selected 1st rather than Drive. The emissions were then perfect !

Paul

[lil_red_roadster]

Re: Cat Converter type/source - help required

Excellent news Mike.