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I've never heard of this before.

However, on our corporate jet, we use ozone catalysts to convert O3 into O2. Every few years, the cat-con's get sent out for cleaning. Not sure what they do, but they come back looking exactly the same. (my point is that they don't replace the internals or anything serious like that).

This guy has 2 methods.

1) Use Lacquer Thinner (the industrial kind found at auto paint supply houses) at a rate of one gallon per half tank.

2) Remove the cat and soak it overnight in a mixture of laundry soap and water.

Since I have the dreaded P0430 code, I think I'll give it a try and report back.

Biology News: Catalytic converters clean up

I find this very interesting. It seems that Citric Acid, in a mild solution is capable of cleaning cats to like new performance. There are a number of successful reports using this method.

cujet, what causes a cat to loose efficiency is the build up of carbon. so, yes, running a mixture of say lacquer thinner through it (causes the burn temperature to increase, therefore converting the carbon to carbon dioxide) will clean it up or soaking it in soapy water/citric acid. The citric acid works better as it tends to eat up the carbon.

If running the seafoam through the engine would assist to clean the cats?

From what I understand from the study above, and various links, it's not carbon that poisons the cat. But rather Zinc/Phosphorous (from the motor oil) and sulfur from the fuel that coats the metals in the cat.

However, you are right, the Lacquer thinner probably results in a higher temperature.

The Citric Acid trick is done to dissolve the Phos and Sulfur.

My guess is that carbon only builds up when the cat stops working due to the Platinum/rhodium being coated with contaminates.

If you opt for the Laquer thinner clean, be very careful as one splash on the paint work will have diabolical results!! It is the best paint stripper out!
Lespres

No one uses the hammer and high RPM's trick anymore?

Hi Inzane. What is the hammer and High RPM trick???
Lespres

Innzane, I simple love "practical solutions" to problems!

You, myself and the fellow who recently posted about having "fixed" his X-Type automatic tranny problems by simply REMOVING (note: not replacing) the offending gears would have a great time with a case of cheap beer sitting under the mechanic's Shade Tree!

Lespres: I believe Innzane is speaking of getting the catalytic convertor as hot as possible and then pounding on it with a big rubber hammer until enough of the offending crud is dislodged and blown out the tailpipe to make the car run well again.



(Innzane fails to mention that a substantial amount of alcohol should be poured down the proper orifice whilst performing this type of repair. Since it is an English Motorcar, and I did used the term "whilst", that alcohol should rightly be a nice, dark Guinness Stout)

Should that fail to cure the ills (or the car), the Citric Acid Soak decribed in a number of recent posts would be appropriate.

As an Industrial Service Tech for Dow Chemical USA for a number of years, citric acid was one of our secret ingredients for many cleaning jobs. It is barely reactive to most metals, and would be totally non-reactive to the catalysts (platinum and rhodium), safe to handle, and eats crud like "all-get-out".

Lacquer Thinner would simply be a recipe for a disaster, especially if the Guinness Stout were also utilized.

Safety First!

citric acid + steel wool has been mentioned as being good at removing surface corrosion from the stainless steel exhaust components.

Yep, that is exactly what I was talking about. Us poor folk have to improvise
Yeah I know, poor folk should not own Jags, but the wife has something I like to make use of at times so keeping her happy is a needed cause to keep the blues away.
I can imagine it is not an easy task to get the cats out of an xtype, front looked like it may be not so bad, but I think I have never even seen the rear one.

I heard some older folks saying, not sure if it was brake or tranny fluid in the gas tank would help clean out the carbon from everything.

per the video, 1 gallon laq thinner:1/2 tank gas & 150 miles. 0420 code still there. I guess it was worth a try

Cujet,

Did the lacguer method work. My 2002 xtype ran low on gas recently and I think it sucked in some crap from the bottom of the fuel tank. Since then im getting several codes. p1111,p1316,p1314,p0302,p0300,p2098,and p0037. Im thinking of trying the lacquer to clean things out. Also does anyone know where/how to release any air in the fuel rail that may have been sucked due to low fuel?