A catalytic converter is an essential component of modern cars, as it purifies your vehicle’s exhaust fumes and thus meets modern pollution specifications. Nevertheless, it is possible that it may turned out to be clogged or breakdown, in which circumstance a change or cleaning is necessary. Today we are going to check out how to clean a catalytic converter on Opel Vivaro? To get this done, to begin with, we will describe the scenarios in which it might be interesting to clean the catalytic converter of your Opel Vivaro, then, how to execute this cleaning to retrieve the effectiveness of the catalytic converter of your car.

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Why would you want to clean up the catalytic converter of your Opel Vivaro?

In this first part we will teach you why it might be important to clean the catalyst of your Opel Vivaro . Obviously for some of you it might seem obvious but most of you do not understand how it functions and the outcomes dirty catalytic converter .

Function and functioning of the catalytic converter of a Opel Vivaro

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The catalytic converter of your Opel Vivaro has the function to get rid of harmful exhaust fumes related to the process of your engine unit. Obviously, it is one of the main components that fight against the pollution discharged by your Opel Vivaro. It will convert these harmful gases into water or nonpolluting fumes. In order to convert these gases, the catalyst of your Opel Vivaro a mesh of precious metals which, when the gases pass at high temperature, will break them down by chemical reaction . A catalytic converter can only work from 400°, it is therefore important to avoid clogging the catalytic converter of your Opel Vivaro. If you are thinking of making enough long journeys to heat it up regularly (count more than 10 kilometres for the catalyst to reach the right temperature), this will enable you to optimize the life of this part and preserve best engine unit efficiency.

Outcomes of a dirty or defective catalytic converter on Opel Vivaro

We will now discover what can be the outcomes of a dirty or failing catalytic converter on Opel Vivaro . This will enable you to distinguish the symptoms that should warn you to a malfunction of your catalytic converter, here is the list of symptoms of a defective catalytic converter:

  • The catalytic converter of your Opel Vivaro is clogged: As we explained above, if you make too short trips like 50% of people, it will not have the time to start functioning and the catalytic converter will clog up with exhaust fumes.
  • Switching on the engine light: : Following a clogged catalytic converter, engine light of your Opel Vivaro may come on, do not hesitate to consult our article to find out how to switch it off.
  • A defective lambda sensor : The catalyst functions in close connection with the lambda sensors downstream and upstream of it, they will analyze the air flowing inside it, if it is clogged the sensors will quite often also have problems.
  • A metallic noise originating from the exhaust: In the event that the catalyst is dead you should notice this noise which results in that the ceramic is damaged.

Why you should clean the catalytic converter of your Opel Vivaro

Before we end with the step you are likely most enthusiastic about, how to clean the catalytic converter of a Opel Vivaro? We will teach you why it might be important for you to perform this cleaning. Obviously, a catalytic converter is a very expensive component (about 500 euros with the set up, the price can fluctuate according to the engines). In addition to being no longer good for passing the technical control , you might be at risk of over-consumption of fuel . Finally, the last benefit is that cleaning a catalytic converter is not that expensive and doing it regularly will save you quite a lot of money.

How do you clean the catalytic converter from its Opel Vivaro?

Finally here is the stage that you are likely most enthusiastic about in this content, how to clean the catalytic converter of your Opel Vivaro? Know that this process is very simple, and that there are two ways to do it:

  • Scrubbing the catalytic converter from your Opel Vivaro frequently: This strategy is specifically effective for persons who specifically do short trips . To do so, nothing could be simpler, from time to time, make a long trip (about 30 minutes to improve the efficiency of the process), thinking of making your engine go up in revs so that the temperature in the catalyst increases and it can be cleaned.
  • To use a catalyst cleaner: You can discover some in a motor vehicle center for about 20 euros. All you have to do is add it to your fuel directly in your tank with about half a full tank. Afterwards you will have to drive on a long distance for at least 1 hour at mid-range by trying to go regularly at high rpm . If you can before and later on do an exhaust gas analysis to verify that you have recovered healthier exhaust fumes after the procedure. You can perform this procedure every 15 000km.

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Whenever you have any additional questions about the Opel Vivaro, do not hesitate to consult our Opel Vivaro category.