Seaway Cruisers Classic Car Club, Inc.

Transcription

1 Seaway Cruisers Classic Car Club, Inc. November 2018 Newslett er Ask a Tech: Catalytic Converters By Brandon Baldwin A catalytic converter is an emissions control device on our vehicles that takes leftover hydrocarbons (uncombined fuel) and leftover oxygen in the exhaust and combines them to into carbon dioxide and water vapor. Now, perfect combustion is supposed to take place within the engine to produce the byproducts of only carbon dioxide and water vapor. But, being that an efficient engine is still only 30% efficient, we still have unburned fuel that exits the combustion chamber. (By now, you might be asking, "where does the other 70% of the fuel's energy go?" Right? It goes to heat.) The catalytic converter is by far the most effective device for reducing the emissions of an engine. These byproducts that harm the environment are hydrocarbons HC, carbon monoxide CO, and oxides of nitrogen NOx. In other words, it adds oxygen to the hydrocarbons, oxygen to the carbon monoxide, and reduces the oxygen from the oxides of nitrogen. The oxygen comes from the leftover oxygen in the exhaust stream that didn't get burned/ combined with the hydrocarbons (fuel). P0420 and P0430 are some of the codes that get thrown around instead of saying "a failed catalytic converter". When you have one of these codes, this means that the oxygen sensor that is placed after the catalytic converter (cat for short) has detected a variable oxygen level similar to the oxygen sensor before the cat. When that happens, the Engine Control Module interprets this as a failing cat. The check engine light comes on because this means the emissions have exceeded 1.5 times the Federal Test Procedure: emissions are too high. Ways you can check your cat include scoping the downstream (after cat) oxygen sensor and temperature checking. In both cases, you need to run the engine above 1000 rpm and hold it there at least 5 minutes before testing. This is to make sure that if the cat simply needs to "light-off" it has time. It will get hot, I mean over 500 degrees hot! But, the cat is more efficient at this rpm (that's what you would normally drive around at), and that temperature makes the oxygen sensors work more efficiently too. They cycle around 1x per second. (Air Fuel Ratio AFR's are a little different.) Then, if you are scoping, you should see a nearly level line, not varying more than 100mv on the post-cat oxygen sensor. If you are looking at temperature, then you should see about a 10% increase in temperature after the cat. I do both because I want to be sure. Catalytic converters aren't cheap, especially California emissions ones. So, it best to check more than one way to be absolutely certain. If you determine that you need to replace the catalytic converter, you need to check your emissions sticker located under the hood to see if indeed you need a California Emission TWC (three way catalyst). If your car was sold in New York State, you can almost guarantee that it will be a California Emissions car. Some trucks follow different emissions rules. The dealership would be the logical choice to purchase a new one and have it installed. But, you can buy aftermarket ones that can outperform the original and still be completely emissions legal. Yes, in the "old days" catalytic converts restricted exhaust flow which reduced performance. These were the pellet style catalysts. But, now there are high flow cats on cars. There are even higher flow cats from companies such as Magnaflow. Personally, I have had to install catalytic converters on many cars and have been very satisfied by the Magnaflow converters. I've even seen performance improvement. You probably thought this was done. Not so fast buddy! Catalytic converters don't just normally fail. Something made them fail. Of course, physical impact, such as on an off-road vehicle will cause failure. They can break. But, for most of us who travel on the road have had another cause. If you ignore the check engine light for a long time, you are asking the cat to clean up the poor running mess in the exhaust. A misfire is a great example of this. One spark plug isn't firing, an exhaust leak before the first oxygen sensor, a vacuum leak at the intake manifold, a leaky injector, a stuck open thermostat, and so on. These can all lead to catalytic converter failure. Of course, it's a waste of gas too. So, if you get a P0420, fix the problem that created it, or you will be installing another converter in the future too. Yes, there is paperwork for that. Happy Engining. 1

2 From the President John Miller III Nov. 26, 2018 for December Newsletter, Website & Membership Sandy Bigelow (315) Seaway Cruisers Classic Car Club, Inc. ~ Established 1986 ~ PO Box 109 Heuvelton, NY seawaycruisers@yahoo.com President: John Miller III (315) Vice President: Linda Brown (315) OFFICERS November Meeting: Magazine Trade The next meeting will be on Sunday, November 18th at 6:00 p.m. at the Ogdensburg Moose Lodge. Do you have old car magazines that you ve read but have not thrown away? Let s trade old magazines at the November meeting. I think I read more in the winter months and some different car magazines would be good. So, if you have any, bring them to the meeting and trade with other members. Elections are coming up in December and the Officers of President, Vice President and Secretary are willing to serve the club for another year. But, Glory Martel would like to step down as the Club Treasurer. She has done a great job for many years, thank you Glory! I ve not heard from any members yet about taking over this very important club job. If you are thinking about stepping up to help the club, you can call me or Glory to get more information. As the year winds down it will be time to renew our club membership dues of $ Bring magazines to the meeting, John Miller III Secretary: Brandon Baldwin (315) Treasurer: Glory Martel 404 Mansion Avenue Ogdensburg, NY (315) DIRECTORS John Amell (315) Dean Marshall (315) Pat Matthews (315) Mike Hirsch (315) Scott Sutherland (315) Ron Day (315) Frank Howie (315)

3 From the Secretary Brandon Baldwin The October Meeting 10/14/18 was a cruise to Brandon Baldwin's garage where we had a BBQ, and ate between the lift arms. John and Lynn Miller drove the Sunbeam. The meeting ended with Fireball doing a burnout and a leaf drive through the nearby woods. So, here are the minutes: Sandy will be doing the new 2019 Car Show poster. The 1957 Chevy will be the new car on the new poster. There will be changes in the classes, such as creating a new tuner class. But, then we would eliminate the street machine class. We will keep the bicycle class and replace "best bicycle" with 1st-3rd places. Prices will remain the same. We still need an enclosed trailer for all the components of the show. It needs to hold the 10' long poles of the tents. Seems like we need a 12' double axle trailer. We are thinking about getting a few trophy sponsors for the Lisbon Beach Car Show. 11/28/18 will be the model car contest at SUNY Canton at 11am, Nevaldine South 125. Since it is 11am on a Wednesday, if you wish to compete, you can drop your model off early to the Auto lab (Nevaldine South 124) in the days before. 3

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5 Member contributions are a big hit! Please send them in any time. If you need help getting started, use the ideas below. Or find a photo to prompt your story telling. MY FAVORITE TOOL IS BECAUSE ONE DAY WHILE TRAVELING TO FUN FACTS ABOUT (anything automobile related) I NEED HELP WITH 2019 Membership Form Seaway Cruisers Classic Car Club, Inc. Seaway Cruisers Classic Car Club members share an interest in classic or antique automobiles. Annual membership is $15.00 and includes a monthly newsletter! Name Address City, State, Zip Phone # Mobile # I prefer to receive my newsletter via Postal Mail Vehicle(s) you own (Year, Make, Model) Mail this form with a check for $15.00 made payable to Seaway Cruisers Car Club to Glory Martel, Seaway Cruisers Treasurer, 404 Mansion Ave., Ogdensburg, NY My age group is: Contact me about helping at the car show: Registration table Setting up field Tickets at pedestrian gate Parking show cars 50/50 raffle tickets Basket raffle Flea Market/Yard Sale Covering lunch breaks 5

6 Answer to puzzle on page 4 Seaway Cruisers Classic Car Club, Inc. promotes interest in antique, classic and customized vehicles and aids in the restoration, preservation, and enjoyment of these vehicles. The Club is organized exclusively for social and recreational purposes including the increase of communication and fellowship among persons interested in these objectives through social activities. Annual membership is open to anyone who supports the organization s mission and submits an application. Seaway Cruisers Classic Car Club, Inc. PO Box 109 Heuvelton, NY