Catalytic converter?

Tiny
NORM BAUM
  • MEMBER
  • 2005 LINCOLN TOWN CAR
  • 97,000 MILES
What are the socket sizes needed for the two nuts in the front and the two nuts in the rear? Passenger side catalytic converter removal.
Thursday, August 10th, 2017 AT 9:13 PM

10 Replies

Tiny
KEN L
  • MASTER CERTIFIED MECHANIC
  • 42,833 POSTS
Hello,

You will need a 15mm deep well socket for the front and rear. Here are the instructions on how to replace the catalytic converter in the diagrams below. Check out the diagrams (Below). Please let us know if you need anything else to get the problem fixed.
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Monday, August 14th, 2017 AT 10:05 AM
Tiny
IRISHROSE75
  • MEMBER
  • 1 POST
  • 2001 LINCOLN TOWN CAR
When my 82-year-old mother's car overheated, she was told it was the manifold & some other things that had gone bad in her 2001 Lincoln Town Car Cartier. $1600 later, it overheated again. This time, they said it was a bad radiator cap & replaced it for free. Next, it started losing power when she gave it gas. Now they want to replace 4 catalytic converters & 4 oxygen sensors (saying this is probably what caused the manifold to go bad). Does this sound legit? I can't even find out how many cat. Converters her car should have. We're a home of all women and no men, so we're always worried about mechanics ripping us off. Any help would be greatly appreciated!'
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Thursday, October 22nd, 2020 AT 10:15 AM (Merged)
Tiny
CJ MEDEVAC
  • MECHANIC
  • 11,004 POSTS
There is an easy way to test the converts to see if they are the problem this guide will help us

https://www.2carpros.com/articles/how-to-test-a-catalytic-converter

Please run down this guide and report back.
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Thursday, October 22nd, 2020 AT 10:15 AM (Merged)
Tiny
ANGEL25
  • MEMBER
  • 3 POSTS
  • 1996 LINCOLN TOWN CAR
  • V8
  • 2WD
  • AUTOMATIC
  • 136,000 MILES
Hi a week ago I had my catalytic converters replaced but 2 days lter the check engine light keps coming back on with the same code as before I even replaced them. Catalyst efficiency below threshold my question is will emptying out the front cats wich I believe have charcoil will it affect th computer and be triggering the light with the same code again? My o2 sensors are working.
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Thursday, October 22nd, 2020 AT 10:15 AM (Merged)
Tiny
BLACKOP555
  • MECHANIC
  • 10,371 POSTS
Both cats shoudl be replaced with quality ones.

If thats it then theres a issue with the vehicles o2 sensors or wiring. Remember the rear ones use the front o2 sensors as a refrence, if the front ones are bad the rear ones could be also.
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Thursday, October 22nd, 2020 AT 10:15 AM (Merged)
Tiny
ANGEL25
  • MEMBER
  • 3 POSTS
The back 1s where replaced with universal but the front 1s I believe where gutted or for the most part they were, so the front 1s being emptied and the back 1s universal could that be the cause of the check engine light coming back with the same code
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Thursday, October 22nd, 2020 AT 10:15 AM (Merged)
Tiny
BLACKOP555
  • MECHANIC
  • 10,371 POSTS
The front ones were gutted? Thought you said the o2 sensors were working fine!

If the front oens were gutted your vehicle is getting terrible gas mileage no?

How were they gutted? They cant just be gutted and not throw a engine code.
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Thursday, October 22nd, 2020 AT 10:15 AM (Merged)
Tiny
ANGEL25
  • MEMBER
  • 3 POSTS
Yes I guess there the charcoil canisters in front of the cats that were unclogged or gutted and I was getting the same code again I had the new cats replace again with slighlty bigger 1s and the temperature on the cats drop fom 1000 degrees to about 500 so I got the car back n been test driving it I already put 130 miles of test drive to see if the check engine light comess back on so far it hasnt n hopefully it wont. Yes I said the o2 sensors are working.
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Thursday, October 22nd, 2020 AT 10:15 AM (Merged)
Tiny
TJANSTO
  • MEMBER
  • 1 POST
  • LINCOLN TOWN CAR
We have a 1997 towncar, 130k miles on it. The check engine light stays on, and we can't pass emissions test here in middle tennessee. I was going to investigate the viability of repairing them my self, including o2 sensor replacements, if needed. I was looking for opinions on level of difficulty, and what I was fixin' to get into. I had one estimate from a local garage who told me I had 4 catalytic converters on the vehicle, and he thought $1600 would about cover it. He may be correct, but I was wanting other opinions and options.

Thanks in advance,
tom
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Thursday, October 22nd, 2020 AT 10:15 AM (Merged)
Tiny
SERVICE WRITER
  • MECHANIC
  • 9,123 POSTS
You need to pull the codes from the computer, match the code to the troubleshooting procedure, follow the procedure to find the source. Repair the source, light will go out if that was the only problem. There are "monitors" or self tests the computer runs the car through a drive cycle, if a problem occurs, it may not run all of the self tests until that problem is taken care. Therefore, another problem may exist. It is emission related. OR hook up a scanner that is capable of clearing codes, and hope that none are still active.

The " check engine light" is by far one of the most misunderstood technological advances It is a warning light that is illuminated when there is a problem affecting the EMISSIONS of the vehicle. Don't let it bother you as it is a good thing once you understand it. One point that was brought up a recent meeting of technicians was that the amount of hydrocarbons is greater when the gas cap is left off than when the engine is running. Hydrocarbons are part of pollution emitted as gasoline evaporates. Going a step farther, one facet of the emission system is the "Evaporative" portion. This is when the fumes from the gasoline are leaking from the system into the outside air. This is one part of the emission system that can trigger a check engine light. I would say a small percentage of the vehicles that have a check engine light are the result of a loose or inadequate gas cap. But understand that many scenarios are possible with the "check engine light" The vehicle's powertrain computer (note that some vehicles have multiple computers aside from the powertain computer) will run a series of self-tests. They will only run under certain criteria. And they are different from manufacturer to manufacturer. Some self-tests or “monitors” are not run until preceding ones have run successfully. So if there is a problem in one particular area that is preventing another self test from running, you can have a situation where one problem is fixed, but another still exists. If you fix a problem and drive the car through a drive cycle that sets the monitor (or self test) the light will go off as it passes that criteria that triggered it in the first place.
There are many different sources for the light to come on. Anything that caused combustion to fail, commonly called a misfire will set the light. Various sensors such as oxygen sensors that evaluate the exhaust before and after the gases are burned in the converter. Transmission codes may set the check engine light to appear. If the car is running okay, get it fixed in a reasonable amount of time such as within the month. It will probably save you fuel if you do. However if the Check engine light is flashing, you should not be driving it as damage is being done to the converter. Some emission components are covered beyond the standard warranty. The converter for example is covered up to 80,000 miles by the manufacturer.
After 1996, the auto industry went to a idea called OBD II (on board diagnostics). This was to get all the manufacturers onto a similar plane for troubleshooting and powertrain control. While they still differ, many corrections and adaptations were made for technicians to better fix the check engine light problems. Prior to this there were so many different and poor troubleshooting data from a check engine light problem that resolving the problem was much more difficult. Many early warning light of this nature were set to illuminate based on mileage. An Oxygen sensor was one of the things that were meant to be replaced when that mileage was hit. This is much like many current "Change oil lights” that are set based on a pre-set mileage.
To start testing for the check engine light, you’ll need to find the codes from the computer, match the code to the troubleshooting procedure, follow the procedure to find the source. Repair the source, light will go out if that was the only problem. There are "monitors" or self tests the computer runs the car through a drive cycle, if a problem occurs, it may not run all of the self tests until that problem is taken care. There are self-tests for the oxygen sensor circuit, egr system, evaporative system to name a few. Therefore, another problem may exist. It is emission related.

OR hook up a scanner that is capable of clearing codes, and hope that it won’t come back on. But don’t bet on it. Lastly, disconnecting the battery in some cars will clear the memory of the computer and may temporarily turn the light off. Beware that this may also cause other problems such as the car not rembering it’s idle and will have to relearn it, the radio may be rendered inoperative or in the case of the new Toyotas, the air bag can blow.
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Thursday, October 22nd, 2020 AT 10:15 AM (Merged)

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