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My "gut feeling" is the quickest way to ruin a cataytic converter is to drive hard. Weather and the length of trip may be a factor - short urban trips may be hard too.

Anyone with more than a suspicion know what is good or bad?

Cars that burn oil ruin there cats in short order. I mean mosquito killers.

Lead additives and octane boosters can plug them up.

Alot of quinching cycles will hurt them also. By quinching I mean having them out at there best operating temps and then driving off into a water puddle or hole and splashing water all over them.

My "gut feeling" is the quickest way to ruin a cataytic converter is to drive hard. Weather and the length of trip may be a factor - short urban trips may be hard too.

Anyone with more than a suspicion know what is good or bad?

HI Delta Flyer

The primary failure for a high mileage catalysts is chemical deterioration (phosphorus deposition on the front brick of the catalyst), not thermal deterioration. This decreases its ability to store oxygen and the post oxygen signal begins to switch more rapidly with increasing amplitude like the precatalyst oxygen sensor.

In my opinion, a bad or failed sensor could screw up a catalysts on a temporary basis, but if unrepaired, could cause damage. Driving hard should not be a problem except for a faster phosphorus deposit at the increase RPM over time.

GaryG

Weather and the length of trip may be a factor - short urban trips may be hard too

I've wondered the same thing. I have seen several posts about cat failure on the Insight. It could be an inaccurate diagnosis,damage resulting from a failed o2 sensor, short trips, or hard driving. If the car was driven short trips, I wonder if the purge process would be efficient???? I'm becoming more interested since the mileage on my 00 is steadily climbing. The previous owner had the primary o2 sensor replaced at around 40,000 miles. I've got 145,000 on it now.


Might be a good subject for a poll??

Lotsa good info here. Certainly high fuel sulfur levels could also be a problem, although we are all supposed to be getting low-S fuel now? I have read that it is common practice to thermally cycle the catalyst to remove sulfur, but don't know if the hybrids play that game.

Back in the old days when Prius was 'certified' to different emission levels in different states, the clearest answer I could get had to do with regional differences in fuel S content.

DAS

The speculation on hard driving and weather comes from an infamous story of a 41mpg Insight deep in the Frostbelt. Also, while I'm confident AshenGrey has treated his HCH well, I know he has short commutes and think he had a cat problem (correct me if wrong).

Just go to your local muffler shop with a pair of gloves. You will see cats pluged, rusted and split.

psy

Hi All:

___Not that this will help the discussion but the way the EPA, CARB and the car manufacturers test a CAT’s life is by artificially aging it. They place the CAT in an oven at 700 degrees F for a week or two. I do not know the exact temp or time frame but that is how they test a CAT so as to make sure it will continue to meet the EPA’s and CARB’s 120K and 150K emissions standards.

___Good Luck

___Wayne

Should I be concerned if my O2 sensor is down and needs replacement, but the dealership says it is backordered for almost 2 months? I mean apart from the 5-10% drop in FE, and the loss of EV-assist? :(

Wow. Yeah, that could be a problem. The O2 sensor is how the engine determines the fuel mixture, so it could be running either rich or lean at any given moment. (Probably open-loop and rich, which means more fuel out the tailpipe.) Is there something special about HCH-II oxygen sensors? You might be able to get one at autozone that will work, at least in the interim.

Another question: could driving hard shorten the O2 sensor? Can't prove it, but my suspicious think so. Almost had to replace my O2 sensort at 30,000 miles, but it's been OK since (and I've had a lighter foot).