When I go to the 4S store for maintenance, when I get to 20,000 kilometers, I am often recommended to do a project, that is, three-way catalytic cleaning. Told the importance of three-way catalysis, all cars need to be cleaned regularly, so many car owners will believe and choose to clean, the cost is about two or three hundred yuan, and it is also dismantled and cleaned, and it can be cleaned in ten minutes. So what is the function of three-way catalysis? Does it need to be cleaned regularly? Today we will talk about this problem.
The three-way catalytic is installed on the exhaust pipe, which is part of the exhaust system, and it is shaped like a honeycomb-shaped, densely packed small hole, with a diameter of about 1 mm, through which the exhaust gas is discharged. Its main components are platinum, rhodium, palladium and other precious metals, so it is more expensive to replace a new three-way catalytic, even if a bad three-way catalytic is available because of these precious metals in it, it can be sold for a good price. The working principle of the three-way catalytic converter is to use the activity of the catalyst to make the harmful gas in the exhaust gas react with the oxygen in the air, so as to achieve the purpose of purifying the exhaust gas. It converts the three main harmful gases: carbon monoxide, hydrocarbons and nitrogen oxides into relatively harmless carbon dioxide, water and nitrogen. In this way, it can reduce the pollution of automobile exhaust to the environment, and at the same time, it can also meet the environmental protection requirements, and the car can be successfully passed.
Because the three-way catalytic converter will continue to adsorb and accumulate impurities and sediments in the exhaust gas in the process of purifying the tail gas, such as carbon deposits, sulfides, etc. Over time, these deposits can gradually clog the catalytic converter's channels, reduce the catalytic efficiency, and even cause the catalytic converter to fail, at which point it is time to clean the three-way catalytic. It can be seen that the three-way catalysis needs to be cleaned, but it is not periodic, and it does not have a fixed number of kilometers.
For cleaning projects, such as cleaning throttle valves, fuel injectors, etc., only dirty ones need to be washed, and there is no fixed number of kilometers. Everyone's car environment is different, and the number of dirty kilometers will vary greatly. The three-way catalysis also needs to be cleaned only when it is dirty, and it does not need to be cleaned if it is not dirty. The three-way catalysis is in the exhaust pipe, and it is impossible to see what is inside with the naked eye, nor can it be seen with an instrument, and even through testing, it cannot be detected whether it is dirty. So as to whether it is dirty or not, we can only rely on guessing, thinking that this kilometer should be dirty, then wash it, after all, it is not visible and touchable.
When can we clearly know that it is time to clean? That is, when the engine fault light is on, and the fault code reported is when the three-way catalytic efficiency is low, it means that the three-way catalysis at this time has reached the limit and no longer works, so it must be cleaned. The general maintenance plant is a no-dismantling cleaning method, commonly known as hanging bottles for cars. When it comes to low efficiency, disposable cleaning may not work, and it needs to be dismantled. Remove the three-way catalysis and soak it with oxalic acid to clean it, which is slightly more troublesome. If it still doesn't work, then the three-way catalysis needs to be replaced.
Therefore, if the three-way catalysis is not washed for a long time, it may lead to low three-way catalytic efficiency and damage. The price is high if it needs to be replaced. If it is not replaced, the exhaust gas will not pass the test first, because it can no longer convert harmful gases. Secondly, if it is dirty, it will also affect the power of the vehicle. The power will drop significantly, no matter how you step on the accelerator, the speed of the engine can not be raised, more than 2000 rpm, at this time it can no longer drive normally, must be replaced.
How to avoid three-way catalytic damage caused by long-term non-washing? There are two aspects to pay attention to: First, do not be greedy for cheap gasoline and poor quality gasoline. The most important influencing factor of the length of the three-way catalytic life is the quality of gasoline, as long as there is no problem with the quality of gasoline, it will basically not be dirty, and it will not be bad for life without cleaning. In reality, there is a car that has not been cleaned for life, and there is no problem with it. Of course, if there is a problem with the quality of gasoline, it may be bad for 20,000 or 30,000 kilometers, and the sulfide in gasoline will have a fatal effect on it. Therefore, it is best not to be greedy for cheap, but to go to a regular gas station to refuel. If you often add oil that is not of good quality, it is necessary to wash it regularly.
If you don't know how the oil is added, you still want to ensure the life of the three-way catalysis, and when you reach a certain number of kilometers, you need to clean the three-way catalysis. Generally, forty or fifty thousand kilometers can be cleaned once, and the frequency does not need to be too high. Of course, it is also related to the way you use the car, for example, you can extend the cleaning time if you often run high-speed cars, often walk in traffic jams, often drive at low speeds, and use cars for short distances, you can appropriately shorten the cleaning cycle.