catalytic converter replacement likely cost

[gwh18]

Following on from my earlier post regards MOT failure due to emission's. My friend's no informed me that the garage ' might' need a new catalytic converter. Like the word might!, explains the high MOT repair cost though. Can any one advise on how long this job should take if did by a garage. Is it some thing a semi-competent home mechanic could do? I'm thinking that as the engine has only been in the car just over two years so the bolts won't be seized on. Also where is the best source of a new catalytic converter? Preferably a good after market one as this is budget repai,r as new baby forces my friend to be looking at sensible estate's, so would probably be looking towards a trade in once MOT. I trawled the forum but couldn't find anything relevanr apart from scarey vw prices. Thanks in advance

[Hex69]

I presume it's a petrol Golf? If so I had a cat replaced on my Passat about 5 years ago for £188 all in , parts, labour and VAT, so I can't see it being much different for a Golf.

HTH.

[Crasher]

As Hex says we need to know the cars year and engine type code. I am extremely suspicious of garages saying people need a new cat as I only fit about two a year, VAG genuine cats are incredibly reliable and rarely fail and if they do it is for a reason. This begs another question, what has caused the cat to fail? If it is dead and the problem is not rectified then a new non genuine cat will fail very quickly and will not be covered under warranty. It is extremely important when installing a new cat to establish why the cat has failed before fitting a new one.

[gwh18]

Not got the engine code yet, but it is a 1999 mk4 golf petrol 1.4. I found the emission list reproduced below. i've never had a car with a catalyst converter so it means nothing to me. On the sheet it looks like they did the test twice (excuse my ignorance)
[B]
Fast idle test: limits Actual value Result
Engine speed 2450-3050pm Manual check Pass
CO <=0.300% 0.638% Fail
HC <= 200pm 139 ppm Pass
lambda 0.970-1.030 1.097 Fail

Fast idle test le test failed
Engine speed 2450-3050 rpm manual check Pass
CO <= 0.3000% 0.169% Pass
HC <= 200ppm 71ppm Pass
lambda 0.970-1.030 1.049 Fail

Natural idle test

Engine speed 600-900rpm manual check pass
CO <= 0.500% 0.088% pass

Overall Result Exhaust Failed



Am I right in thinking it almost passed the second time? If the limit for the lambda is 1..030 is 1.049 a big failure and is a new catalyst the only cure to get the emissions? Excuse my ignorance, all help and advice recieved greatly

Regards

[Crasher]

If I had that in I would give it a code read first. If nothing was stored I would put a bottle of Cataclean in (http://www.cataclean.com), take it for a good run and get it thoroughly hot and represent for the test.

[gwh18]

Cheers Crasher, cataclean bought and will give it a go. Anything else that could bring the emission down? Is a change of oil, plugs airfilter old wifes tale? Rear springs have been bought and will be changed over the weekend, but after that I'n a 10 day straight shift, so retest will not be organised till after that. I'll post again with the results. Cheers with the help.

[Crasher]

Your car will have an AHW engine and so a set of plugs and leads would not be a bad idea. The leads from VW (part number 036 905 409 K) are expensive at £69 and universal ones tend to be rubbish so I suggest you get some from GSF as they are good quality. I looked the number up and both the application by car and the VW number cross reference to come up as GSF number 926VG0260 (£35.52). The VW number for the plugs is 101 000 033 AA and this is specifically an NGK BKUR6ET-10 (£3.86 ) and this is what we use but VW also list an economy plug JZW905603D which they state as being a Beru. The Beru cross reference for the normal VW part number is 14 FGH-7 DTURX (£2,87) and I rather like Beru plugs, they never give me any trouble. You could also consider the Bosch FR 7 LD+ and FR 7 LDC+ (£3.31).

[Mikeinho]

Some good suggestions here, but here's one that's a cheap fix...

Run the fuel tank down until the fuel warning light comes on (don't run it dry though). Go to a good petrol station (I recommend Shell), and brim the tank with PREMIUM unleaded. Then go for a 30 min drive at motorway speed, but leave it in 3rd gear and rev the nuts off it for a good long while. Might sound a bit mental, but if you have a dirty cat, this should burn off any crap inside the cat and improve your emissions result.

If that doesn't work, then you could have an issue with dirty sparks, dodgy HT leads, or faulty MAF or O2 sensors. Has this car got a MAF? Maybe not. Anyway, all of these methods are cheaper than going for a new cat, and if it turns out to be the cat, then at least the engine will run like a dream once it's been sorted. If you have a engine management light on, get it checked as it will give you a clue as to where the issue lies.

Also, check to make sure someone hasn't stuck a banana up your tailpipe... a common fault in mid-eighties Hollywood blockbuster movies.

If you need to replace the cat, see here for a cheap cat off eBay...

Mk4 Golf 1.4

[gwh18]

Thanks for the tips I will attempt to implement, once the starting issue (another question) has been resolved