Ford 5.4 Catalytic Converter Scrap Price – How Much For A Big Cat?

5.4 V8 Triton engine is actually one of the best engines made by Ford. At least, a lot of F-150 truck owners say that. We don't agree that this engine is the best, but we can say it's pretty good and reliable. But today we will mainly speak about the catalytic converter in this engine that you can sell after it starts malfunctioning. And the selling price is going to be quite good.

The big engines have big converters and their scrap price is not bad at all. We know another side of the question - buying a new converter is an expensive thing. But anyway, you can compensate some money when you replace your old converter or want to sell your car to a scrapyard because of damages, high mileage, or some technical problems.

Here's what we are going to talk about today:

1. What is the 5.4 Triton engine and its main advantage?
2. Converters in the 5.4-liter Ford engine.
3. Why are companies buying scrap converters from your Triton?
4. How to sell a cat converter and earn more money?
5. How much is a new catalytic converter for your F-150 truck?

Let's get started!

What about the 5.4 Triton engine in Ford cars?

Mainly, these engines were used in Ford F-150 trucks, but not exclusively. The V8 engines are quite reliable and can go around 200 000 miles with no major problems. But it's not that much for a V8, you should think. Right, the engines have quite a lot of minor problems that make it hard to maintain the engine when it's aging.

Here are some problems that can happen with your unit:

• all the time, your ignition coils are becoming faulty and kill the spark plugs making it hard to drive your truck efficiently;
• fuel pumps show big problems and actually don't live long enough;
• the timing chain is not very long-lasting and it can make problems such as slipping of the chain and problems with timing and valves;
• head gasket may leak - this will create one more problem, your coolant will mix with the engine oil.

Also, catalytic converters don't live long enough. Sometimes people report that they have to replace them at around 100 000 miles which is ridiculous for such a big engine. Unfortunately, it's not only ridiculous but also extremely expensive. The 5.4 Triton engine has two converters - one is placed in the front part and the other is in the rear part of the vehicle. Each converter costs around $1000 if you buy an aftermarket part, and around $1700-$2000 if you want an original part.

Also, consider some money for labor and you will see that replacing the converter may be one of the most expensive types of repair for your vehicle. So, how can you get some money back? Easily!

What's the scrap price of a catalytic converter in Ford 5.4?

The scrap value of one converter taken from your Ford 5.4 Triton engine is from $200 to $700 depending on the condition and year of the cat. The problem to say a more specific price comes from numerous factors. For example, one of the problems is that some converters are in good condition while others have a damaged honeycomb.

Also, in different years Ford included different types and amounts of precious materials in their cat converters. That's important because the company that will buy your converter doesn't just make the collection of used cats in their warehouses. They want to get some metals out and earn some money. So, now we know that the price of a scrap converter may vary. And in the next parts of the article, we'll tell you how to sell your old cat at a better price.

Why do companies buy your old converters?

Sometimes car owners just get surprised when they understand that their old and shabby truck may cost less than the two converters that it has. The reason why so many businesses want to buy your converters is that it has some precious metals inside. These are rhodium, palladium, and platinum. In total, up to 20 grams of precious metals are used when they produce a single catalytic converter.

The prices for them are as follows:

• platinum is $34 per 1 gram;
• palladium is $80 per one gram;
• rhodium is $646 per one gram.

You may find up to 7 grams of palladium, up to 7 grams of platinum, and also up to 2 grams of rhodium in a single catalytic converter that is used for a 5.4 Triton engine. This allows scrapyards to mine precious metals from a converter that are worth around $1400, sometimes even more. V8 5.4-liter engines in Ford vehicles use big converters with even more precious metals inside which is pretty good for people who want to sell the cats.

But many people will sell the converters for just $50 to $90 because they just don't know how to sell them at a better price. Avoid losing money when you have an old converter in your possession!

Here's how you can sell your old scrap cat at a good price

For selling your converter, you will have a couple of options. The most obvious ones are the following: to sell it to your service station or to sell it to a scrapyard near you. It's the cheapest way to get rid of a converter, but you are likely to get around $20-$90 for this. Not a very good deal, we would say.

Then, you can find a person who buys the old converters. This person is a middleman, he or she will pay you about $100-$150 for an old converter taken from the 5.4-liter Ford engine. This is a better choice, but still, you aren't likely to be satisfied with the amount of money you can get.

Also, you can sell your scrap cat converter online. Here's how:

1. Google where you can sell the scrap cat. Find websites that offer you online applications for selling your converter.
2. Then take pictures of the cat. Be careful - you should take pictures from different sides so that they could see the condition of the cat. Also, take a picture of a serial number.
3. After that, you can apply online. Attach the pictures you have taken and write some words about the condition of your converter.
4. Wait until the companies offer you a certain amount of money for your old cat. You should apply to at least 3 or 4 companies for better results.
5. Then just compare the offers you have and choose a company that offers you more money for the Triton converters.

This may allow you to sell your old converters at the maximum possible price. Sometimes people manage to get as much as $700 for the converters that are installed in Ford Triton engines. And this is not bad at all. This covers half of the price of a new aftermarket converter for your car.

Of course, in most cases, you will not be that lucky to have $700 offers, but everything may happen. The more companies you find, the more chances for a better price offer.

One more way to sell your old converter

You may also try to sell your converter privately. You may have seen people at eBay selling their rusty catalytic converters. This way, you may get around $500-$600 for your old converters. This is not bad at all. The best part is that you decide by yourself which price you want to get.

Here are some tips to get even more money:

• first, take more pictures - just show the potential buyers what you have there;
• take pictures of the honeycomb from one side of the converter, this will show that the most precious part is there;
• write about the mileage of your cat converter to advertise the thing;
• place it for online auction and try to make even more money.

Some people will want to buy a converter to take the precious metals out and then sell them. For example, a person may have some kind of workshop with optimal conditions for working with metals. He or she will buy your old converter, melt all materials that he or she doesn't need, and take the precious metals. Then this person may sell the metals to some companies and make money. Usually, they can make twice as much as they spent on the converter. But sometimes their revenues aren't that good.

Final words

As you see, the catalytic converters installed at your Ford 5.4 Triton V8 engine may cost some money. You can sell them to a scrapyard, online, or even through private ads at eBay or something. Selling the converter is not hard at all, so if you have one in your garage and you always stumble over it when you are in a hurry, just get rid of it and get some money.

If you follow some tips in this article, you will be able to get more money for your old catalytic converter. Also, now you know approximately how much it actually costs, it will be hard for buyers to deceive you.