Will Cataclean Clear the Check Engine Light? Still Believe in Magic?

Cataclean will not clear the check engine light, in most cases, because it's not a magical solution that will clear the old and dead catalytic converter. What's more, the cat converter that is on your dahs doesn't always mean that the problem is with the catalytic converter and buildups in it. The CEL (Check Engine Light) has so many other functions that you'll be surprised to know more about them.

Catalytic converter cleaning additives highlights

• Efficiency:close to zero
• Availability:limited number of products
• Average price: $80
• Way to use:spray into the throttle
• DIY use:yes, butmaybe complicated
• Experts' advice:no positive advice
• Independent testing:negative testing results
• Consequences:damage to a lot of expensive components, no effect on catalytic converter

Also, in this article, I will tell you more about Cataclean and other fuel additives of this type so that you maybe stopped believing in magic and would spend your money wisely.

So, let's get started!

What's Cataclean and what can it do to your car?

Cataclean is a fuel additive that promises you, as you can understand from its name, to clean the catalytic converter. It is claimed to be able to clean the converter from many kinds of buildups and soot. But if you've already read some articles on my blog, you may know that I hate the idea of adding something but some good fuel in the fuel tank, so I'm always super negative about any kind of fuel additives.

And if you just google a little, you will find out that Cataclean consists of propanol, xylene, acetone, and maybe some other solvents. When you add this to your fuel, the temperature of burning goes up and the temperature in your catalytic converter gets slightly higher. But does it mean that the converter will be clean?

Well, if your converter has some soot in it and maybe about 10% of the cat converter is affected by some buildups, this method can help. But you aren't likely to notice any symptoms and to buy Cataclean, in this case. You will most likely buy and use Cataclean when the situation is alarming and the car shows the check engine light, and the converter is clogged as hell.

In this case, Cataclean won't do more good than good old lacquer thinner - if you are an old motorhead like me, you can remember the old method of cleaning cat converters by adding cheap lacquer thinner in your fuel tank. This method also worked pretty badly.

Will Cataclean clear the check engine light?

Trying to clear the check engine light using Cataclean without any proper diagnostics is like trying to cure a running nose by massaging your toes. That sounds like magic!

So, the Cataclean fuel additive can only help you clear the check engine light if this additive somehow cleans the almost dead catalytic converter and the CEL is actually connected to the bad cat converter and poor oxygen sensor readings.

Of course, before trying to deal with the check engine light on your dash using Cataclean or some other fuel additive, you need to diagnose the vehicle properly using your scanner. This will help you understand why the CEL is on and what the car actually needs from you. This is a very clever idea to accomplish before putting any additives into the fuel tank.

O2 sensors are causing the check engine light - will Cataclean help?

Now, we are getting closer to some reasonable actions. If you are sure that the oxygen sensor readings are triggering the check engine light, you may be sure that there are two possible reasons: the sensor itself is faulty and needs replacement, or the catalytic converter is clogged and doesn't do its job. The Cataclean fuel additive will not help you with the sensor but may help you with the converter.

Actually, according to my experience, the check engine light that tells you the cat converter is bad means that the converter can't be saved. You may try to clean it, but it doesn't mean you will succeed.

Given Cataclean can be bought for $30-$50, you can give it a try. But don't expect too much from an additive that resembles lacquer thinner. And in most cases, when the bad converter triggers the check engine light, Cataclean will not help you solve the problem.

Here are the stages of catalytic converter degradation:

• some soot and other buildups inside - no check engine light, the cat works properly;
• more soot, some parts are clogged - no check engine light, slightly changed O2 sensor readings;
• bad clogging but still exhaust gases can come through - CEL is possible but not necessary;
• fatal clogging and destroyed insides - check engine light is on, fog test is impossible to go through.

You may see that the check engine light goes on the dash in the final stage of the life of the catalytic converter. Trying to cure it by raising the temperature inside it doesn't make sense. You will most likely just have to replace the catalytic converter and then sell the old one.

I see no reason why you should spend your money on fuel additives or some other "half-magical" treatment methods that will anyway not help. Better take this money and buy a new aftermarket converter that will cost you more or less the same as a couple of bottles of inefficient additives.

Should I use Cataclean regularly to prevent my converter from clogging?

I wouldn't use this additive regularly because, in my opinion, raising the temperature of burning in the catalytic converter may not help much with cleaning the cat that is clogged. If it isn't clogged, the additive is not needed at all. So, I can see no reason why you should spend your money and risk the health of your fuel injectors.

I know some people who buy different additives like Cataclean yearly before they go to the fog test with their cars. But this doesn't change the way your converter work. If there is no CEL on the dashboard, most likely, your catalytic converter is working properly and can easily pass the fog test, Otherwise, you will need to replace the converter.

So, no, I wouldn't use Cataclean regularly. This seems like a waste of money. But I agree that this additive can help in some situations to clean a very slightly contaminated converter. Though, the additive can also bring some harm.

How can I keep my converter always clean?

Unfortunately, most catalytic converters just die when they reach 10-12 years of age or go about 150,000 miles. After this, cleaning them doesn't make sense because they are almost done. They are not only clogged. The integrity of the ceramic part is questionable, it can fall apart if you do anything else than just driving.

I've read about some common ways to clean a catalytic converter online and I was shocked about how unprofessional those tips are. They all start with "Take your catalytic converter off the car." Have they tried this? You need to be an exhaust shop mechanic to know how you can do this without killing your vehicle's exhaust system.

But here are some tips on how you can drive longer without replacing the cat converter in your car:

• don't ignore minor engine problems like misfiring or bad air-fuel mixture because this can kill the converter;
• always quickly address the problems that trigger the check engine light in your vehicle;
• check the converter's health by checking the O2 sensors' readings with a scanner and analyzing them regularly;
• at about 150,000 miles have the converter inspected by a professional.

Also, you should make sure that your car uses only high-quality and clean fuel. Avoid problems with oil consumption and repair your engine once you see this symptom. If parts of oil get into the converter and then burn there, this causes a lot of problems. Also, when the oil burns in one of the combustion chambers, it sends a lot of soot directly to the converter.

Other than that, you can only replace the catalytic converter when it starts showing problems with efficiency. If you don't do that, you can't pass the next fog test and will have to invest in your car right after that to pass it eventually and make your car legal on the road again.

Final thoughts

So, I believe you got my point about Cataclean and all those kinds of additives. They are efficient in a very limited range of use and they only help when it's not yet too late to save your catalytic converter. But these additives can't save you from the need to replace the cat converter if it's broken or clogged. Also, these additives can't restore the converter to its normal condition.

If you have the check engine light on the dash of your car, you may be sure that the next fog test will be a disaster for you. Cataclean will not help you in this situation and you will most likely have to replace the old and inefficient cat converter with a new one.