Catalytic converter flush

[DrewQ45]

Came across this article... it's a year old... Question is...how the heck do you get it to the wash, cut it out?

Lemon juice chemical refreshes car exhaust.

The age-old household tip that lemon juice makes for a great cleaning agent has found new use in the garage.

Researchers have found that a simple wash of citric acid can spruce up exhausted catalytic converters in diesel-powered cars, renewing their pollution-busting properties.

In diesel engines, catalytic converters contain a honeycomb of platinum that cleans up exhaust gases by turning poisonous carbon monoxide and unburned hydrocarbons into more benign carbon dioxide. This breaks down molecules that could contribute to smog.

But sulphur in the fuel and phosphorus from anti-wear oil additives can gum up a converter and prevent it from working. Researchers have tried various methods to clean them out in the past, mostly involving strong acids. But while these often do a good job of wiping away the gunk, they also tend to eat away at the valuable platinum.

Now scientists from the Institute of Catalysis and Petrochemistry in Madrid, Spain, have found that a dilute solution of citric acid can wash out the catalyst killers without damaging the platinum. When tested on a simulated stream of exhaust gases, the cleaned-up catalysts were as good as new, the team reports online in Environmental Science and Technology.

Catalytic comeback

The citric acid - which was produced industrially rather than by squeezing lemons - removed up to 82% of the phosphorus and about 90% of the sulphur from a catalyst that had been used for 48,000 kilometres of driving in a diesel-fuelled car. The wash cycle took six hours at 80 °C.

Entire article here... http://www.bioedonline.org/news/news.cfm?art=1737

[CrimsonQ]

If i had to cut em out to clean, Id just leave em out!

[Infinitiguy19]

Q45tech can you please tell us if there any truth behind this?

[maxnix]

Q45tech can you please tell us if there any truth behind this?

[unknown007]

Let's all cut them out!!!The go straight pipes and go for a 50 state cruise. Imagine how many tickets we'd get just in CA compared to the 49 states?hahaha

Hope this isn't a Myth.

[qship96]

I can see the meeting at BG headquarters, discussing their latest profit making catalytic converter flush machine, the sux1000-

" In 5 minutes, the tech connects the special hose adaptors to the 02 sensor bungs and the tailpipes, then the special patented flush chemical is circulated through the entire exhaust system, removing damaging particulates and sludge from convertors, mufflers, pipes and even the clamps, your exhaust system is left sparkling clean and restored to new"

A year later, Brian and I are found here on Nico constantly debating the difference between performing simple multiple drain/fills of the exhaust system VS a full machine flush of the exhaust!!!!!!!!

[maxnix]

Then Andy will come along and tell us how he flushes them by urinating through the EGR tube.

[MinisterofDOOM]

Then Andy will come along and tell us how he flushes them by urinating through the EGR tube.

Hey, ammonia is an excellent catalyst for reducing NOx. Drink lots of lemon juice and you've got yourself a low-cost delivery system.

[Q45tech]

Obviously a contaminated cat is purely the result of owner/operators failure to analyse each potential refill of gasoline prior to filling his tank.

The whinners would require the vehicle manufacture to PROTECT against the defect of some independent petroleum refiner or tankfarm. An impossible task to IMAGINE and COMPENSATE for the ten of thousands of variations that can occur in gasoline.

The government does require that new vehicle cats be warrantied to last 8 years or 80,000 miles:http://www.epa.gov/oms/consumer/warr95fs.txt

[maxnix]

Hey, ammonia is an excellent catalyst for reducing NOx. Drink lots of lemon juice and you've got yourself a low-cost delivery system.

Andy, his teeth eroded to the roots by excess acetic acid consumption and suffering from terminal ketosis, then converts another salvaged VH41DE to operate on biofuels by JB Welding the spark plug holes closed and removing the TB.

Immediately modifies the car with in-cabin catheter to feed catalytic converters directly and installs 8 big slurpy cup holders for cross country runs.

[qship96]

Then Andy sells his urea contaminated $10 Q to homefries who immediatly puts 36 inch khrome spinning wheels made of recycled lead and kumblo maypops on and ignores the mandatory 30,000 mile blinker fluid flushes and ends up with just another lawn ornament.

[Q451990]

[bullittandy]

Then Andy will come along and tell us how he flushes them by urinating through the EGR tube.

I tried to do that but my EGR tube is clogged b/c I won't take your advice and clean it.

[94Q45Beast]

so how would you use lemon juice to clean the cats?, mines are partially plugged.