2013 F150 5.0 burning through catalytic converters
05-27-2019, 06:45 PM
#1
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2013 F150 5.0 burning through catalytic converters
My girlfriend has a 2013 F150 5.0 with around 100,000 miles on it that has burnt through 3 sets of cats now. The first one burnt up bad enough to destroy the insides and cause a rattle which led to a misfire. She took it into a shop and had them weld on aftermarket cats and replace her spark plugs. Engine light and misfire gone!
A few thousand miles later and the engine light comes back on, diagnostics says catalytic inefficiency. Shop says they are plugged and need replacing. She has them replaced with rebuilt OEM cats and they fix a vacuum leak. Now the engine light is gone but the gas mileage is terrible and she says it's down on power, struggles to climb hills. She also states that the truck seems to struggle more as it warms up.
A few thousand miles later and guess what, engine light back on and Ford dealer is saying that she needs to replace the cats because they are on their way out. We are both struggling to find the underlying issue and running out of money (cats aren't cheap).
I will list the tests that several shops have ran on the truck so far and has passed: compression, fuel pressure checked at injectors, timing, fuel pump. No one can seem to find the issue and Fords solution is for her to drop another 3k on factory cats with no certainty that they won't also implode within a few thousand miles.
I may be missing some of the test done but does anyone know what it could be? We are at our wits end and draining our bank accounts. Any advice or what to look for would be really appreciated!
A few thousand miles later and the engine light comes back on, diagnostics says catalytic inefficiency. Shop says they are plugged and need replacing. She has them replaced with rebuilt OEM cats and they fix a vacuum leak. Now the engine light is gone but the gas mileage is terrible and she says it's down on power, struggles to climb hills. She also states that the truck seems to struggle more as it warms up.
A few thousand miles later and guess what, engine light back on and Ford dealer is saying that she needs to replace the cats because they are on their way out. We are both struggling to find the underlying issue and running out of money (cats aren't cheap).
I will list the tests that several shops have ran on the truck so far and has passed: compression, fuel pressure checked at injectors, timing, fuel pump. No one can seem to find the issue and Fords solution is for her to drop another 3k on factory cats with no certainty that they won't also implode within a few thousand miles.
I may be missing some of the test done but does anyone know what it could be? We are at our wits end and draining our bank accounts. Any advice or what to look for would be really appreciated!
05-27-2019, 07:55 PM
#2
That sucks!
When you replaced the cats, did you get any kind of feedback on how they looked? The three things i usually hear about killing cats earlier are oil blow by, heat, and fuel.
When you replaced the cats, did you get any kind of feedback on how they looked? The three things i usually hear about killing cats earlier are oil blow by, heat, and fuel.
05-27-2019, 08:27 PM
#3
How many miles did you get out of the stock cats? I figure at least 80k miles because that's what they are warranted for.
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06-04-2019, 04:13 AM
#4
Are you located in emissions testing areas? If not, throw on a catless y-pipe or hollow out the stock cats to see if the power loss and other issues are related to clogged cats. The high flow cats will almost always throw a trouble code after awhile to cat efficiency, doesn't necessarily mean they were clogged. Did the truck drive ok with the high flow cats?
So I have a theory. Stock cat comes apart for reasons unknown, but likely due to a small unnoticed misfire (which cooks cats), or just random bad luck. The aftermarket cats will throw a low efficiency code because they are cheap aftermarket cats and that is what they do (this was not actually a problem, just what happens with cheap cats). The shop then throws on a set of used "oem" cats, which are probably bad to begin with.
Assuming the second shop didn't scam you, and the truck is actually killing cats, then lets look at our options. Cats get killed by heat, and they get hot for several reasons, including misfires, stuck injectors, bad coils, etc. Oil contamination can also kill cats, so blow-by through the rings of valve seals could contaminate and kill a cat. I'd check the coils and also check for oil consumption. Also monitor for misfire codes BEFORE signs of symptoms of cat failure.
So I have a theory. Stock cat comes apart for reasons unknown, but likely due to a small unnoticed misfire (which cooks cats), or just random bad luck. The aftermarket cats will throw a low efficiency code because they are cheap aftermarket cats and that is what they do (this was not actually a problem, just what happens with cheap cats). The shop then throws on a set of used "oem" cats, which are probably bad to begin with.
Assuming the second shop didn't scam you, and the truck is actually killing cats, then lets look at our options. Cats get killed by heat, and they get hot for several reasons, including misfires, stuck injectors, bad coils, etc. Oil contamination can also kill cats, so blow-by through the rings of valve seals could contaminate and kill a cat. I'd check the coils and also check for oil consumption. Also monitor for misfire codes BEFORE signs of symptoms of cat failure.
06-04-2019, 06:52 AM
#5
Senior Member
The cat. should darn near last the life of the vehicle in a properly running engine. If your are indeed bad, it is a victim of a poorly running engine. That needs to be resolved. Fuel trims would be a start.