I tip my metaphorical hat to you sir... you cover some heavy topics but i can keep up with every single one. This is what youtube was built for... sharing knowledge. Cant thank you enough
Still watching 5 years later! Thank you so much for you awesome work ! You’re my partner during my exam haha, it helps a lot thanks to your simplicity and your clearness. Hope your passion and imagination to prepare great subjects will never end :D
Oxygen alone is fairly dangerous so this isn't too common to do. It's safer to use it as a molecule with N2O which keeps the oxygen from igniting until it has split from the two nitrogen atoms.
@EngineeringExplained Your videos have helped me so much. I started watching your videos a couple days ago and am almost done with them all. I am currently a sophomore in mechanical engineering and have always liked cars. Your videos have made me want to explore cars more in-depth. Thanks again!
It's the carbon in the exhaust, which hasn't been filtered out. Modern diesels typically will have DPFs (diesel particulate filters) which will almost eliminate this.
Great to hear! Some of it is still a little voodoo to me. I don't fully understand the attraction between the catalyst and the molecules. Obviously it has to do with the electron cloud; but I don't enjoy chemistry enough to continue to dive deeper.
Typically they last the life of the vehicle, but you'll know upon your car inspection whether or not. If you do have to replace it, it can be as simple as unbolting and putting the new one in; sometimes it will require some welding.
The engine block itself shouldn't be getting that ridiculously hot, as it has ports flowing through with coolant that try to keep the temperature somewhere around 200 degrees F (coolant temp). So I don't think water getting on the block would be a huge concern (obviously it happens when it rains or you dive through a puddle. That said, I wouldn't simply dump a bucket of water in it; and driving through deep water can cause countless problems.
I know this is 10 years old. Love coming across this content. Fantastic. Nice to witness smart, well educated young people on the internet. Great job young man! Excellent presentation. It would be interesting to know what you are doing with your career and education these days. Thank you
Certainly both technologies need to evolve and improve over time; catalytic converters are not 100% efficient, so keeping the engine efficient is important too. Also, catalytic converters cannot eliminate CO2.
Well hopefully this video illustrated the reason. If the water condenses (water is a product of combustion) you may see it drip out the back of the exhaust.
Excellent video on the chemical interaction with the catalyst + the two types of catalysts in a converter. I love watching your videos! Thanks for sharing.
Great video, I haven't been able to find a single other explanation of cats other than that they burn off the harmful gases. Which raised way more questions than answers for me. Thank you for going into just a little bit of detail so I can understand the core principles of how these things worked. Everybody else just made it sound like Voodoo.
Well done. Nice explanation, overview and graphics. Basic stuff, but what I needed. I think it would help to have taken basic chemistry to appreciate and absorb the information presented. As far as I can tell the chemistry is spot on but simplified. Thanks!
I've been a partner for over a year. In fact, anyone can be a partner now; but I applied before April of 2012 where you still had to be accepted into the program.
It is India. We are still in Euro 3 standard. They say it is one of the features of Euro 3. I have heard someone saying that the oxygen provision is merely to dilute the exhaust gases so that there will be less harmful gases per unit volume. So it does not help to reduce harmful gases instead it just fools around. But I think it does some job of burning the exess fuel as you said.
This is why if you are failing your vehicle inspection due to emissions they will sometimes tell you to go for a long drive then try again, because the catalytic converter will be more efficient once it has warmed up due to you driving it around a lot
Should be awesome that you can post videos on Twin Charge systems like in VAG, or Launch control, or MSD ignition systems, or variable geometry turbos, or KERS, or Regenerative Braking.... also if you can talk about the new regulations for F1 next year on turbo engines... Nice Channel keep up the good work!
Can you explain how to calculate the unburned fuel in the exhaust? I've watched your O2 sensor and exhaust videos and don't see that detail... Specifically I'm looking to find out how much of the fuel was not burned in the engine (pre cat). I'm certain there is some way by using the CO and CxHx. Can you help me or point me in a direction where I can find the answer?
Well, not trying to make you feel stupid haha, but do a quick search on my channel for "rotary" and you should find it. Or simply "rotary engine - explained" in the YT search bar. No worries, I'd rather already have a video on it than not! :)
Thats cool and all, thanks for the explain, BUT what I don't see SULPHUR / SO/SO2..etc on your white board, and its Nasty rotten egg, or the"fart" smell from whenever someone mashes on the accelerator to much. So where does that nasty smell come from, AND exactly HOW is that "cleaner"??
You should talk about how the 02 sensors work on all this. Is it true, that the ECU will send more fuel, so that unburnt fuel will make it to the CAT? Also, how does the alcohol play into all this? They did not have it in the fuel when they mandated all these CATs. Are we wasting fuel, in order to try and "clean-up" the exhaust? How much cleaner would our exhaust be if we did not throw waste crank case oil, back into the intake?
Does lacquer thinner in gas tank can clean the catalytic converter without damage to the hoses or rubber components? I have the code P0420 on my 2001 Chevy Monte Carlo
Thanks for the episode! I have a new car model (about 2017) working on diesel and a semi-open garage (I mean there is a ceiling that covers two-thirds of the car but not all the car, three walls but there is no door in the entry, and instead 2,5 meters of fresh air). Can carbon monoxide still be dangerous if the car's motor remains on, or is it safe even if I forget to put it off and stay inside the garage??
I found this to be simplified in a good way, yet very informative. Simplified explanation goes a long way in theory retention. Do you have anything on EGR cooler and it’s function? Thanks 😊
Hi. Would you agree that the stuff entering the catalytic converter is on some level still could be called by name fuel? Does not matter what grade but would it be in your world a fuel?
I have a generic cat converter with no directional arrow to show me which way to install it on vehicle. Is there a way to know which is the reduction side and which is the oxidation side. There is an opening for an oxygen sensor but it has a plug in it as my sensor is on the exhaust manifold itself. The vehicle is a 95 geo tracker with a 1.6 16 valve engine
At 1:23 you said the nitric oxide bonds weren't as strong as the bonds with oxygen and the catalysts. What exactly do you mean by this? I know the electronegativity can't be as high in those bonds so what physical mechanisms are occurring that cause this? I've taken a couple of college level chemistry courses and I'm about to take organic chem. What you spoke about here is what we are about to go over in class and I was hoping you could give me a good explanation of a real life example. Thank you and you do have amazing videos.
I keep seeing these videos about using a spark plug non fouled to "trick" the CPU to not kick a Check/Service engine light when removing the catalytic converters. Is this a valid method? The vehicle in question is a 2014 2SS Camaro. Thanks.
Question on the placement of catalytic converters. Say i wanted my car to shoot flames without removing my catalytic converter all together. But instead move it to the very end of the exhaust system. Would that still be street legal if the rest of the piping is there and fully sealed? What are your thoughts on this idea. Otherwise im ditching the cat for a spark plug at the tailpipe
Do you have a video on the O2 sensor that's before and after the Cat? If not can you make one? I do have an idea from their name but to know exactly how they work and sync with other parts would be nice. Thanks for another great video, please keep it up. Learning a lot!
I have seen in some motorbikes that there will be a supply of oxygen from intake manifold to catalytic converter. Is it to increase the oxydation process?
Hi Jason, What are the benefits of having two catalytic converters in a car? Is it to increase longevity of the catalytic converters or to increase efficiency of the catalytic converters?
Although this may seem like a silly question, Im still curious...Does a cat cause much back pressure (Perhaps even enough to restrict some exhaust gases from leaving the cylinder during the exhaust stroke)? Would a car be more powerful without one or is the affect it causes so little it wouldn't make a difference?
hey, how many catalytic converter does 2003 honda accord v6 have? i think it's california emission because it said on the hood. And how do i find the exact part? is there like a part number?
A few technical questions here. If that first reduction stage is for removing NOx emissions, why do some diesel engines require diesel exhaust fluid to remove these emissions? Similarly, you probably remember when Volkswagen got into trouble with software that tricked emissions test results, so that in normal everyday use the engine could burn leaner and more fuel efficient, but more NOx emissions. Doesn't the reduction stage get rid of those emissions?
You can't use this type of catalytic converter in a Diesel. A 3-way catalytic converter requires a nearly stochiometric air-fuelratio to work. A Diesel runs lean most of the time which makes the whole exhaust aftertreatment a lot more complex.
my skoda cotavia petrol car failed test because of CO 0.60 VOL%, i need to bring down to 0.20% CO level to pass retest. what should to be done?plz help me
what would happen if I removed the catalytic converter from the car and fed a mixture of steam (water vapor) and carbon monoxide through it? Would the palladium catalyst facilitate the water gas shift reaction where the output would be hydrogen and carbon dioxide?
Bro can you help me and pls make a video on how to get rid of burst smell when accelarating hard im from philippines and i have a geely azkarra my problem is when im trying to accelerate or pushing hard on accelerator o smell something like chemicals inside the cabin i tried to search this online and people are saying that its the sulfur in catalytic converter how can i get rid of this smell and i never ever experienced this kind of smell with my old cars even i push the accelerator to the floor. Pls help.
I removed my catalytic converter on my motorcycle, as a result I can feel a lot more power but also a lot of backfires happen every time I decelerate. Is that normal? Is that dangerous? Would there be any bad effects on my bike?
Sorry for all of the comments your video are really interesting! I've got a MS in physics and I'm still learning stuff (I guess I have mostly theoretical training). I'm interesting in automotive engineering and I want to take your advice about applying to an engineering program and writing a thesis. Do you think something around active torque vectoring using a hybrid system would be interesting ? Think the new NSX concept. I would like to do this as a project someday.
I tip my metaphorical hat to you sir... you cover some heavy topics but i can keep up with every single one. This is what youtube was built for... sharing knowledge. Cant thank you enough
Your vids truly are a blessing, I watch at least one of your videos every day knowing I learned something new.
Thanks for watching so frequently, glad you enjoy them!
Engineering Explained your videos have helped me significantly at my job at AutoZone. Can’t thank you enough!
Still watching 5 years later! Thank you so much for you awesome work ! You’re my partner during my exam haha, it helps a lot thanks to your simplicity and your clearness. Hope your passion and imagination to prepare great subjects will never end :D
You're very welcome, thank you for watching!
Man I am working on my Master degree in ME and your videos help me so much
You may be interested in my videos on rotational inertia. Aside from that I don't have much to say about rims.
Oxygen alone is fairly dangerous so this isn't too common to do. It's safer to use it as a molecule with N2O which keeps the oxygen from igniting until it has split from the two nitrogen atoms.
Downforce, for higher cornering speeds/traction. Check out my video "front wing" which goes into a bit of detail of aero in F1 racing.
@EngineeringExplained Your videos have helped me so much. I started watching your videos a couple days ago and am almost done with them all. I am currently a sophomore in mechanical engineering and have always liked cars. Your videos have made me want to explore cars more in-depth. Thanks again!
It's the carbon in the exhaust, which hasn't been filtered out. Modern diesels typically will have DPFs (diesel particulate filters) which will almost eliminate this.
Great to hear! Some of it is still a little voodoo to me. I don't fully understand the attraction between the catalyst and the molecules. Obviously it has to do with the electron cloud; but I don't enjoy chemistry enough to continue to dive deeper.
Typically they last the life of the vehicle, but you'll know upon your car inspection whether or not. If you do have to replace it, it can be as simple as unbolting and putting the new one in; sometimes it will require some welding.
Great job! This is the best explanation I have found on youtube.
Thanks!
Your videos are far better than that guy who thinks he's a comedian. I appreciate presentations that get straight to the point.
Great explanation. I've seen inside a catalytic converter, and have always been curious as to how it works exactly.
The engine block itself shouldn't be getting that ridiculously hot, as it has ports flowing through with coolant that try to keep the temperature somewhere around 200 degrees F (coolant temp). So I don't think water getting on the block would be a huge concern (obviously it happens when it rains or you dive through a puddle. That said, I wouldn't simply dump a bucket of water in it; and driving through deep water can cause countless problems.
I know this is 10 years old. Love coming across this content. Fantastic. Nice to witness smart, well educated young people on the internet. Great job young man! Excellent presentation. It would be interesting to know what you are doing with your career and education these days. Thank you
I've got a video on KERS, regen braking pending. I also do want to do a video on the new F1 engines eventually.
Thousands of tiny little ducks, you say....
Glad the video quality and explanations improved over time.
This is a great video man. Needed to learn how they worked fast and this helped so much. Thank you.
+Steve Carter that make us two
+Agostinho José Alexandre And possibly 3. :)
I'm watching all your videos for years now. But every time I re watch them ,I learn more stuff then previous time. :))
Certainly both technologies need to evolve and improve over time; catalytic converters are not 100% efficient, so keeping the engine efficient is important too. Also, catalytic converters cannot eliminate CO2.
Well hopefully this video illustrated the reason. If the water condenses (water is a product of combustion) you may see it drip out the back of the exhaust.
Unbolt it, and yes, it could. You should leave it in as most states require one legally.
Great, thanks for watching! Seriously 100+ videos in a few days? Maybe time for a nap.
Excellent video on the chemical interaction with the catalyst + the two types of catalysts in a converter. I love watching your videos! Thanks for sharing.
I will be making a video on O2 sensors, yes!
It's a mix with the other elements I mentioned.
This is why I love your channel. extremely simple to understand how cats work. What's the connection to the need for an operating temperature?
Assuming it's the most restrictive part, yes (not necessarily true). Though it's illegal in most states, and should be kept on.
Simplest (smartest) description I have found...
Great video, I haven't been able to find a single other explanation of cats other than that they burn off the harmful gases. Which raised way more questions than answers for me. Thank you for going into just a little bit of detail so I can understand the core principles of how these things worked. Everybody else just made it sound like Voodoo.
Well done. Nice explanation, overview and graphics. Basic stuff, but what I needed. I think it would help to have taken basic chemistry to appreciate and absorb the information presented. As far as I can tell the chemistry is spot on but simplified. Thanks!
how often do the inner plates need soot cleaning?
I've been a partner for over a year. In fact, anyone can be a partner now; but I applied before April of 2012 where you still had to be accepted into the program.
great videos ..very helpful during exams. THANK YOU
Could you please make a video on fuel maps and ECU programms
Not positive, I assume they just have a greater area for the exhaust to pass through.
It is India. We are still in Euro 3 standard. They say it is one of the features of Euro 3. I have heard someone saying that the oxygen provision is merely to dilute the exhaust gases so that there will be less harmful gases per unit volume. So it does not help to reduce harmful gases instead it just fools around. But I think it does some job of burning the exess fuel as you said.
thanks for the explanation. are any companies looking to do co2 capture in addition to catalytic converters?
Basically it's much easier for the chemical reactions described in the video to occur when the system is at a higher temperature.
Cool, I'm only 14 and I feel like I could explain a whole car and put one together your awesome😄!
This is why if you are failing your vehicle inspection due to emissions they will sometimes tell you to go for a long drive then try again, because the catalytic converter will be more efficient once it has warmed up due to you driving it around a lot
is this why a lot of exhausts on a healthy car can be a little smoky on cold start-up?
It can cause back pressure, hence the creation of high-flow cats.
I believe they all use the same basic set-up; the high-flow ones just have more area to pass through.
Interesting, perhaps to aid in burning off any excess fuel.
I learnt so much in less than 5 minutes. why can't all science be taught like this?
Yang Zhou but you didn't *learn* how to spell...
Should be awesome that you can post videos on Twin Charge systems like in VAG, or Launch control, or MSD ignition systems, or variable geometry turbos, or KERS, or Regenerative Braking.... also if you can talk about the new regulations for F1 next year on turbo engines... Nice Channel keep up the good work!
Can you explain how to calculate the unburned fuel in the exhaust? I've watched your O2 sensor and exhaust videos and don't see that detail... Specifically I'm looking to find out how much of the fuel was not burned in the engine (pre cat). I'm certain there is some way by using the CO and CxHx. Can you help me or point me in a direction where I can find the answer?
Well, not trying to make you feel stupid haha, but do a quick search on my channel for "rotary" and you should find it. Or simply "rotary engine - explained" in the YT search bar. No worries, I'd rather already have a video on it than not! :)
I'm mostly interested in the way it steered.. I was really amazed after I saw some behind the scenes stuff with the car going sideways and stuff!
Thats cool and all, thanks for the explain, BUT what I don't see SULPHUR / SO/SO2..etc on your white board, and its Nasty rotten egg, or the"fart" smell from whenever someone mashes on the accelerator to much. So where does that nasty smell come from, AND exactly HOW is that "cleaner"??
You should talk about how the 02 sensors work on all this. Is it true, that the ECU will send more fuel, so that unburnt fuel will make it to the CAT? Also, how does the alcohol play into all this? They did not have it in the fuel when they mandated all these CATs. Are we wasting fuel, in order to try and "clean-up" the exhaust? How much cleaner would our exhaust be if we did not throw waste crank case oil, back into the intake?
Does lacquer thinner in gas tank can clean the catalytic converter without damage to the hoses or rubber components? I have the code P0420 on my 2001 Chevy Monte Carlo
We're covering hydrocarbons in Chemistry again, and that oxidation/combustion equation does come up. Neat.
Rich a/f mixture.
So would being decat be illigal? I mean as in, you won't be able to pass the emissiontests ect?
Thanks for the episode!
I have a new car model (about 2017) working on diesel and a semi-open garage (I mean there is a ceiling that covers two-thirds of the car but not all the car, three walls but there is no door in the entry, and instead 2,5 meters of fresh air).
Can carbon monoxide still be dangerous if the car's motor remains on, or is it safe even if I forget to put it off and stay inside the garage??
Which converter contains platinum mostly ? Petrol or Diesel ? After purchase from the scraps, precious metals existing in there or not ?
I found this to be simplified in a good way, yet very informative. Simplified explanation goes a long way in theory retention. Do you have anything on EGR cooler and it’s function? Thanks 😊
Emo phase of engineering explained! Still love it!
And ... That whiteboard never gets old😂
Hi. Would you agree that the stuff entering the catalytic converter is on some level still could be called by name fuel? Does not matter what grade but would it be in your world a fuel?
I have a generic cat converter with no directional arrow to show me which way to install it on vehicle. Is there a way to know which is the reduction side and which is the oxidation side. There is an opening for an oxygen sensor but it has a plug in it as my sensor is on the exhaust manifold itself. The vehicle is a 95 geo tracker with a 1.6 16 valve engine
At 1:23 you said the nitric oxide bonds weren't as strong as the bonds with oxygen and the catalysts. What exactly do you mean by this? I know the electronegativity can't be as high in those bonds so what physical mechanisms are occurring that cause this? I've taken a couple of college level chemistry courses and I'm about to take organic chem. What you spoke about here is what we are about to go over in class and I was hoping you could give me a good explanation of a real life example. Thank you and you do have amazing videos.
I keep seeing these videos about using a spark plug non fouled to "trick" the CPU to not kick a Check/Service engine light when removing the catalytic converters. Is this a valid method? The vehicle in question is a 2014 2SS Camaro. Thanks.
You can still install a high flow cat, and unless your engine is absolutely absurd (perhaps for drag) you can get away with it.
Good job man, I've been looking for videos like this. Super helpful
Thank you man, srsly this was the only video that helped me with the homework, you are a superhero
Thanks much! That was well explained and not excessively complicated. Cheers
Question on the placement of catalytic converters. Say i wanted my car to shoot flames without removing my catalytic converter all together. But instead move it to the very end of the exhaust system. Would that still be street legal if the rest of the piping is there and fully sealed? What are your thoughts on this idea. Otherwise im ditching the cat for a spark plug at the tailpipe
Do you have a video on the O2 sensor that's before and after the Cat? If not can you make one? I do have an idea from their name but to know exactly how they work and sync with other parts would be nice. Thanks for another great video, please keep it up. Learning a lot!
if you can please tell us what are the gases coming out from the tail pipe if the engine is running lean, and if its running rich.
Thank you.
I have seen in some motorbikes that there will be a supply of oxygen from intake manifold to catalytic converter. Is it to increase the oxydation process?
The alignment is off a bit.
Hi Jason, What are the benefits of having two catalytic converters in a car? Is it to increase longevity of the catalytic converters or to increase efficiency of the catalytic converters?
Hello,
?The precious metals in the Catalytic converter, are they found as alloys or nanoparticles
I was looking for videos like yours. thank you, these are going to help me learn.
Although this may seem like a silly question, Im still curious...Does a cat cause much back pressure (Perhaps even enough to restrict some exhaust gases from leaving the cylinder during the exhaust stroke)? Would a car be more powerful without one or is the affect it causes so little it wouldn't make a difference?
hey, how many catalytic converter does 2003 honda accord v6 have? i think it's california emission because it said on the hood. And how do i find the exact part? is there like a part number?
A few technical questions here. If that first reduction stage is for removing NOx emissions, why do some diesel engines require diesel exhaust fluid to remove these emissions? Similarly, you probably remember when Volkswagen got into trouble with software that tricked emissions test results, so that in normal everyday use the engine could burn leaner and more fuel efficient, but more NOx emissions. Doesn't the reduction stage get rid of those emissions?
You can't use this type of catalytic converter in a Diesel.
A 3-way catalytic converter requires a nearly stochiometric air-fuelratio to work. A Diesel runs lean most of the time which makes the whole exhaust aftertreatment a lot more complex.
I'd like to understand a few of the Porsche technologies. Rear Wheel Steering, Dynamic Vectoring, etc.
This is probably how dragons breathe fire
this is an underrated comment
Yes, sounds good, best of luck!
Hi is there a way to clean your o2 sensor I have a 95 Tacoma 2.4 auto it has idle & hesitation issues when accelerating
my skoda cotavia petrol car failed test because of CO 0.60 VOL%, i need to bring down to 0.20% CO level to pass retest. what should to be done?plz help me
what would happen if I removed the catalytic converter from the car and fed a mixture of steam (water vapor) and carbon monoxide through it? Would the palladium catalyst facilitate the water gas shift reaction where the output would be hydrogen and carbon dioxide?
Im sorry but would a front pipe link to the Inlet or the Outlet Side?
Bro can you help me and pls make a video on how to get rid of burst smell when accelarating hard im from philippines and i have a geely azkarra my problem is when im trying to accelerate or pushing hard on accelerator o smell something like chemicals inside the cabin i tried to search this online and people are saying that its the sulfur in catalytic converter how can i get rid of this smell and i never ever experienced this kind of smell with my old cars even i push the accelerator to the floor. Pls help.
I removed my catalytic converter on my motorcycle, as a result I can feel a lot more power but also a lot of backfires happen every time I decelerate. Is that normal? Is that dangerous? Would there be any bad effects on my bike?
Well, I'd recommend leaving the cat on.
Engineering Explained okay then. Just want to know, would the backfires be any bad effects to the engine? the valves, plugs?
Probably not, just fuel coming out the exhaust and burning off.
if you have an undertail exhaust. expect a lot of soot and possibly a roasted taillight
Danial Asyraf your going to kill people
At what temperature range do the catalytic converters perform their best ?
Greater than 300 deg C
Hey man any chance you do a video on magnetic suspension? or the way the formula-like car in fast 6 works? thanks!
Explained really well. Easy to understand :)
Sorry for all of the comments your video are really interesting! I've got a MS in physics and I'm still learning stuff (I guess I have mostly theoretical training). I'm interesting in automotive engineering and I want to take your advice about applying to an engineering program and writing a thesis.
Do you think something around active torque vectoring using a hybrid system would be interesting ? Think the new NSX concept. I would like to do this as a project someday.
Wat is happening when the converter regenerates? Just dumping al not filtered gasses in the free air? Or speeding up the whole converting process?
Thank You,this helped me on my science C1 Exam
It's time to build catalytic converters that also captures carbon dioxide.
so if i understand it right, cats eliminate flames on motorbikes when one is present? in europe theyre very strict about it nowadays
There must be a way of using the heat from the exhaust gases, prior to being put through the converter, to get it up to temp faster.
Tal vez un dia!