cat converter problem

[mattcarr]

hello everybody have a question a friend of mine has a toyota carina 1995 lean burn engine Irish car a bullet proof car never had any problems with at all but it keep failing the nct/mot every 2 years because the emissions are to high so the cat converter has to keep getting changed a new one every two years is there any way around this so she doesn't have to keep buying a new cat converter for the test there's no problems with the car its a great car its just the cat what could she do to stop it failing or could she modify the cat converter in some way...thanks

[toyomoho]

Unless the CAT is too small or poor quality they should last a lot longer then 2 years.

Something could be killing the CAT such as excess oil burning, coolant leaks into the exhaust system (cracked head, blown head gasket), fuel system running too rich.

How is the MPG's, are they in line with other models of the same car.

A problem O2 sensor can cause the fuel system to run rich.

Suggest you have the car inspected by a compitent shop who can check the emissions before and after the CAT and determine if the replacing the CAT is just masking other problems with the car. You will also be better able to determine the problem if you have the full list of emissions results such as HC, 02 and whatever else was tested for.

You have posted in the Avalon section. Does the car have a 1MZ-FE engine, if not what model engine? When you have the engine type review past forums at this site where the cars use the same engine.

In general emissions problems have the same causes.