During the internal combustion process of an engine, there are exhaust gases which are emitted as a result of the air and fuel mixture being ignited. These are very toxic gases which could become dangerous pollutants if they were to be released into the air outside.
Fortunately, cars are made with a catalytic converter which reduces the toxicity levels of these gases before they’re released out of the tailpipe. There is a special chemical reaction which allows this to happen when the metals of the converter come in contact with the gases.
The downside to catalytic converters (not “Cadillac converters” as some like to say) is they get dirty. This can occur either from years of using the converter or from a problem with the internal combustion process where there is too much fuel being mixed and the extra fuel that doesn’t get burned ends up damaging the converter.
If the catalytic converter is damaged, even the best catalytic converter cleaner won’t help and replacement will be necessary.
But for instances where it’s just dirty, cleaning the converter can make a huge difference. But do catalytic converter cleaners work? The answer is Yes in many instances as long as you’re dealing with just a dirty catalytic converter.