2006 Volvo XC70
206,000 miles

RE: CATACLEAN

Good Day members;

Has anyone ever used CATALAN on their volvo? My CHECK ENGINE LIGHT came on. I have one of those DIY Ancel AD410 readers. A P0420 code came up. The reader also showed that my 02 Sensors passed. So, do you recommend using CATACLEAN on my volvo. Or, is it a waste of time and i should assume my catalytic converter has failed and needs to be replaced.

Thanks, Gordon

 

The P0420 code is labeled as a catalytic converter efficiency code based on an out of range difference between the front and rear O2 sensors. Generally there are four conditions that can cause this 1) the sensors can be off 2) the cat could be bad 3) there can be unburn oil getting into the cat (head gasket, turbo seals, ring issue etc) 4) air leaks causing the car to run poorly or misfire. I'd start by checking for any intake or exhaust leaks - particularly around the flex pipe, then look at the plugs to see if there's any oiling or signs of a lean burn. If your car is consuming oil (say more than a quart per 1000 miles) then that needs to be looked into further. The sensors can be tested measured but usually don't fail by going out of range without thowing additional codes. The way I see it, you can try a can of Cataclean or similar but I'd be really surprised if it fixes the problem. I'd bet on either an exhaust or intake air leak or you will need to replace the cat and O2 sensors (always a good idea to replace the o2 sensors when the cat is replaced).