did fuel additives block my catalytic converter

[mylestone]

I tried every fuel line cleaner I could find and eventually did totally clogged my new replacement 5 year old cat converter!However the last fuel perservitive PRI-g I added to 35 gallons of fuel I believe it totally clogged my 5 year old cat converter.TRUE?I was going 80 mph and after a 1/2hour run the engine slowed to a idle no matter how I feathered the throttle.I was lucky to get home and after parking it would NOT start!I finally removed the o2 sensor(front) and it started! I replaced the cat with a universal and it runs fine now and after 5000 miles.It gets 9mpg no matter what I replace(3.9liter in a 97 dodge b2500 van)I need to store gas and wonder how to do this without causing problems.I also have yet to start a Yamaha 650 four bike after 5 years sitting.It has stabil in the fuel and need to know how to resarect it?Drain the tank and then try to start it?How should I proceed?
Thanks Bob
Myles Mcswiney

 

[HerrStig]

Drain the tank on the bike and refill. Turn on the gas and look for stuck float valves. If no gas leaks, crank it up. Look for signs of bad operation caused by clogged jets. Some suggest pulling the float bowls first and making sure there is no gum in them which might clog the main and idle jets. It is some effort on an I4 engine, but might save you some grief. You can usually pull the carbs as an assembly. Be careful not to strip the screws which hold the bowls on. (On German Bing carbs, the bowl is held on with a bail, they expect us to check the bowls often) We will assume that the main and idle jets were NOT clogged when the bike was stored. I'd add a good fuel system cleaner to the first tankof new gas. Any of the usual brands, including Berryman CARB cleaner. I'd add an inexpensive "power equipment" fuel filter in the line to catch any gunk in the tank, before it gets to the float valve and main and idle jets though most bike tanks have a strainer as part of the fuel shut off system. If the jets were NOT clogged when the bike was parked you don't want to gum them up now. Once it is running you'll know if all the other parts of the carbs which can suffer from age are OK.

 

[HerrStig]

I wouldn't use a fuel system cleaner on a car unless it had "safe for converters" label on the container. In your case it sounds like the engine may be running a bit rich, which can overheat and/or clog a comverter but I don't know what to expect in MPG from that combo. Most cleaners are solvents which don't leave a lot of residue behind. As far as storing this alcohol blended gas.... Stabil or something similar and don't expect it to last long even if kept in a cool dry place, as they say. I wouldn't put it in an injected vehicle with a converter after 6 months...maybe less.

 

[JHZR2]

Replacement converters, unless OE, tend to be garbage in terms of loading and conversion. Why would they be high quality?

Unburned HC could melt it down...