Lucas UCL causing cat issues? (PICTURE)

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I just replaced my passenger's side catalytic converter this weekend due to it being completely broken apart on the inside. My truck only has 106k at the time of the failure (mileage went up because we were on a road trip when it happened). I haven't seen a cat go bad this soon in a while. My question is this, I use Lucas UCL every fillup (have the gallon), could this lead to catalyst failure? Also, if the passenger side is this bad, is the driver's side also bad?

Thanks!!

 
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Forgot to mention, I fill up at Valero 90% of the time (top tier). The other 10% are road trip's that get truck stop fuel (Flying J, Petro, Love's, etc.)
 
Highly doubtful that Lucas UCL could cause this. Many people use it and if it was the cause of cat failures it would be all over the Internet. Sounds more likely a Ford problem.
 
At least your cats worked. Try driving behind a 2-3 year old toyota sometime, those things clearly have nonfunctional cats, you can SMELL the sulfides coming out of the exhaust, regardless of how many people claim it's normal for toyotas.

You could do a lot worse.
 
Originally Posted By: horse123
... Try driving behind a 2-3 year old toyota sometime, those things clearly have nonfunctional cats, you can SMELL the sulfides coming out of the exhaust, ...
?? Maybe that means the converters are working. Sulfurous stink from the exhaust was a common complaint with new cars in the US back when converters first appeared, and sulfur levels in gasoline were higher. I don't know about Zimbwean gasoline.
 
Hmm asked about this on the f150forums, and a lot of guys are still running the stock cats at 150k+ miles...maybe mine was a factory defect? I never had any misfires before the cat completely let go (I threw a P0303 when it broke apart). The only other cleaners I've run through the truck recently was a bottle of cataclean when the P0420 code first came up about a month and a half ago. Nothing else, other than Lucas UCL every fill up.
 
Originally Posted By: CR94
Originally Posted By: horse123
... Try driving behind a 2-3 year old toyota sometime, those things clearly have nonfunctional cats, you can SMELL the sulfides coming out of the exhaust, ...
?? Maybe that means the converters are working. Sulfurous stink from the exhaust was a common complaint with new cars in the US back when converters first appeared, and sulfur levels in gasoline were higher. I don't know about Zimbwean gasoline.


It definitely does NOT mean that. Google "sulfur smell from exhaust" and literally every last website will say your cats are scrap.
 
Originally Posted By: 2012AccentSE
Hmm asked about this on the f150forums, and a lot of guys are still running the stock cats at 150k+ miles...maybe mine was a factory defect?

A factory defect would be the first thing I'd be blaming. I'm no fan of much of what Lucas makes, but considering most of what they make has nothing in it other than solvents or base oils, depending upon the target, it shouldn't be too pernicious to a cat.
wink.gif
 
I have seen increases in mpg while using the UCL, so I'm pretty sure it's doing something. Just didn't know because usually fuel additives have a statement about being catalyst safe.
 
Originally Posted By: TTK
Highly doubtful that Lucas UCL could cause this. Many people use it and if it was the cause of cat failures it would be all over the Internet. Sounds more likely a Ford problem.


+1
 
Originally Posted By: 2012AccentSE
Hmm asked about this on the f150forums, and a lot of guys are still running the stock cats at 150k+ miles...maybe mine was a factory defect? I never had any misfires before the cat completely let go (I threw a P0303 when it broke apart). The only other cleaners I've run through the truck recently was a bottle of cataclean when the P0420 code first came up about a month and a half ago. Nothing else, other than Lucas UCL every fill up.


The P0420 was a warning sign your cat was failing.
You sure you don't have any misfires? No quicker way to kill a cat than to have a misfiring cylinder pumping raw gas into the cat where it burns and cracks and melts the combs.
 
Yeah, I should have listened to the p0420 long ago, but I didn't think anything of it because the truck had NEVER thrown a CEL in the 2+ years, and 45,000 miles that I've owned it. So if it did have a miss, I and the truck never noticed it...
 
Agreed that the Lucas probably had nothing to do with the cat failure. Especially at 3-4 oz in a 30 gallon tank, which is a very low amount. Sucks the cat failed though, not cheap I imagine.
 
Actually it wasn't bad. $210 bucks out the door in the middle of nowhere, USA! The new one is still kicking strong, so that's good
 
Originally Posted By: panthermike
Agreed that the Lucas probably had nothing to do with the cat failure. Especially at 3-4 oz in a 30 gallon tank, which is a very low amount. Sucks the cat failed though, not cheap I imagine.


There isn't that much lead in leaded fuel yet it does a pretty good number on catalytic converters.
 
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