{"id":66832,"date":"2022-02-18T02:16:16","date_gmt":"2022-02-18T10:16:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogv2prod.wpenginepowered.com\/blog\/?p=66832"},"modified":"2025-08-26T19:44:33","modified_gmt":"2025-08-27T02:44:33","slug":"catalytic-converter-history","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.carparts.com\/blog\/catalytic-converter-history\/","title":{"rendered":"Catalytic Converter History"},"content":{"rendered":"<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC \"-\/\/W3C\/\/DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional\/\/EN\" \"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/TR\/REC-html40\/loose.dtd\">\n<html><body><span class=\"span-reading-time rt-reading-time\" style=\"display: block;\"><span class=\"rt-label rt-prefix\">Reading Time: <\/span> <span class=\"rt-time\"> 4<\/span> <span class=\"rt-label rt-postfix\">minutes<\/span><\/span><style>.kadence-column66832_628980-2e > .kt-inside-inner-col,.kadence-column66832_628980-2e > .kt-inside-inner-col:before{border-top-left-radius:0px;border-top-right-radius:0px;border-bottom-right-radius:0px;border-bottom-left-radius:0px;}.kadence-column66832_628980-2e > .kt-inside-inner-col{column-gap:var(--global-kb-gap-sm, 1rem);}.kadence-column66832_628980-2e > .kt-inside-inner-col{flex-direction:column;}.kadence-column66832_628980-2e > .kt-inside-inner-col > .aligncenter{width:100%;}.kadence-column66832_628980-2e > .kt-inside-inner-col:before{opacity:0.3;}.kadence-column66832_628980-2e{position:relative;}@media all and (max-width: 1024px){.kadence-column66832_628980-2e > .kt-inside-inner-col{flex-direction:column;justify-content:center;}}@media all and (max-width: 767px){.kadence-column66832_628980-2e > .kt-inside-inner-col{flex-direction:column;justify-content:center;}}<\/style>\n<div class=\"wp-block-kadence-column kadence-column66832_628980-2e inner-column-1 qk-look-widget\"><div class=\"kt-inside-inner-col\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-ultimate-post-row ultp-block-17a4c8  qk-main-wrap\"><div class=\"ultp-row-wrapper\"><div class=\"ultp-row-content\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-ultimate-post-column ultp-block-14f2bf\"><div class=\"ultp-column-wrapper\"><style>.wp-block-kadence-advancedheading.kt-adv-heading66832_f11fa5-4e, .wp-block-kadence-advancedheading.kt-adv-heading66832_f11fa5-4e[data-kb-block=\"kb-adv-heading66832_f11fa5-4e\"]{text-align:center;font-size:20px;font-style:normal;}.wp-block-kadence-advancedheading.kt-adv-heading66832_f11fa5-4e mark.kt-highlight, .wp-block-kadence-advancedheading.kt-adv-heading66832_f11fa5-4e[data-kb-block=\"kb-adv-heading66832_f11fa5-4e\"] mark.kt-highlight{font-family:Inter;font-weight:500;font-style:normal;color:#f76a0c;-webkit-box-decoration-break:clone;box-decoration-break:clone;padding-top:0px;padding-right:0px;padding-bottom:0px;padding-left:0px;}.wp-block-kadence-advancedheading.kt-adv-heading66832_f11fa5-4e img.kb-inline-image, .wp-block-kadence-advancedheading.kt-adv-heading66832_f11fa5-4e[data-kb-block=\"kb-adv-heading66832_f11fa5-4e\"] img.kb-inline-image{width:150px;vertical-align:baseline;}<\/style>\n<div class=\"kt-adv-heading66832_f11fa5-4e summary-title wp-block-kadence-advancedheading\" data-kb-block=\"kb-adv-heading66832_f11fa5-4e\"><span>Summary<\/span><\/div>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The catalytic converter was initially introduced in the early 70s because of EPA-ordered cuts in emissions.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Lab work finally proved that a catalytic converter would work, but mass-producing them became a new and even more difficult hurdle.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>With the OBD2 regulations that came about in the mid-90s, a second O2 sensor was added behind the front catalyst brick to monitor the catalyst&rsquo;s ability to store oxygen.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The catalytic converter was initially introduced in the early &lsquo;70s because of EPA-ordered cuts in emissions, and in response to those orders, auto industry execs said the EPA&rsquo;s targets could never be met. But thanks to old-fashioned American ingenuity, they were. What the EPA conceives, American engineers always achieve. Fuel-cell engineer Jonathan Frost once said:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">&ldquo;<em>When the U.S. introduced clean air legislation in the 1970s, many engineers said that cleaning up emissions from cars was impossible, but the legislation was passed anyway and new technology was invented in the form of the catalytic converter.&rdquo;<\/em><\/p>\n<cite>Jonathan Frost<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In 1972, then Ford President <a href=\"https:\/\/www.carparts.com\/blog\/web-stories\/lee-iacocca\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" aria-label=\"Lee Iacocca\">Lee Iacocca<\/a> said that &ldquo;<em>if the EPA does not suspend the catalytic converter rule, it will cause Ford to shut down.&rdquo; <\/em>&nbsp;He was obviously wrong, but at the time, the prevailing wisdom was that the catalytic converter was a near-impossible concept, overly expensive and inefficient, pegged as an idea that would never, ever work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" src=\"https:\/\/www.carparts.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/image-of-a-catalytic-converter-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"image of a catalytic converter\" class=\"wp-image-66835\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.carparts.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/image-of-a-catalytic-converter-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.carparts.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/image-of-a-catalytic-converter-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.carparts.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/image-of-a-catalytic-converter-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.carparts.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/image-of-a-catalytic-converter-600x400.jpg 600w, https:\/\/www.carparts.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/image-of-a-catalytic-converter-150x100.jpg 150w, https:\/\/www.carparts.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/image-of-a-catalytic-converter.jpg 1500w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The catalytic converter was initially introduced in the early &lsquo;70s because of EPA-ordered cuts in emissions. In response to those orders, auto industry execs said the EPA&rsquo;s targets could never be met.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The Origins of the Catalytic Converter<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The 1970 requirement that auto manufacturers would be required to reduce harmful emissions 90 percent by the 1975 model year drove <em>Engelhard Industries<\/em> and <em>Corning Glass<\/em> to propose the device that would later become the catalytic converter. A &ldquo;catalyst&rdquo; foists chemical changes on other elements while resisting any change in itself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The catalytic converter adds the necessary oxygen molecules to CO and HC (the exhaust from rich mixtures), to change those harmful elements into CO<sub>2<\/sub>, which is the same thing we breathe out. The exhaust gasses flow from the combustion chambers through the catalytic converter&rsquo;s core, which is a block of ceramic material honeycombed with tiny lengthwise channels, designed to force every cubic millimeter of the gasses into contact with the catalyst material, and that&rsquo;s where the necessary changes take place.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"rsi-card\">\n  <div class=\"rsi-thumb\">\n    <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cld.partsimg.com\/d_noimage.jpg\/b_white\/e_sharpen,e_auto_brightness,e_auto_contrast\/f_auto\/q_auto:eco,dpr_auto\/w_873,h_873,c_pad\/images\/repg960301_2\">\n  <\/div>\n  <div class=\"rsi-info\">\n    <span class=\"rsi-title\">Recommended Catalytic Converters<\/span>\n    <span class=\"rsi-desc\">Find out which brands of catalytic converters are the best on the market. Weigh pros and cons, check for compatibility and emission standards, then select a catalytic converter that works best for you.<\/span>\n    <a href=\"https:\/\/www.carparts.com\/blog\/recommended-catalytic-converters\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" aria-label=\"Discover Your Options\">Discover Your Options<\/a>\n  <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Mass Production of Catalytic Converters<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Lab work finally proved that a catalytic converter would work, but mass-producing them became a new and even more difficult hurdle. Engineers would have to take an abrasive clay mixture and force it through a shaped die at high speed to create the complexities of structure we see in Cat-Cons today. This process is called &ldquo;extrusion&rdquo; and at the time it was very commonly used for creating things like metal pipes and hollow noodles, but nothing anywhere near this complex had ever been attempted. It was a daunting task.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But that wasn&rsquo;t all. Once that soft block of honeycombed clay emerged from the die, it first had to be cut to the proper length and then heated simultaneously inside and out until it was totally firm.&nbsp; And all this had to be done without distorting those tiny channels or causing the clay to crack, and then they had to find a way to coat all the channels with a layer of very fine platinum particles so that the platinum wouldn&rsquo;t simply fall off after repeated (and vast) temperature swings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Under normal conditions, a catalytic converter races from ambient temperature to 800&deg; F in 30 seconds, and the temperature of the gases can climb as high as 2,000 degrees.&nbsp; Catalysts will normally float between 1000 and 1700&deg;F while driving. In early development, on nearly every prototype, thermal expansion ruined the guts of the converter after just a few drive cycles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"632\" src=\"https:\/\/www.carparts.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/oxygen-sensor-reading-1024x632.jpg\" alt=\"oxygen sensor reading\" class=\"wp-image-66833\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.carparts.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/oxygen-sensor-reading-1024x632.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.carparts.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/oxygen-sensor-reading-300x185.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.carparts.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/oxygen-sensor-reading-768x474.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.carparts.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/oxygen-sensor-reading-150x93.jpg 150w, https:\/\/www.carparts.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/oxygen-sensor-reading.jpg 1500w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The upstream O2 sensors are the more active ones in this screenshot. | Image source: Richard McCuistian<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Technological Developments<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But then it was discovered that samples of clay from one mine in Georgia showed much better heat resistance. This clay turned out to consist of microscopic needle-like units aligned in such a way as to withstand the thermal expansion, and that was the key to making a cat that would last.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">With the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.carparts.com\/blog\/search-obd2-codes-list\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" aria-label=\"OBD2\">OBD2<\/a> regulations that came about in the mid-90s, a second <a href=\"https:\/\/www.carparts.com\/oxygen-sensor\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" aria-label=\"O2 sensor\">O2 sensor<\/a> was added behind the front catalyst brick to monitor the catalyst&rsquo;s ability to store oxygen. The sensor behind the catalyst is typically lazier than the sensor between the catalyst and the engine when the catalyst is working properly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Watch this video to understand how catalytic converters work:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"How Catalytic Converters Work | CarParts.com Parts Explained with Lucas Ventures\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/xTEtkOxowQM?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Get OE-Grade Replacement Catalytic Converters Online<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A faulty catalytic converter can cause your vehicle to produce less power and more smoke. This is an environmental and health concern for people. More importantly, your vehicle will fail EPA emissions tests. Don&rsquo;t allow your old catalytic converter to produce any more toxic emissions and replace it immediately.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.carparts.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" aria-label=\"CarParts.com\">CarParts.com<\/a> is a trusted source for vehicle parts and accessories. You can be confident that our parts are high quality as we source them from the most reputable aftermarket brands.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">When shopping for catalytic converters, you&rsquo;ll need to choose the model compatible with your vehicle model. Luckily, that&rsquo;s as easy as pie since we have a vehicle selector that allows you to filter results to parts compatible with your vehicle model.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">So what are you waiting for? Shop for high-quality <a href=\"https:\/\/www.carparts.com\/blog\/catalytic-converter-history\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" aria-label=\"catalytic converters\">catalytic converters<\/a> here at CarParts.com today!<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p><span class=\"span-reading-time rt-reading-time\" style=\"display: block;\"><span class=\"rt-label rt-prefix\">Reading Time: <\/span> <span class=\"rt-time\"> 4<\/span> <span class=\"rt-label rt-postfix\">minutes<\/span><\/span>The catalytic converter was initially introduced in the early &lsquo;70s because of EPA-ordered cuts in emissions, and in response to&#8230; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.carparts.com\/blog\/catalytic-converter-history\/\" rel=\"nofollow\">Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1646,"featured_media":66834,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[3770],"tags":[1189],"ppma_author":[2985],"class_list":["post-66832","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-trivia-and-history","tag-catalytic-converter-2","entry"],"acf":{"adrotate_specific_mobile_ad":"","adrotate_specific_desktop_ad":""},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v28.1 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Catalytic Converter History - In The Garage with CarParts.com<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Ever wondered about the origins of the catalytic converter? Let&#039;s walk you through its brief history in this article. Read more.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.carparts.com\/blog\/catalytic-converter-history\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Catalytic Converter History - In The Garage with CarParts.com\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Ever wondered about the origins of the catalytic converter? Let&#039;s walk you through its brief history in this article. 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Richard has worked for nearly 50 years in the automotive field as a professional technician, an instructor, a freelance automotive writer for Motor Age, ACtion magazine, Power Stroke Registry, and others (published every year since May 2000). He has developed training courses and written or edited training material for companies in the U.S. Canada, and the Netherlands, and even Bulgaria. He maintained an \u201cask a mechanic\u201d website for 10 years answering questions emailed to him from all over the world.\r\n\r\nRichard has an instructional automotive YouTube channel \u201cMcCuistian\u201d with 13,500 subscribers and over 1,300 videos. Much of his professional work requires photography and videography in shop environments, but Richard also enjoys taking pictures of landscapes, skyscapes, old barns and houses, small towns. He has produced a coffee table book of digital watercolors called \u201cMemories of South Alabama\u201d created from his personal photos, along with a dozen Christian fiction short original novels and a collection of short stories, all available in Kindle or softcover format. Richard has written a 2,500-word Bible study every week for the past 20 years and uses it to teach a small group at his church every Sunday morning.\r\n\r\n<strong>Credentials:<\/strong>\r\n\r\n<ul class=\"author-list\">\r\n<li><p>ASE Certified for more than 30 years in 10 categories, including L1 Advanced Engine Performance and Light Vehicle Diesel.<\/p><\/li>\r\n<li><p>Professional Mechanic\/Technician for 25 years with experience on diesel and gasoline engines, vehicles and equipment (including hydraulics).<\/p><\/li>\r\n<li><p>Spent 5 years in fleet maintenance, 20 years in independent shops and dealerships (VW, Mazda, Renault, Jeep, Ford, Lincoln), specializing in driveability and electronics for the last 14 years of his career at the same dealership.<\/p><\/li>\r\n<li><p>Senior Contributing Editor at Motor Age Magazine, first published in Motor Age in May of 2000 and every year since. He has won two International Automotive Media Awards for technical articles published in trade magazines.<\/p><\/li>\r\n<li><p>Has attended hundreds of hours of automotive training from OEMs including GM, Volkswagen, Mazda, Renault, Jeep, Chrysler, as well as additional training at events like KC Vision and MACS (Mobile Air Climate Systems Association).<\/p><\/li>\r\n<li><p>Taught college level auto mechanics for 19 years.<\/p><\/li>\r\n<li><p>Has written for automotive training companies (including course development work for training companies in Canada and the Netherlands) and has been hired to teach professional trade show technician courses at multiple training events in Texas and Alabama.<\/p><\/li>\r\n<li><p>While still teaching at the college level, Richard launched a new automotive program in Geneva, Alabama, setting up a dual enrollment department in a new building, organizing the shop and classroom, teaching morning classes to high school students for 2 years while still teaching at the college in the afternoon.<\/p><\/li>\r\n<li><p>Richard\u2019s college program at Lurleen B. Wallace Community College worked at professional shop speed during his tenure to prepare graduates for production level work in the real world.<\/p><\/li>\r\n<\/ul>"}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.carparts.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/66832","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.carparts.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.carparts.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.carparts.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1646"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.carparts.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=66832"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.carparts.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/66832\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.carparts.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/66834"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.carparts.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=66832"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.carparts.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=66832"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.carparts.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=66832"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.carparts.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/ppma_author?post=66832"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}