Complete Removal of Catalytic Converter From Vehicle
As each piece is chipped off, it can be set aside and placed on a clean towel or rag. Complete platinum removal from the converter catalyst material should take 30 to 45 minutes for a standard-sized catalytic converter.
Removal of Catalytic Converter Catalyst Material
Platinum, which is used as a catalyst accelerant news inside most fresh catalytic converters, is located far inside a catalytic converter. It serves as coating on top of the leading catalyst elements. The elements that ignite incoming exhaust gases that pass through a catalytic converter, otherwise known as catalyst elements, look like chunks of burnt charcoal. These catalyst pieces, which become white-hot in response to incoming exhaust gases, are coated with platinum to speed up the rate at which they heat up and burn exhaust gases. To remove the platinum coating on the catalyst pieces, the catalyst pieces must be removed from the converter. This is done simply by turning up the catalytic converter lengthwise and pounding on one end with a blunt instrument until the catalyst pieces start to fall out of the lower, open end of the converter.
Platinum Coating Removal
Once the platinum-coated catalyst material has been removed from a catalytic converter, the platinum can be removed from each individual piece of catalyst. The platinum, which appears as a silvery, bronze color located on the outer surface of each piece of catalyst, can be picked and peeled off by hand or by using a flat-head screwdriver or pair of box cutters. The platinum normally flakes off in small pieces or nuggets.In aligning to extract the platinum from within a catalytic converter, the converter must be removed completely from the vehicle. Most catalytic converters simply bolt on to a vehicle's exhaust method with a series of threaded bolts. Loosening and then removing these bolts with a manageable socket wrench allows for a catalytic converter to be pulled (removed) from a vehicle. Whether day is of the essence, a cutting torch can be used to simply reduce the metal attachments linking a catalytic converter to a vehicle's exhaust action, allowing for accelerated catalytic converter Emigration.
