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Rocks dented catalytic converter

Discussion in 'Gen 3 Prius Care, Maintenance & Troubleshooting' started by johnhuff, Aug 5, 2023.

  1. johnhuff

    johnhuff Junior Member

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    Was driving in Santa Monica tonight and I saw what I thought was wadded up paper in the road. Wrong. Someone deliberately put rocks on the road. Bang! Bang! Bang! It tore the clips off my splash shield but I put new ones in when I got home. It also put a dent in the metal frame to the rear of the oil change area. I checked the oil pan and it looks ok. Took pics of the catalytic converter and will upload. Will this be a problem or can I go on my merry way?
    IMG_2884.jpeg IMG_2885.jpeg
     
    #1 johnhuff, Aug 5, 2023
  2. Leadfoot J. McCoalroller

    Leadfoot J. McCoalroller Senior Member

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    Nothing to cause concern.

    Sounds like the splash shield got the worst of it.
     
    #2 Leadfoot J. McCoalroller, Aug 5, 2023
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  3. Tombukt2

    Tombukt2 Senior Member

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    No problem there's a brick in the middle of that bulbous piece of metal You would have to have a solid inch deep or better dent to even upset that brick with all the holes in it You're good to go Don't even look back.
     
    #3 Tombukt2, Aug 5, 2023
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  4. TMR-JWAP

    TMR-JWAP Senior Member

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    Inside the casing is an insulation layer about 1/10 inch thick. The insulation is wrapped around the ceramic honeycomb core, which is the catalytic material. The ceramic honeycomb is pretty strong, but also fairly brittle. A small ding in the case should have little to no impact on the honeycomb. A larger dent may crush and pulverize a very localized area, but still little effect on its overall performance. A larger dent could cause significant cracking and breakup of the honeycomb, resulting in pieces passing down the exhaust pipe.

    Your damage looks to be in the small ding range.
     
    #4 TMR-JWAP, Aug 5, 2023
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  5. johnhuff

    johnhuff Junior Member

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    Thank you all for taking the time to respond. You’ve put my mind at ease. Thank you
     
    #5 johnhuff, Aug 5, 2023
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