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Catalytic converter?
My '96 Nissan Maxima (3L V6, 4-door sedan) has been making a high-pitched sound and recently the emission control warning light came on. I took it to a shop and they said they need to replace the "tensioner pulley" and the "catalytic converter" (I got these over the phone so I'm not sure about the spelling). They said replacing these will come to about $1400. The pulley, whatever it is, is about 250 for part and labor, but the catalytic converter will be 1000+.
What exactly is the catalytic converter? Can it not be replaced and the car still be functional and whatnot? I'm not familiar with English terms for car parts. It sounds a bit like what in Finnish is called "katalysaattori" which essentially "cleans up" exhaust emissions in three different ways. In Finland these were very expensive when they first came out, and a lot of people either took theirs out and resold or simply didn't replace a malfunctioning one due to the high price and a myth that the part caused engines to give poorer gas mileage and engine power. That of course was illegal in EU countries as of the early 90's. I don't know about the States, or if this is even the same part.
How essential is this converter? The repairs would come to about 1400 and I don't know if this car is even worth that much.
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