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Just came back from dealer,went for oil change etc.At the same time asked to "check engine light".The check engine light was intermittent up until Oct 2009 then went steady.
The code came back catalytic converter,they claim back pressure ??? which they are saying converter getting clogged,any truth to this?My gas mileage did drop with ethanol.
I drove my 1986 over 260,000 miles with no problem.
Forgot to add vehicle,99 Tacoma SR5 4 cyl 149,000 miles. Help appreciated. Just came back in to add this info.
Last edited by DanBev; 03-08-2010 at 11:14 AM..
Reason: add make,model and year and mileage
what year and make of car?
some have recalls on their cat Converter nissian had a problem with them in the early 00-04 but like any part yes they can fail and yes they can clog it all depends on how good the oem materials used to make Catalytic Converter are.
Just came back from dealer,went for oil change etc.At the same time asked to "check engine light".The check engine light was intermittent up until Oct 2009 then went steady.
The code came back catalytic converter,they claim back pressure ??? which they are saying converter getting clogged,any truth to this?My gas mileage did drop with ethanol.
I drove my 1986 over 260,000 miles with no problem.Help appreciated.
How far you drove your 1986 vehicle has nothing whatsoever to do with the current car. NOTHING!
Your dealer is telling you true that your converted needs replaced. Failure to replace the converter will damage your engine to the point of replacing it or major repairs.
So get over the idea that the dealer is lying to you a fix your darn car or be ready to pay for your failure.
Cat converters can easily fail for any reason. The intermittent SES light you were experiencing was most likely being tripped by one of the oxygen sensors on the car detecting high emissions.
Depending on the age of your car and what the specific defect is, you may be covered under the Federal Emissions Warranty. This warranty is 8 years / 80k miles from inservice date and generally covers major components that affect emissions. If your car is under the 8/80k I would make sure you get it checked out at the dealership.
How far you drove your 1986 vehicle has nothing whatsoever to do with the current car. NOTHING!
Your dealer is telling you true that your converted needs replaced. Failure to replace the converter will damage your engine to the point of replacing it or major repairs.
So get over the idea that the dealer is lying to you a fix your darn car or be ready to pay for your failure.
Not necessarily true. If you don't need to worry about passing emissions where you live, you're actually doing your engine a favor by ripping off the cats, installing new pipes and having it retuned. You can't just leave clogged/failed cats on there, that will definitely cause some issues, but sans cats, the only thing you will notice is increased power and fuel economy.
Of course, for the OP's case, I would just fix the cat and call it a day.
Not necessarily true. If you don't need to worry about passing emissions where you live, you're actually doing your engine a favor by ripping off the cats, installing new pipes and having it retuned. You can't just leave clogged/failed cats on there, that will definitely cause some issues, but sans cats, the only thing you will notice is increased power and fuel economy.
Of course, for the OP's case, I would just fix the cat and call it a day.
on older emissions equipped cars yeah you could get more power and MPG but today on modren cars you won't get very many gains if any at all if you take off the cat chances are it will end up throwing codes and the newer onboared computers will cut power
How far you drove your 1986 vehicle has nothing whatsoever to do with the current car. NOTHING!
Your dealer is telling you true that your converted needs replaced. Failure to replace the converter will damage your engine to the point of replacing it or major repairs.
So get over the idea that the dealer is lying to you a fix your darn car or be ready to pay for your failure.
Thank you for reply,we are taking trip to Ct and this is reason for servicing vehicle,converter is ordered and paid for,$982,will be installed 02/09/10.I just wanted reinforcement.They already did cleaning,carbon removal from injectors ahead of new converter install.Will blow into old converter.This is why I like forum.
on older emissions equipped cars yeah you could get more power and MPG but today on modren cars you won't get very many gains if any at all if you take off the cat chances are it will end up throwing codes and the newer onboared computers will cut power
On newer cars that use PCM's to control fuel, timing, etc. you need to ensure that you re-tune for removing the catalytic converters. If you just go underneath the car and yank off the cats the car will not run right, if at all.
The PCM is constantly communicating with the O2 sensors to control the fuel mix into the engine. There are two O2 sensors paired with each cat. One before the cat and one after the cat. They send data to the PCM that the PCM then uses to control fuel, timing, etc. If you remove the cats, you change the O2 composition of the emissions and the car will think it is running lean and dump fuel, leading to a rich condition that can damage the engine and cause it to run poorly.
However, that situation is easily corrected with proper PCM tuning and even a modern car (everything from an Aveo to a Zonda) will pick up a noticeable amount of horsepower, torque and MPG from removing the catalytic converters. Generally the fix is to turn off the rear (post-cat) O2 sensors in the PCM or install a device in place of the sensor that tricks the PCM into thinking that everything is OK.
Please note that removing or otherwise interfering with catalytic converters is illegal in most areas and can carry hefty penalties including having your car impounded if it is found you have tampered with the factory emissions control system. The above information is strictly for off-road/racing purposes where emissions controls do not apply.
Not necessarily true. If you don't need to worry about passing emissions where you live, you're actually doing your engine a favor by ripping off the cats, installing new pipes and having it retuned. You can't just leave clogged/failed cats on there, that will definitely cause some issues, but sans cats, the only thing you will notice is increased power and fuel economy.
Of course, for the OP's case, I would just fix the cat and call it a day.
It's not about emissions. it's about engine back pressure that is required for the computer to sense fuel mixture and engine valve life.
How far you drove your 1986 vehicle has nothing whatsoever to do with the current car. NOTHING!
Your dealer is telling you true that your converted needs replaced. Failure to replace the converter will damage your engine to the point of replacing it or major repairs.
So get over the idea that the dealer is lying to you a fix your darn car or be ready to pay for your failure.
I'd think that was the other way around. An engine running so poorly that the cat converter melted down woul dhave my eyebrows raised.
I had a 94 Ford Ranger (8 spark plug 4 cylinders, FTW) that was running on three cylinders for the last year or so that I had it. Yeah, the cat melted down enough to need replacement for the last two inspections.
On that note, I hate OBD1. The truck wasn't exactly fast, so it's tough to notice only three cylidners doing any work and with no misfire code coming up...
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