Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I've had several sensor faults that mechanics suggested a cat replacement was necessary. None of them were correct. When I did have a cat go bad, the dealer wanted $1700 to replace one. There were few good aftermarket options for my car (2005 GTO, I replaced both cats for $650) but I imagine there are plenty for yours.
BTW-your old cat may be worth some money. I sold my bad one to a recycler for $50. Some are worth more than others. I think mine was on the lower end of the scale.
Some of your advice is correct, some of it is not. A strong sulfur smell from a catalytic converter does not mean the converter is defective. A worn out converter is not capable of producing a strong smell because a worn out catalytic converter is "dead" and does not promote catalytic chemical reactions. The strong smell means the converter is being overworked because of a problem upstream such as a misfire or incorrect fuel mixture. This smell is relatively rare nowadays because gasoline is formulated with minimal sulfur to avoid hydrogen sulfide emissions.
Don in Austin
Ok . Thanks for the info. I had a 2k dodge and the cats were going out. It had a smell. I was 1k over the emissions warranty but the dealer service writer was a guy I used for the maintenance and he covered 1800 bucks worth of repair as a goodwill repair.
I hope OP gets a honest shop to diagnose the issue.
Thanks you all for your help. I will definitely look into this more.
To answer a few of the questions, I just had my state inspection, right after this started, so I am good for the next two years without one...since the case has over 180,000 miles, I don't even know if it would LAST that long.
Is there any danger to driving without it?
I also haven't noticed any rotten egg smell or anything, gas mileage seems fine...
I also just went out to the garage and started it to double check...there is definitely a stream of air coming out that you can feel well...kind of like having your hand against the air conditioner or something.
A fair number of mechanics will not use an aftermarket cat.. That's probably what you're hitting.
An aftermarket cat for that car will run you about $225.. The reason that the mechanic is quoting a true Honda cat is that.. In the past (it's gotten alot better now) the aftermarket cats would often STILL cause the P0420 code to the thrown. So, they'd wind up shooting themselves in the foot.. They save you quite a bit of money, but since the light is on.. You keep bringing the car back to them.
And, obviously, in states that have the 'automatic fail' if SES is on.. That won't fly.
There is still a difference between a 'dealer alternative' and a 'universal' cat.. I would not use a universal.
Also.. There can be a big difference between a cat with "California Emissions", which is what the car came with.. And an aftermarket cat. Some of the aftermarket cats cannot be shipped or installed on a car licensed in California. And, if the car ever goes to California to stay.. it probably won't pass emissions. The legit "California emissions' cat, I've found online for as low as $1200, but.. It lists at about $1400.. So, that's probably what you're being quoted.
Of course.. After all the above.. I don't think it's your cat. Based on the number of miles.. Even before looking at the sensors.. I'd look at the exhaust manifold and the piping leading back to the cat. Have you noticed a change in sound level on the car? A blown exhaust manifold gasket can trip that 'pre-cat' code.
What i'd probably do is take it to a muffler/exhaust shop and ask them to go over it. My experience is that a truly failed cat, you'd see one of two things.. Either significantly reduced performance, or, a loud rattling sound when at idle that goes away under acceleration. The first is the cat getting plugged, the second is the actual catalyst coming loose inside the converter casing.
Whoever your mechanic is.. Appears to be shotgunning it.. Sometimes, that's the best option. But when the cost of 'shotgunning' hits $1700.. I don't think that's a great idea. Be sure what the problem is, then fix it.
To answer a few of the questions, I just had my state inspection, right after this started, so I am good for the next two years without one...since the case has over 180,000 miles, I don't even know if it would LAST that long.
You can probably make this car last a lot longer if you want to. It can depend somewhat upon where you are, but if you've owned it from new and have kept up on maintenance then it should be fine for some tens of thousands more miles probably. It depends mainly upon if you're sick of it. It would take a catastrophic failure or crash to make it IMO not worth fixing in general, but it may take less for you if you're itching for something new. Even if it truly needed the cat which I'm not convinced it does, you could justify that repair if you're going to keep it another few years or so.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Christa1024
Is there any danger to driving without it?
It doesn't sound as if it's plugged. So, I'm going to guess the system is in some state similar to mine. You have maybe a failed sensor or otherwise an intermittent problem that throws this code and turns on the light. I've been driving mine for 3 years or more this way. No issues. No danger. If you're good for 2 years before inspection you might be able to just ignore.
But it wouldn't hurt to try to find out if one of the oxygen sensors is bad. Each of these is a $100 or less part most likely and as long as you choose one with OEM match (not a super cheap universal) it just screws and plugs right in. Your cousin could do it perhaps. It is possible to try to test these beforehand if you can get someone to do it, but it might not be worth the time spent if you have to pay someone to check it.
If the sensors really are corroded on then again it probably won't hurt to leave it. But get more opinions on that as well. It might be possible to get them out of there still.
The only other caution is if your check engine light ends up on a lot because you decided to do nothing, it is important to check the codes regularly to make sure it hasn't thrown an additional different code that you need to address.
Cut the catalytic converter out, no real need for it anyway.
Nah. Pull the cat off, get yourself a good 4 ft long piece of metal fence post or similar.. And just bust the catalyst out of it.
Then put it back on. Visually, you wouldn't be able to tell (Other than the SES light)
Of course.. This is technically a violation of federal law, and you'll never pass emissions if they're tested in your state..
I did that with a truck that had the catalyst come loose and was rattling around..
Does anyone know what the recycle value on a cat averages? I always hear about people stealing them.. But I've never turned one in for recycling to see what the actual value is.
In my state there's no emission control (smog checks) so when the previous owner was faced with this problem she had muffler shop remove the cat and put in a straight pipe. $65 vs Hundreds. That was years ago, car still runs great but the ozone layer may not be smiling. OP, you could consider this depending on your state.
First of all, this is a 2003 Honda CRV, 189,000 miles...
I recently helped a friend out with her 2001 Accord cat.
She got a replacement Cat from Ebay for $110 ish including shipping. The cat came with a 5y warranty. Obviously not OEM quality but 5 years is still a long while.
I fitted it for her, its 3 bolts at the front and 3 at the rear. You need the special tool for the O2 sensor. Its an easy job for most DIyers. It passed the TX state inspection and runs fine.
Lots of "mechanics" claim a p0420 code is a bad cat without doing any tests because it makes them a lot more money aka $1,700. If in fact the oxygen sensors are "melted" then it sounds like the cat is getting way too hot and is indeed bad. If the oxygen sensors are simply corroted from rust that is normal because of all the water splashed underneath.
p0420 code is just a general code it could be either the cat or the oxygen sensors bad throwing that code. I've had those codes on a couple of my vehicles and simply changed the oxygen sensor and it cleared the code.
You will know if your cat is bad by looking, listening, hearing and smelling. Sometimes you might get a rotten egg smell, sometimes you might hear a rattle from the cat, sometimes you might see it glowing red hot.
Also you will know if it's plugged up because your car will be hard to start and power will dramatically decrease.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Even if it truly needed the cat which I'm not convinced it does, you could justify that repair if you're going to keep it another few years or so. 
