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Worst case scenario you will have to remove and clean clogged converter. It is illegal and some day SWAT team will come to your house, throw in your window tear gas grenades, run in and arrest everybody including cats and dogs. Don't worry about cats, they will not get prison time, they will be witnesses in your case.
lol
too true!!
unfortunately the car is not worth the cost to remove the engine to get the cat out.
if the cat was easily removable i wouldnt hesitate.
if i was able to remove the engine i would...but i cant
it drives fine with no other codes so my main purpose for getting rid if the code is for my inspection (mot)
which is now due
you know you could have spent $25 on a 02 sensor extender and been done already. I have used these for years and never failed to fix.
lol...as i said earlier...im trying the free and available right now options as i leave state tmrw and will be on the road for some time.
but i know its too early to tell but i may have fixed it, proper fixed not band aided.
i.e fixed the bank 1 cat.
i just drove for 30 minutes or 40 miles...and no MIL yet, the furthest i drove so far with these band aid fixes has been 15 miles.
downshifted at 70 mph up to 4500 rpm and she moved like a bat outta hell and soooo smooth!
car is driving better than ever.
if it works...which i think it will....i'll post back.
Oh okay cause i have never fixed a cat code with a 02 sensor. If your 02 sensor is slow to respond or lazy you will get a code for that. Not to mention you can monitor the trace patterns and tell.
A p0420, p0430 is for a cat the doesnt clean the exhaust enough as read between the upstream and downstream o2 sensors. If i go in and change the threashold for cat efficiency in the ecu with software say from 90% to 80% is that a band aid? No. Its all a federal guideline, if i do the same mechanically its not a band aid either. A band aid is wrapping duct tape around a leaking coolant hose and leaving the reservoir cap loose.
so far, yes...i'll do a third treatment tmrw with the last 1/3 of the can, then i'll be driving for a couple hours.
im using the spray can style not the pouring can so i can spray it into the hole...very easy to do.
if you try it. be careful where and when as it will cause a huge amount of smoke out the tailpipes for a good few minutes.
do you have a pic of which 02 sensor you pulled out to help other members
i'll be updating this soon when its finally resolved.
i was able to go 250 miles and the 420 came back. i think with another dose it should be cured.
i did check my monitors at about 180 miles and 5/6 had cleared, so technically i was able to pass an emissions test as a car can be passed with 1 monitor not ready and MIL off.
im 70% sure i can eliminate the 420 without a fouler plug.
i'll post pic later but bank 1 upsteam sensor is the one to access
I used spray seafoam and liquid seafoam in the upstream O2 sensor hole. The I drove 40 miles and cleared the code. It has been clear for a month so far. The misfire causes a lot of gunk to cover the substrate in the cat, which causes the code. Or at least that is what I think happened to me.
the initial treatments did not work so i followed others and just poured in half a can of seafoam via a funnel in the upstream bung.
let it soak for 20mins
the smoke cloud was omg insane!!! and prefty much blocked any sight of the road...this can only be done on a back road!!!...100% more smoke than pouring through the intake.
i'll see if this works.
I now have...though not installed....a new downsteam 02 sensor and the famous big daddy mini cat.
if this application of seafoam doen't work then i'll try the mini cat
a 420 is already set as a pending code so decided to go ahead and install the mini cat and new 02 in the downstream bung as im already overdue for inspection (mot).
i'll update in a couple of days
tip of the downstream 02 sensor is pretty beat up
this is really sucking now!
got all monitors to clear, no codes, no pending codes...now it threw this code at me...P2A01 with a check engine light...and now it keeps coming back.
