How to avoid CEL with DP

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Old Jan 23, 2015 | 02:02 PM
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How to avoid CEL with DP

Hello,
Looking into the RV6 DP w\cat. I live in an area with emissions, as such can not have any CEL's or I don't get my plates.

Is the only way to avoid a CEL to get a fouler showed on their site?

Will the base reflash from Hondata + DP throw a CEL?

Thanks ya'll..
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Old Jan 23, 2015 | 02:10 PM
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i thought the defouler comes with the DP? no?

and yes, you'll need to angle the defouler in such a position to where it doesnt throw a code.
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Old Jan 23, 2015 | 02:20 PM
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Originally Posted by justnspace
i thought the defouler comes with the DP? no?
It does.. but I am looking to tune the ECU in order for it to run without a CEL or a fouler?
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Old Jan 23, 2015 | 02:21 PM
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What about this?>

http://www.ebay.com/itm/2007-2012-Acura-RDX-2-3L-Front-Magnaflow-Direct-Fit-Catalytic-Converter-Exhaust-/271735998822?pt=Motors_Car_Truck_Parts_Accessories&hash=item3f44ba4966&vxp=mtr
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Old Jan 23, 2015 | 02:22 PM
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ahhh, i didnt read the second part of your question.

Im not familiar with hondata, maybe there are parameters to where you can turn off CHECK ENGINE LIGHTS.
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Old Jan 23, 2015 | 02:28 PM
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Originally Posted by justnspace
Im not familiar with hondata, maybe there are parameters to where you can turn off CHECK ENGINE LIGHTS.
I think I have read you can.. but looking to see if you can get the system tuned to run without CEL?
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Old Jan 23, 2015 | 02:37 PM
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Not sure about that ebay DP, but a common one is the RV6 DP. And hondata is slow playing with the RDX as far as tuning goes, we are very limited to what we can do. (turning off sensor)

Pics of the downpipe:

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Old Jan 23, 2015 | 02:39 PM
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^ahh, so you do have to rely on the defoulers, jake.
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Old Jan 23, 2015 | 02:40 PM
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also the ebay linked one is the exact same thing as the OEM. except magna flow branded.....
the ad says magnaflow copied OEM exactly....

so, probably not so great gains
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Old Jan 23, 2015 | 02:45 PM
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Originally Posted by justnspace
^ahh, so you do have to rely on the defoulers, jake.
Yea, but it didn't help with check engine. Maybe it was the combination of things to (DP, No cat, 3 inch Open exhaust).
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Old Jan 23, 2015 | 02:46 PM
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Originally Posted by justnspace
also the ebay linked one is the exact same thing as the OEM. except magna flow branded.....
the ad says magnaflow copied OEM exactly....

so, probably not so great gains
And yes, this DP is about the same specifications as OEM. The RV6 is a 4inch-to-3inch.
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Old Jan 23, 2015 | 02:49 PM
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Originally Posted by KenB350z
And yes, this DP is about the same specifications as OEM. The RV6 is a 4inch-to-3inch.
no no, i meant the ebay linked one.
it has a cat.

so, probably no gains, although it would solve the cel.



and on my v6 TL , i had to re-position the defoulers SEVERAL different times so that the CEL wouldnt come on.
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Old Jan 23, 2015 | 02:49 PM
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Originally Posted by KenB350z
Not sure about that ebay DP, but a common one is the RV6 DP. And hondata is slow playing with the RDX as far as tuning goes, we are very limited to what we can do. (turning off sensor)
I see.. so all you do to avoid a CEL is turn off the sensor through Hondata Flashpro?

Thanks for the pics man.. that think looks sexy!

Its a shame you never see it.. but I guess better to feel it!

This is the one i was looking into!

RV6 Performance | RDX 07-12 Downpipe
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Old Jan 23, 2015 | 02:52 PM
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Originally Posted by justnspace
no no, i meant the ebay linked one.
it has a cat.

so, probably no gains, although it would solve the cel.



and on my v6, i had to re-position the defoulers SEVERAL different times so that the CEL wouldnt come on.
Yea, I was referring to that ebay one. Which looks a lot like a stock DP; however, I think the member is trying to get a performance DP without trigging the CEL. Which to my knowledge is unpreventable at this time.
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Old Jan 23, 2015 | 02:53 PM
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Originally Posted by justnspace
also the ebay linked one is the exact same thing as the OEM. except magna flow branded.....
the ad says magnaflow copied OEM exactly....

so, probably not so great gains
True.. but this one looks MUCH better as far as flow then the factory one..
Look at how restrictive the OEM one looks..

https://acurazine.com/forums/perform...totype-879252/
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Old Jan 23, 2015 | 02:54 PM
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Originally Posted by GSJake
I see.. so all you do to avoid a CEL is turn off the sensor through Hondata Flashpro?

Thanks for the pics man.. that think looks sexy!

Its a shame you never see it.. but I guess better to feel it!

This is the one i was looking into!

RV6 Performance | RDX 07-12 Downpipe
Nice, one with the black coating.
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Old Jan 23, 2015 | 02:55 PM
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Originally Posted by KenB350z
Yea, I was referring to that ebay one. Which looks a lot like a stock DP; however, I think the member is trying to get a performance DP without trigging the CEL. Which to my knowledge is unpreventable at this time.
Yes Ken this is EXACTLY what I am after.. I want the gains but NO CEL or fouler to "fake" it.
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Old Jan 23, 2015 | 02:55 PM
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Originally Posted by GSJake
I see.. so all you do to avoid a CEL is turn off the sensor through Hondata Flashpro?

Thanks for the pics man.. that think looks sexy!

Its a shame you never see it.. but I guess better to feel it!

This is the one i was looking into!

RV6 Performance | RDX 07-12 Downpipe
I think if you just get the DP and not a crazy exhaust, you should be fine.
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Old Jan 23, 2015 | 02:56 PM
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Originally Posted by KenB350z
Yea, I was referring to that ebay one. Which looks a lot like a stock DP; however, I think the member is trying to get a performance DP without trigging the CEL. Which to my knowledge is unpreventable at this time.
cool, we're on the same page.
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Old Jan 23, 2015 | 02:56 PM
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Originally Posted by KenB350z
Nice, one with the black coating.
Yep.. looks super slick.. I'm not into gold that much but the gold flex pipe sets it off!!
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Old Jan 23, 2015 | 02:57 PM
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Originally Posted by KenB350z
I think if you just get the DP and not a crazy exhaust, you should be fine.
Looking into the DP and the ATLP exhaust..
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Old Jan 23, 2015 | 02:58 PM
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Originally Posted by GSJake
Yes Ken this is EXACTLY what I am after.. I want the gains but NO CEL or fouler to "fake" it.

I would wait on the DP then, and would go with the flashpro and some injectors. Because I don't want you to get the downpipe and a CEL pop up. Currently we are waiting for Hondata to do something about our flashpro tuning capabilities.
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Old Jan 23, 2015 | 02:59 PM
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Originally Posted by justnspace
cool, we're on the same page.
YEssir.
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Old Jan 23, 2015 | 03:05 PM
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defoulers are there in order to "fake it"

or else the 02 sensors will be seeing lean/rich conditions....which triggers the code.
nothing wrong with extending the 02 sensor so that its outside of the oxygen stream

but what im gathering is that it might not work on the RDX...
as stated, i had to angle mine in different positions in order to get the CEL to go away
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Old Jan 23, 2015 | 04:49 PM
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Nope, we are still waiting for further notice from Hondata. I'm sure some cars and pull this off, but with all the sensors running in and out of our exhaust, turbo, and intercooler it's hard to trick.
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Old Jan 23, 2015 | 06:24 PM
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Originally Posted by KenB350z
Yea, but it didn't help with check engine. Maybe it was the combination of things to (DP, No cat, 3 inch Open exhaust).
No cat will throw a code if there is a sensor in the cat that you deleted with the cat.
My DP didnt throw a CEL. No defouler used. This is not and RDX though.

Anything after the cat wont throw a code, so the 3in open exhaust wouldnt matter.

There is a sensor around most cats and another sensor before most cats. Meaning one around the DP and a second around the CAT. This is true in my ILX anyway. Hope that helps a little.
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Old Jan 23, 2015 | 06:54 PM
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Originally Posted by usdmJON
No cat will throw a code if there is a sensor in the cat that you deleted with the cat.
My DP didnt throw a CEL. No defouler used. This is not and RDX though.

Anything after the cat wont throw a code, so the 3in open exhaust wouldnt matter.

There is a sensor around most cats and another sensor before most cats. Meaning one around the DP and a second around the CAT. This is true in my ILX anyway. Hope that helps a little.
Aside from the ILX, the RDX has two sensors on our downpipe/cat. And they made the turbo engine more complicated then it should be. The sensors after the DP/cat was turned off; however, the first one still catches it.
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Old Jan 23, 2015 | 07:02 PM
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My CEL could be coming from anywhere, as mine is nowhere close to being stock.

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Old Jan 26, 2015 | 02:41 PM
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So the RDX, like many modern cars, has two O2 sensors. The primary (pre-cat) is a wideband which measures the actual air/fuel ratio in order to make minor adjustments to the fuel trims in real-time. The 2nd one is after the cat, and is a narrowband that exists solely to measure the performance (or presence) of the cat. Obviously you don't want to mess with the first one.

In my experience (albeit with other cars, not the RDX, but the OBDII set-up is pretty standard), it is fairly easy to have the engine not report the P0420 code (cat inefficiency). BUT, internal emissions code checks will always report it as a "NOT READY", and while this doesn't trigger a CEL, it does cause you to fail emissions if they read you via the OBI port.

Some cars (for sure many 90's / early 00's GM's) allow you to tell the ECU to always report P0420 as OK. So, you're not disabling the sensor, you're actually telling the computer that the sensor is always working fine (even if it's not there). Back in the day I got my old Cavalier through emissions this way when the cat failed. On my previous car this was impossible, and I used a defouler...with limited success.
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Old Jan 26, 2015 | 07:49 PM
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Originally Posted by justnspace
defoulers are there in order to "fake it"

or else the 02 sensors will be seeing lean/rich conditions....which triggers the code.
nothing wrong with extending the 02 sensor so that its outside of the oxygen stream

but what im gathering is that it might not work on the RDX...
as stated, i had to angle mine in different positions in order to get the CEL to go away
Some of our customers with TSXs have this issue as well. A lot of times adding a second defouler solves it, or helps!:

Fastline Performance Spark Plug / O2 Sensor Defouler, Universal Honda/Acura - HeelToe Automotive



Also adding some material to block the opening helps as well. The TSXs need just 1/16" of a hole. Any larger and the light comes on.
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Old Jan 27, 2015 | 12:15 AM
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No sure about that, I have two on both.
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Old Jan 27, 2015 | 07:22 AM
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Ok....Guys this has been so called 'solved' a long time ago by a few people. But the trick is that the secondary O2 location has to be moved further down on the dp or even onto the next adjoining pipe. An extension harness had to be purchased in order to connect to the factory plug. As far as I can remember, guys that did this had no more check light issues. A fouler was also used in the new location.
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Old Jan 27, 2015 | 10:12 AM
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so do people still get cel's with the rv-6 dp with there included de-fouler?
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Old Jan 27, 2015 | 02:33 PM
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Let me clarify.. I want to know if you can plug in directly the 02 sensor Pre and Post Catalytic Converter with the RV6 DP and then TUNE it to work with the senors in an acceptable range not to cause a CEL.

NO fouler. NO disabling the sensors.
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Old Jan 27, 2015 | 03:16 PM
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Originally Posted by wspy
Ok....Guys this has been so called 'solved' a long time ago by a few people. But the trick is that the secondary O2 location has to be moved further down on the dp or even onto the next adjoining pipe. An extension harness had to be purchased in order to connect to the factory plug. As far as I can remember, guys that did this had no more check light issues. A fouler was also used in the new location.

Not sure how true that is. Haven't heard from those guys in a while. Most people, like myself with flashpro turn off the secondary 02.
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Old Jan 28, 2015 | 06:41 AM
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Trust me bro.... This was like 2 years ago.....before the FlashPro.
Its good to know that you are able to just turn off the the secondary O2 with the FlashPro though.
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Old Jan 28, 2015 | 09:51 AM
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Originally Posted by GSJake
Let me clarify.. I want to know if you can plug in directly the 02 sensor Pre and Post Catalytic Converter with the RV6 DP and then TUNE it to work with the senors in an acceptable range not to cause a CEL.

NO fouler. NO disabling the sensors.
Negative. No amount of tuning can compensate for the lack of an exhaust catalyst. Computers cannot change the chemical composition of gasoline.

If you get the DP, you will have to:

1. Install the de-fouler and hope it works (moving O2 further downstream can help, as noted above)
OR
2. Find a way to disable / deactivate the sensor in a way that still allows you to pass emissions (if your state checks via OBDII, simply deactivating the sensor may not be enough...if the car's emissions self-check never goes into ready state it's as much a fail as having an active CEL)
OR
3. Live with a constant CEL - and perhaps swap the DP out every 1-2 years with stock to pass emissions as needed.

On my old car I could swap it in 45 mins, so that's the route I took. This car...looks slightly more complicated. But then again I haven't tried it, so maybe it's easier than it seems.
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Old Jan 28, 2015 | 10:10 AM
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Originally Posted by KenB350z
. Most people, like myself with flashpro turn off the secondary 02.
Just curious, have you checked the OBDII monitors to see if the catalyst efficiency monitor is reporting as ready or not ready? I'm very curious to see if by disabling the sensor you are truly eliminating the issue or just hiding it. In some places that doesn't matter, but for Phoenix emissions, if the monitor reads as "not ready", it'll still fail even if there is no CEL.
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Old Jan 28, 2015 | 10:24 AM
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Originally Posted by Tomtwtwtw
Negative. No amount of tuning can compensate for the lack of an exhaust catalyst. Computers cannot change the chemical composition of gasoline.
So essentially its the fault of the high efficiency cat that is the issue, not the larger diameter piping?

So for conversation purposes if RV6 added a factory cat between the pre\post 02's then it would go to a "ready state" and perform as normal?
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Old Jan 28, 2015 | 01:12 PM
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Originally Posted by GSJake
Hello,
Looking into the RV6 DP w\cat. I live in an area with emissions, as such can not have any CEL's or I don't get my plates.

Is the only way to avoid a CEL to get a fouler showed on their site?

Will the base reflash from Hondata + DP throw a CEL?

Thanks ya'll..
The downpipe comes with a properly sized defouler and I've never heard of anyone getting a CEL.

Our test RDX had a Hondata reflash. No problems at all.

That is just a OE replacement you wont gain any power from it.

Originally Posted by GSJake
Let me clarify.. I want to know if you can plug in directly the 02 sensor Pre and Post Catalytic Converter with the RV6 DP and then TUNE it to work with the senors in an acceptable range not to cause a CEL.

NO fouler. NO disabling the sensors.
Basically the gains come from removing the highly restrictive precat. The secondary O2 sensors job is to make sure that highly restrictive precat is working. There is no way to remove it or replace it with a high flow cat and keep the sensor happy without tampering of some way.

The defouler works just fine. We've sold 50+ downpipes in the last year.

Originally Posted by rdxchris710
so do people still get cel's with the rv-6 dp with there included de-fouler?
I have never heard of anyone getting a CEL with the RDX. The defouler can also be adjusted if you do get a CEL.

Originally Posted by GSJake
So essentially its the fault of the high efficiency cat that is the issue, not the larger diameter piping?

So for conversation purposes if RV6 added a factory cat between the pre\post 02's then it would go to a "ready state" and perform as normal?
That would defeat the whole purpose of getting a performance downpipe. The defouler will allow the ECU to reach a ready state.
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