mcsully

Hey guys.. I need some help and figure this is the best way to get my question answered correctly and honestly.

About 6-7 weeks ago my engine light came on. Per some helpful advise from a coworker, I went to AUTOZONE and had them perform a free diagnostic. They informed me (in general terms) there was an issue with my emissions. I was advised to replace my gas cap and they will reset/remove the engine light.
Everything was good for about 4-5 weeks and in the past 2 weeks it came back on. At first I thought it was my new gas cap because I dropped it while filling my gas tank. About 1 hr later, on a drive to work, my light came on and I was like "damn I broke it". So I went to AUTOZONE again and replaced the cap and they reset the light. Oh yea, I put in some gas treatment into the engine. Well this time it only worked for about 2 days. So I decided to bring it into a dealership to use their experience to give me a definite answer.. Well $100.25 later, I was informed it "POSSIBLY" could be my CAT. CONVERTOR. I'm upset because they couldn’t give me a straight answer. They reset all the lights, and "cleaned" the memory and I was informed "IF RETURNS... VEHICLE WILL NEED CAT. CONVERTOR. " and the price I just paid to have it diagnosed wont' go towards the upcoming bill (estimated @ $850).

So my questions are:
(1) I don't notice any difference driving the car, should I worry?
(2) $850 is a lot for me right now because my fiancée and I are saving for our wedding. Where would you recommend I bring my car for the repair?
(3) Will it hurt my overall life of my car if I don't get the repair?
(4) anything else about previous experiences with Cat Converters would be great.



Thanks everyone who took time to read this and even greater thanks to the people that can help me out.

fla-tls

What was the actual code they got from the computer? It sounds more like an O2 sensor going out. It's pretty common in a lot of cars. FYI - there is one before and after the catalytic converter, so that may be why they are pointing to the cat.

Probably an O2 sensor. Definitely get a 2nd opinion.

orcaatk

You may also want to get your cat tested. Most places just look at codes and start replacing parts - that's probably why they aren't saying "IT IS" the cat. I'm not sure how much a test is ($30??) but if you can save $850 on a cat and actually find the part(s) that are giving your problems, you'll probably save a lot of $$$. Just my two cents....

mcsully

I brought it to a Dealership and they said if the light comes back on, it is the Cat. Now I'm being told unless they take it apart, they really can't test it.
So should they have taken it off my car and tested that part seperately?

fla-tls

Isn't our Federal emissions equipment supposed to have a VERY long warranty? (beyond 4/50?)

I don't have a manual handy, so I can't look it up. It's that cat, maybe the dealer will replace it under warranty?

orcaatk

Good point, I think the cat is good for 8 years/100K right??? Does anyone know for sure?

And yeah, I would ask another shop about getting the cat tested. The dealer could just be lazy and want to toss parts at you vs taking the time to figure out what’s going on.

Storm Shadow

Or go to an independent shop that is trustworthy and let them pull the code. Don't tell them what the dealer told you and see if their answers jive.

The fact that it has come back on twice since being reset confirms that something is wrong though.

fla-tls

I just looked it up in the manual. The cat is covered by an 8 year, 80k warranty.

Hope this helps!

EddieXo

umm or you can buy a high flow cat for me and ill ship you my stock one hahahahaha

mcsully

thanks guys for your help so far but unfortunately I have 102,000 miles on the car as of right now.. I brought my car to AUTOZONE and along with them, had a friend check the code before I brought it in to the dealership. The code read something reguarding LOW EMISSIONS FROM CAT CONV (general terms). That is why I brought it into the dealer to find out more about the issue, but they weren't any help.

Should I be worrying about the overall health of my car?

fla-tls

That whole setup is used to determine the fuel/air mixture your engine's running. If the cat is not working correctly you could end up running too rich or lean. To rich, you use too much gas, to lean and you can harm the engine.

You might consider looking for a universal cat. They are much cheaper, but I don't know how they perform on our cars. I seem to recall some other threads about that...

Another possibility is a junk yard. Find one with low mileage and yank that baby!

-edit-

FYI - I was reading and found that a major O2 sensor manufacturer recommended replacing the O2 sensors every 50k miles. I have personally had them fail around that time period in prior cars. Perhaps it could be that both have failed in some manner and the computer is reading a bat cat?

All of these components (O2 sensors and cats) can be tested.

fla-tls

I was thinking... Perhaps you should take the car to a place that specialized in exhaust components - a place that can test those components individually outside of the car (as long as it's not cost prohibitive).

Just looking at computer codes might not give the real answer here, and you sure don't want to fund somebody's "lets keep replacing parts until the light goes out" learning curve.

stardust

Just get a high flow cat it should'nt cost more than $200

mcsully

My warranty just ran out. So I'm going to have to go a different route.
Where could I pick one (high flow cat ) up? And will this effect my cars performance in any way?
oh should I not be driving the car if the Cat Conv isn't working right? Or do I hold off until inspection time?

fsttyms1

fla-tls gave you abunch of options, and answers. i too would check into a exhaust shop. that and have the O2 sensor checked. that may be bad and is what s giving the false readings