Hi all, I am test driving on loan from the used dealer a 99 TL. Had a couple of questions. The car has just over 200k miles but is in excellent condition. Drives smooth nice leather interior straight body and I really like it. However, there is a check engine/system maint reqd light on. I asked why it was on and they did a scan. Said it was a bad catalytic converter. My question is, is it safe to drive the car for now? It seems to drive ok. Thanks.

 

welcome- the 99 is a fairly reliable car- transmission wise compared to later years but its 4 speed cannot be as readily replaced and cant be swapped into a 5 speed

Mait Req light is simply an oil change reminder, you reset it manually and at 6500 miles it starts flashing at startup- at 7500 is stays on solid until you reset it

A CEL with codes for cat may be cat- BUT codes are clues - not a diagnosis in themselves
Its hard to wear ours out and begs the question of how this car has been run-
At 200kmiles is needs a full 105kmile service- that's timing belt water pump valve adjustment and lots more at 200, can you DIY much?
otherwise expect to spend an easy 2 grand on getting it up to fully reliable

how long the cat has been bad- and what effect it had on the O2 sensors effect your buying decision

How much are they asking and how much extra cash and time- ability to work on the car- do you have. More than 2 grand,,,,ehhhh....
They all have leather and power everything

Driving a car with a clogged cat can result in engine backpressure and explosive damage!!
DO NOT DRIVE-
it may have the cat gutted for racing- how does it run and sound?
When you drove it so far = a clogged cat will smell like rotten eggs and limit RPM

 

a good running TL will push you back in the seat as it reaches ~4500 rpm till redline it goes into VTEC mode- with full throttle
that boost the power engine makes but eats fuel rapidly

 

Thanks for the welcome. As far as the drive and sound, its sounds good for a 200k car. I would not have even know about the cats, had it not been for the sys maint light. No smell of rotten eggs. It was a trade in. My sister works admin at this particular dealership so I got the hookup. The dealership wants $1850 for the car. The car was well maintained. All factory parts as far as I can tell, so I don't think the car was raced or modified to race. If I do purchase this car, I need to know where I can get a hold of a scanner for pulling future codes on this car. Also, I don't have owners manual and was wondering about the fuel recommendation. Thanks Again.

 

Most any local auto parts store will read the CEL codes for free. Once ya get the codes, post them on here and we may be able to help ya. Sometimes it's just a faulty 02 sensor. Less than $100 for the Denso oem part. Premium fuel is required for optimum performance.

Check things like the tranny fluid condition. The '99 TL's with the 4 speed are more durable than the newer '00 and up models with the problematic 5 speed AT. Things like the EGR system and T-belt servicing may need addressed if not recently done. Valve adjustment and new NGK plugs will help at the time.

The asking price seems fair enough if the car drives and looks good. If you're not into "DIY" repairs, try to have the dealer verify the T-belt condition. Figure on $200 for the T-belt component kit and another $200 to install it. Drain & fill the tranny with new Honda DW1 fluid. Clean the TB intake and EGR passageways. So, for about $500-$1000 you can have a better operating car. But, the suspension and steering parts will also need to be checked for wear. The stuff all adds up at the end of the day.

 

I will bet it needs the 105/200 tbelt service with EVERY possible part replaced with it, all fluids flushed plus whatever damage caused by not flushing it destroyed steering rack, needs a brake caliper or 2 and new pads, 4 shocks yadayada

Cannot imagine where you find the COMPLETE tbelt kit for 200, and what state has labor rate so low you can do the tbelt wp job for 200$?

the full tbelt parts kit is 350 plus average shop gets 5 to 8 hours labor, plus a few more for valve adjust and a few for the intake manifold cleaning

Do you have the extra 2-3 grand its going to take to make this a solid reliable car??

P.S. a sales place should have already ckd that light and know for sure about the cat or whats needed, they are trying to off this one fast!

 

harbor freight tools always has the scanner- often on sale for 80 -100 dollars

 

Thanks for all the info. Will take all into consideration. I now know if I do purchase the vehicle I have a knowledgeable community to post with questions or concerns. :-)


Oh, and by the way there is a AZ down the street from me. I will get code and post.

 

beware the 99 trans is a hard thing to find a replacement for when/if ever needed

 

So I got a chance to check the code on my way from work this evening at the local AZ. The code is PO420. The guy from AZ recommended I have the dealer take care of it, because they can run anywhere between $100-$500. The dealership wants $500 installed I am guessing that's oem. So here is a question that I have. I have been looking online at some aftermarket performance parts that claim to be free flowing and more efficient I.E. magnaflow. What is the general cost for installation from a place non dealer? Thanks.

 

P0420 = Catalytic System Efficiency Below Threshold

~ Make sure that the car's motor is freshly tuned up and is operating properly
~ Check the secondary O2 sensor, may be causing intermittent false readings
~ Try running a top quality premium fuel with some "Seafoam" fuel system cleaner
~ Have a specialty exhaust shop give ya a second opinion on if it's a faulty cat

 

the cats are easy/its just bolts, to replace
don't need OE or performance,
but if you really need that extra reason to use heavy throttle
Call our sponsor Excelerate- (see post in the black market -sponsored sales threads) Josh has something for every need = that will work right in our car
He is on the east coast

another great place is MrHeelToe= marcus is the west coast hookup

IMO one-half hour labor is the max acceptable charge at a muffler shop
acura is no expert on changing a 15 year old cat- a regular muffler shop does it every day