First off, yes I searched. These are some lingering questions after going through 62 threads that came up in the 3G TL search I input.

So I've gotten an error code saying that the catalytic converter was operating under acceptable efficiency (hooked up a carputer to it, I didn't feel like paying $100 for the stealership to tell me something I could find out for free). This isn't entirely unexpected, as in February I had the same issue and I got a bad O2 sensor replaced. That solved the problem, but the sulfur-ish smell that was there before is back.

I don't know which cat it is (since I have been reading that there are three in the 3G TL), but these are the questions I have:

1. How can I determine which cat it is (and for as cheap as possible, paying a crapload for just diagnostics is going suck in addition to having it replaced)?
2. I see here (http://www.acuraoemparts.com/delray/...All&vinsrch=no) that these two cats are each about $400 bucks, which isn't terribly bad, but I know the third cat isn't listed on here. I hear THAT one is almost $1,000. If so, where can I find the listing for this third cat so I can price check?
3. How much should I be expecting for labor to get this done? No, I don't plan to hit the dealership. I know plenty of good mechanics that won't rip me off as much as the stealer would.

Thanks, guys. Much love.

 

It's not the 3rd cat since it's not monitored by the ECU.

The code should have shown which cat it was, either bank 1 or bank 2.

The ECU uses an 02 before each cat and after each cat (except for the 3rd cat). The first 02 is used for AF calculations for the ECU. The second 02 after the cat is compared to the first 02 and the ECU looks for a difference in the readings. If there is no difference, the cat is not working. There's always the chance that the secondary 02s are bad.

Do you notice the sulfur smell all the time or only when you're on the gas hard?

Did the code just pop up this once? If so I would wait to do anything until after you fill up at a different gas station and run a fresh tank of fuel through it. It's easy to get those symptoms from bad gas.

 

Thanks for the response, very much appreciated.

I'll have to look at the specific code again to figure out which it gave me.

I'd definitely prefer it to be an O2 sensor, so I'm definitely going in for a diagnostic. Those were relatively easy to replace in February, and a lot cheaper too.

This isn't the first time it has given me this code- as I mentioned, I got the same code in February and I replaced a bad O2 sensor and that fixed the problem. I do suspect, however, that it's the cat this time instead of a sensor. But it won't hurt to check.

I know in February the check engine light came on for a day and then it turned off, coming back on and staying lit a few weeks later. That made sense to me that it ended up being a sensor going bad. This time it came on on Thursday and hasn't gone away.

For the sulfur smell, I never really gas it (everything's 25mph around here) but instead it comes intermittently when I do use the accelerator, but only when I have airflow going into the cabin through the climate control system (not necessarily the AC being turned on). I know that's not the air filter, since I replaced it a few weeks ago with a charcoal-impregnated filter.

I thought the same thing about the fuel so I purposely let the gas go to near the bottom, so I'll be filling up on Monday and go from there with a fresh tank.

Thanks again, this has armed me with some info that will be useful to get to the bottom of this.

Any insight on the labor cost for these puppies, or anything I should know when I go get it done, in the event that I do?

 

Here's some reading and sit down when viewing the cost.

 

Isn't this an emission control device with an 8 year 160,000 warranty?

 

I don't think I understand what you mean here...

Everywhere I have read, including on this forum, says it's an 8-year/80,000 mile warranty on emission control parts (whichever comes first).

Seeing as how my TL is almost at 148,000 (I have to drive a lot for work, and I'm 2,000 miles away from my house for school so yeah...), I am WAY over the prescribed mileage for the warranty to work.

Unless, of course, there's some loophole I don't know about.

 

Guess it would help to add the thread:
https://acurazine.com/forums/3g-tl-problems-fixes-114/all-3-cats-bad-should-i-replace-oxygen-sensors-792905/

 

Update:

I went and ran the codes again so I could find out which specific cat it was. The code came back as 0420, which is the rear cat.

Now this is where it gets weird:

All the symptoms of replacing the cat are there, including the sulfur smell and the check engine light...and then last night, the next time I turned the car on to drive around, the check engine light is gone. Weird, but this has happened before (when the O2 sensor was acting funny in February).

I still plan to get it checked out because I am almost certain the problem is there, but this is just silly. The full tank of tank I put into it just before getting the code checked out may (or may not) have had something to do with it.

Any ideas on the CEL issue, or whether the gas may have done something (as mentioned by IHC)?

 

Probably rear cat as in the rear bank next to the firewall, not the 3rd cat.

 

It can come and go intermittently, but after a while will stay on once the cat is declared "dead".

Although only permissible for off-road use:
http://www.magnumtuning.com/en/detai.../Acura/TL/3.2L

Also never tried the dual non-foulers on an Acura, but they seem to work with other applications.

 

Although here in Utah we don't require the emissions inspection (northern Utah, anyway), I am graduating next year so I have to anticipate any emissions issues wherever my job takes me after I finish school. So I probably will get a new cat.

I know I asked before, but I am setting up my budget to work this in to buy the part and get it done. The part I found is just shy of $400, but if I went to a reliable mechanic, how much should I expect to pony up? I wouldn't dare take it to the dealer, since I'm far above and beyond the warranty period/mileage.