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Anyone Ever Tried This Trick Before?

jseabolt

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jseabolt Enthusiast

jseabolt

Posted
Posted
[url="http://www.mazdaspeedforums.org/forum/f505/p0137-cel-fix-77430/"]
[/url]That pesky PO420 error code keeps popping up . Not immedietly but I reset the code and it will go away from a week or maybe 400 miles then it comes right back.

Today I changed thermostats. Total waste of time. Temperature guage still goes just to the 1/4 mark. Wishful thinking the van was running too cold setting off the CEL. Maybe our 98 S-10 at work just runs hotter by nature (210).

Dad says the van is getting bad gas mileage (13 on the highway). But I drove the van 40 miles today around town starting with a full tank and the needle never moved.

Maybe the van just get's bad gas mileage when the check engine light is on because it goes into a rich mode? Is that possible?

I'm still getting bogus info from morons at these discount parts stores. Which is bank 1 O2 sensor? One guy says it's either one before the converter, another guy says it's the one after the converter. So installing new O2 sensors did not fix the problem. I asked the guy does this PO420 code mean the sensor is bad or something is causing the sensor to pick up on it? He said one of the sensors was bad.

On my Subie, bank 1 sensor was before the converter. I replaced that sensor and the CEL never kicked back on after resetting the code but on this van it keeps coming back like a case of herpes.

I'm not sure what's going on with this van. Wheather the converter is actually bad or what.

I found this trick on the internet. Some say it works and some says it doesn't. It involves two no foul inserts which pushes the O2 sensor away so it reads differently than the ones in front of it. Anyone ever tried this?

[url="http://www.mazdaspeedforums.org/forum/f505/p0137-cel-fix-77430/"]http://www.mazdaspeedforums.org/forum/f505...-cel-fix-77430/[/url]
txab Senior Enthusiast

txab

Posted
Posted
Bank one is drivers side of engine. If it's P0420 code for "Catalyst System Efficiency Below Threshold", then it's the post cat sensor that's throwing the code. Get the converter checked instead of throwing more money at it
98 Z71 SLT Senior Enthusiast

98 Z71 SLT

Posted
Posted
yes. p0420 is a catalyst efficiency code. you need a new cat. converter.

you already tried 2 new o-2 sensors and that did not work

there are tricks out there that deal with aftermarket-hi flo cats. trick involves moving the downstream o-2 sensor "away" from the exhaust stream, by using spark plug thread adapters. sometimes it works, sometimes not. guys are installing hi flo cats on stock powertrains, and the aftermarket cats are actually working "too well." the pcm gets confused by the extremely efficient readings on the downstream 02 sensor and sets a p0420 code. the pcm couldn't recognize these extremely "efficient" readings.

you can install a stock gm cat, but it will cost a small fortune.

head to your local muffler shop and throw a cat. converter on it
jseabolt Enthusiast

jseabolt

Posted
  • Author
Posted
[quote name='ranger952' post='1209545' date='Oct 12 2011, 09:04 AM']What octane fuel are you using? If you use the cheapest gas, I heard it can cause cat problems.[/quote]

Well 87 octane which is what the owner's manual says to use.

The distributor cap fiasco this past summer may have contributed to the cat going bad however why does the CEL kick on "randomly"? Meaning why can I drive this van 400 miles and then it kicks on. Or maybe a week.? Looks like if the cat wasn't working, it would flash the code when the engine got to normal operating temperature?

Meaning I would assume the ECU ignores any oddball readings from the O2 sensors until the system reaches normal operating temperature.

Just trying to save Dad some bucks if stacking two no foul sensors between the pipe and sensor would "fix" it.

Like I said the van runs fine and appears to get good gas mileage when the light is off but when the light is on, gas mileage goes down. I'm assuming because it goes into a rich mode?

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