• Welcome to the Contour Enthusiasts Group, the best resource for the Ford Contour and Mercury Mystique.

    You can register to join the community.

Clogged up Cats on 99 SVT...where to get

getsum111 said:
Well, the car will run better, and sound sexy as all get out. :laugh:
Seriously, I had the same issues (clogged precats), called Marty at MSDS, and got a set of headers. Much cheaper than buying new manifolds, with a performance gain to boot.
Click to expand...

If i were to do headers, i'd like to spend as little money as possible, do i need to replace anything else, y-pipe blah blah blah?
 
No. If you use the MSDS, you can use the stock y-pipe. You will need MIL eliminators to prevent a CEL, but I paid $20 for mine, and you can make them for about $5, search under "making MIL". You can probably re-use your stock studs/nuts, so that will save you more $$. I think I got away with under $350 for mine, not counting the time I took to install them. Now, it is not the easiest job to do, but it is definitley doable, esp. if you read the how-to under the FAQ's under the Duratec performance forum. My first time took a while, as I took my time. When we did TeamSVTtour's, we got it done in a weekend. Several others could probably do it in less time. Read up, then check back with any ???:cool:
 
Ok,

Does the ECU with the P0420 going make the car have poorer gas mileage?

I mean, does the ECU make the engine consume more gas to make up for the faulty equipment?

hmm...just a question that popped in my head.
 
I'm by no means an expert on the ECU, but I would imagine that almost any CEL will cause the ECU to adjust to compensate, thus affecting milage. If your cat is clogged, I think the engine would have to work harder to push the exhaust gases through the "honeycomb" inside the cat. Same principle as going with a freeer flowing exhaust will nominally increase mileage (assuming you keep you foot off it :laugh: )
 
I could tell no difference on mine when the CEL was on with those codes. Performance remained the same and fuel economy did not drop off. Not all codes will force a "limp" mode.

Turning the light off made no difference either.
 
Big Jim said:
I could tell no difference on mine when the CEL was on with those codes. Performance remained the same and fuel economy did not drop off. Not all codes will force a "limp" mode.

Turning the light off made no difference either.
Click to expand...

Could it be that Jim's cats weren't quite "as clogged", hence triggering the CEL, but not yet affecting milage? :shrug: Just a guess.
 
I know CEGers have lost 5-10hp with a CE light. I can tell the car runs very rich too. Maybe it is code dependent though. I know when I recieve one I deal with it promptly.
 
And I usually do as well. As I posted a few years ago my car was plagued with a 420 or 430 code from time to time. The first time was when the car was slightly beyond the California 7/70 cat warranty. I checked the code immediately and turned off the CEL and continued using the car. Since then one or the other of the codes occasionally returned. Sometimes as often as every six months, sometimes a year or two would pass. During that time at least once I allowed the light to stay on a week or so before dealing with it.

About two years ago I got a code for the bank one upstream oxygen sensor. I cleared the code and it returned in a few miles. I ordered and replaced both upstream oxygen sensors. I have not had a 420 or 430 code since. I'm not sure what that is telling me, but it reinforces the concept that a lazy upstream sensor can contribute to setting inefficient cat codes.

It was the one or two times that it took me a week or so to deal with the light that I base my comment about no difference in performance or fuel consumption on.
 
naujcdl said:
They tried every way to get me under the warranty bu the damn thing ran out back in may the 3rd...wth.
Click to expand...

Did they tell you that May 3rd was the build date for your car? Or, did they tell you that was the date it was actually sold and put into service?
It is the sold/put into service date that starts the 8yr/80,000 mile federal emission warranty.

My daughter had P0420/P0430 on her SE, she was jerked around by three dealerships that said her pre-cats were bad. They were going to cover it under warranty and then said, at the last minute, that it was the DPFE sensor. Two weeks after getting the DPFE changed those codes came back.
Tired of messing with dealerships, we installed MSDS headers on her car with MIL eliminators.... no more P0420/P0430.

I have the P0420 code on the black SVT that I just picked up. The previous owner told me that the dealership diagnosed it as a bad main cat. MSDS headers are here as well as a high flow cat from Trubendz (http://www.trubendz.com/home.asp?pr...uctfor=cougar_testpipe&pagetype=productIndex). Both will be going on shortly along with MIL eliminators.

Maybe some of that helps you?

getsum111 said:
Now, it is not the easiest job to do, but it is definitley doable, esp. if you read the how-to under the FAQ's under the Duratec performance forum. My first time took a while, as I took my time. When we did TeamSVTtour's, we got it done in a weekend. Several others could probably do it in less time. Read up, then check back with any ???:cool:
Click to expand...

I always know when Scott is doing a header install because my cell phone starts ringing. :laugh:
Seems that's the only time he calls me. :shrug: :(
 
Bringing this guy back from the not so dead, hehe.

So recently i discovered that putting higher grade into the SVT does help as far as how it runs, mileage, engine output and such and not having a heavy foot, let's say.

Also, it has been one week, with two tanks of gas (i drive quite a bit) and i cleared the P0420 code and it has not come back...note this: previously, even during the fall it would come back right away, maybe three days tops.

Besides the fact of not making such a big deal out of it, i would like to say that studying these gas/driving style/maintenance on the car does help me see what is/could be wrong with it.

Lastly, I am contemplating the idea of headers, more on getting them, BUT until i do i will monitor this code situation and find out what i have gone through for others to see and perhaps use this thread with other threads to troubleshoot this matter.

Thanks to all.
 
I think if you just picked up a set of MIL eliminators (as long as your car still runs good and doesn't noticeably lack any power) it would take care of your engine code. That option gets my vote anyhow :cool:
 
Redlineracer12 said:
I think if you just picked up a set of MIL eliminators (as long as your car still runs good and doesn't noticeably lack any power) it would take care of your engine code. That option gets my vote anyhow :cool:
Click to expand...

I replaced them all already, not even 6 months old, but i have to see what is next.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top