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I dont understand this code my car threw

S

Sick2000Svt

CEG'er
Joined
May 28, 2008
Messages
127
Went to the gas station (WAWA) yester day and filled up with 92 octane i have driven about 90 miles from then and on my way home the check engine light came on and i pulled the codes with my code reader they are codes= PO 0430 & PO 0420 my book says Catalyst system efficiency below threshhold bank1 & bank 2 ........ does this mean i got some crap gas or that my cats need to be replaced? my car has 96,xxx miles not sure if that helps... any info would be really apprectiated thanks :help:
 
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depends. clean the codes and see if they come back and when. also see what happens with a different tank of gas.

normally if they appear by themselves they are real and are for the pre-cats.
 
ok cool thats what i will do i just went to the parts store and they told me 704.95 for one of the cats and 225 for the other lol i hope it is bad gas lol...... i could probly get aftermarket exhaust for that price right?
 
Sick2000Svt said:
ok cool thats what i will do i just went to the parts store and they told me 704.95 for one of the cats and 225 for the other lol i hope it is bad gas lol...... i could probly get aftermarket exhaust for that price right?
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Install mileliminators for $30 and be done with it.
From M&M how to.
http://www.contour.org/ceg-vb/forumdisplay.php?f=56

Edit. Maybe that get together you were talking about should be a maintenance meet at King George. :)
 
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hey thats a good idea! i am kinda new to these cars so any pointers would be helpful thanks bro.... this is definitly the sweetest ride ive had tho:drool:
 
realize that if your cats TRULY are failed (clogged) then mil-eliminators will only trick the PCM in to thinking they work functionally, and not throw a code (allowing inspection pass, and not running incredibly rich due to a hard code being thrown). They don't (the mil eliminators) "fix" the clog itself, and thus you will STILL have a performance loss, horsepower will be down, etc.

This is if your cats are ACTUALLY clogged, and it isn't just bad gas.
 
so could i get away with gutting the cats and then puttin the mileliminators on and pass inspection?
 
Sick2000Svt said:
so could i get away with gutting the cats and then puttin the mileliminators on and pass inspection?
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Yes. But I have posted in the past and I will post again. If the precats are not blocked (clogged, or plugged), don't waste time gutting it. It might earn you a few horsepower, but at 200 hp, another 3 or so won't make much difference on your daily driving. Now, on the track, well, that's a different story......

Edit. If you gut the precats (or cats), make sure the inspector does not know. You better have a great reason for the extra loud exhaust. Or they could just force you to install new precats or cats.
 
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right... ok i see so hopefully its the gas but should i wait to see if it throws the codes again before i would get the mils? lol i should have looked back on this thread before i sent you a pm.... my bad lol:laugh:
 
Sick2000Svt said:
right... ok i see so hopefully its the gas but should i wait to see if it throws the codes again before i would get the mils? lol i should have looked back on this thread before i sent you a pm.... my bad lol:laugh:
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Yeah, give me a break. My fingers can't type as fast as I would like to. :laugh:

You will eventually get the 420/430 codes. Getting the mileliminators ahead of time is just $30 investment ahead of time.
 
As a clarification: Gutting the cats will not GAIN you anything. If the cats are in fact clogged, gutting them will return you to STOCK performance.
 
zorrex said:
As a clarification: Gutting the cats will not GAIN you anything. If the cats are in fact clogged, gutting them will return you to STOCK performance.
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I don't agree. The new cat or precat on a new vehicle will cause the engine to lose power as opposed to not having them. So a brand new Stock vehicle will stand to gain a few hp if the precats or cats are removed.
 
Tony2005 said:
Yeah, give me a break. My fingers can't type as fast as I would like to. :laugh:

You will eventually get the 420/430 codes. Getting the mileliminators ahead of time is just $30 investment ahead of time.
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LOL your fingers getting tired? lol :laugh: right i understand so i guess ill just get them and wait and see what happens :crazy:
 
zorrex said:
As a clarification: Gutting the cats will not GAIN you anything. If the cats are in fact clogged, gutting them will return you to STOCK performance.
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this makes no sense to me no matter what if the material thats in the cat is removed it would flow ALOT better which would gain something i would think.:shrug:
 
The newer honeycomb type cats actually flow quite well. That low flow thing was back when they filled the cat with those beads. Cat flows well enough that if you have exhaust disconnected behind it and start engine expect a racket, it hardly muffles at all. Also, here in Texas, they are beginning to issue tickets for non compliance of emissions: they read your exhaust stream with a laser as you pass test vehicle which is parked on a freeway entry ramp. Needless to say, gutted cat will get you trouble.
 
Sick2000Svt said:
this makes no sense to me no matter what if the material thats in the cat is removed it would flow ALOT better which would gain something i would think.:shrug:
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It makes perfect sense because the cross-sectional area of air flow of a clean, working catalytic converter is greater than that of the exhaust piping flowing into and out of it. Do what you will but I just thought I would make the clarification...
 
amc49 said:
Also, here in Texas, they are beginning to issue tickets for non compliance of emissions: they read your exhaust stream with a laser as you pass test vehicle which is parked on a freeway entry ramp. Needless to say, gutted cat will get you trouble.
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That is very rough... How does it work down in Texas? In NH car's older that 1998 (?) do not need to pass an emissions test...
 
right ok that makes sense...i dont think va has gotten that bad with the emissions yet but if the mileliminators with fix the problem thats what i will do i dont see how they could be clogged tho.. but mabye they are.... so i guess i will see if the codes come back and never get gas at wawa again...so where do you guys usually fill up shell..exxon...texaco...?? i dont want to have to buy gas for like 4.18 a gsllon and then it be mixed or something
 
zorrex said:
It makes perfect sense because the cross-sectional area of air flow of a clean, working catalytic converter is greater than that of the exhaust piping flowing into and out of it. Do what you will but I just thought I would make the clarification...
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1. Upstream Inflow pipe to precat(or main car) .2 (precat or main cat) . 3 downstream outflow pipe.


Hmm... Doesn't 1 and 3 have the same cross sectional area? What physics book are referencing?
 
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well i guess everythings ok im reading another 90 miles and no problems must have been the gas... weird:dizzy:
 
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