Contour Enthusiasts Group Archives Forums General Troubleshooting P0430 Cell Code

I have a P0430 cell code. I was told it is Bank 2 from Autozone. They also told me it is my catalytic convertor that needs to be replaced (the one right underneath the car). I guess there are two of them. Can anybody confirm? Thanks! (1999 V6 Mystique)

yes the code is for the pre-cat, it how ever is not the one under the car as there are no sensors for that. there are two cats built into the exhaust manifolds

if you have less then 80k mile and the car is less then 8 yrs old you can go to the dealer for the TSB to reprogram that computer to make the CEL go out, this is covered under federal emmissions warrenty

if you search I made a post about this in the general forum back in march

If the dealer refuses or says that your Contour is not covered under the warranty, you may want to try some of these suggestions from the TSB. Bank 2 Precat is the one near the radiator.

P0430 - Catalyst System Efficiency Below Threshold (Bank 2).
Indicates Bank 2 catalyst system efficiency is below the acceptable threshold.

�· Malfunctioning ECT/CHT
�· High fuel pressure
�· Damaged exhaust manifold
�· Cylinder misfiring
�· HO2S wiring concerns (shorted or chafed, bent pins, etc.)
�· Damaged exhaust system pipe
�· Damaged muffler/tailpipe assembly
�· Retarded spark timing

Damaged Catalytic Converter:
�· Use of leaded fuel
�· Oil contamination/consumption
�· Silicone contamination (sealants/cleaners)

I am having the same problem right now, although the code is P0420 which means bank 1. Since my car (98 2.5 v6 se) is now out of warranty, I decided to take it to the dealer and have the TSB done to reprogram the ECM. Mine had the original programming, and there have been numerous updates including one for a false P0420/P0430. Cost was $85. While they were doing that, the mechanic ran it and printed out some charts. He showed me where the O2 sensors were acting strange for the problem bank, and he said in his opinion that the converter was bad.

Well, after a week, the CEL came back on !! So I guess I do in fact have a bad manifold cat on bank 1. However, list price is about $900 from Ford. Ouch. I found one company that makes aftermarket manifolds for this car, and the price is more like $600. The other thing is that the mechanic said there is a lot of labor to do this repair (like an all day job), but ALLDATA reports that it takes 1.8 hours under warranty, and 2.5 hours COD, which is more reasonable.

For the aftermarket manifold cats, see this link: http://www.car-sound.com/01home.asp
You can find these on Ebay as well.

Question: has anybody bought manifold cats from a junk yard and used those? Good or bad experience? Does anybody want to SELL me a set of working cats? Or even just bank 1? Thanks.

Engine Coolant Temp sensor
and CHT would be the Cylinder Head temp sensor, if that is what he meant.

Ray

Thanks Ray. Yeah, I should have posted the link but I did not want to crowd the post.

http://www.v8sho.com/SHO/TSB0197HO2SServiceTips.htm