Hi there,
I think you mean a P0420 code -- "catalytic converter operating below efficiency".
In any event ...welcome to CEG! THE place where you can get so much good advice ...there's really no need to go to anywhere else!
Here we go...
I myself had this code appear all last year on my 1997 Contour SE. Unfortunately the car is over 8 years and 80,000 miles so I cannot get the cats or pre-cats changed for free -- courtesty of the federal emissions standards. If YOUR car, however, is below these limits then you may be in luck -- and you should *immediately* go to your local dealership and get it looked at.
If you are 'beyond' the 8/80,000 ...there is still hope.
BTW, here's my own saga. I sent this email to my buddies -- YESTERDAY -- and little did I know YOU would be having the same problem TODAY ..what timing!
__________________________
All last year ...every 20-50 miles or so I was getting a check engine light (CEL) with a P0420 code. That code said that one of the catastrophic converters was 'operating below efficiency'. Since the car is over 8 years and 80,000 miles, it ain't covered for warranty repairs courtesy of the federal emissions standards. My only option was to pull the relays for the cpu+memory and thus 'clear' the code -- otherwise that constant CEL in my face would drive me nuts -- never mind having the car in 'limp home' mode -- which means the engine is operating RICH which, IMHO, is only compounding the problem.
I really thought I was looking at a $2,500 bill (as quoted by Ford) to change the cats and the pre-cats.
There's a ford contour user's group on the net and, as luck would have it, others have had the same problem as me.
The fix is to put a can of 'Berryman's B12' (which you can get at any PepBoyz) into the gas tank at each refill. Do this at least 5 times, i.e. 5 refills in a row.
You can, if you so choose, use a can or two of 'Catalytic Converter Cleaner' as well, but it's the B12 that REALLY does the trick.
This stuff is amazing. It cleans out EVERYTHING in the fuel-system and combustion area. It beats Techron hands down.
I've passed 500 miles since doing the Berryman B12 fandango and the CEL hasn't even come on once! Plus the car idles better and runs better too.
They also recommend, if you're about to do an oil change, to put a can in the oil crankcase and let it idle for 15 mins or so and then immediately change the oil (+ filter).
If your UIM (upper intake manifold) is full of crud (carbon deposits) they recommend you slowly introduce the B-B12, via a straw, into one of the vacuum hoses so that it gets 'sucked in' as the engine is running. This method, literally cleans out the EGR valve, the IAC valve and, in general, the UIM area (throttle plate, etc.) as good if not better than the 'decarbonizing' job that the dealer charges you for when you leave it in for service.
_________________________
OK, that was my VERY first posting to the CEG!
_____
Gerry
(Long Island)
