I have a 1998 Accord 4dr v6. I've got a diagnosed of P0420 for my check engine light. I want some WISE input if I should go with an OE cat. or something that sells on ebay for much less (which looks like the OE).

I want to hear from people that had experience buying after market equipment from ebay or some other stores.

ALSO, what would happen if I ignore the catalytic converter?

Will it affect other areas of the car?????



Please HELP !

 

There is a video on YouTube about that code P0420 on how to clear that code by adding some solvent to your gas tank. It is scotty kilmer. It may be worth a shot. There are some other products that you can buy that claim to do the same thing.

The aftermarket vs OEM parts will spark an argument. You can never go wrong with OEM parts, but they can be much more expensive than aftermarket. If you go with an aftermarket part, make sure you know the manufacturer, because you could get a poor quality part, especially from Ebay.

 

Thanks for the info. PAhonda. I saw the video on scotty kilmer and i got mixed reviews with other mechanics on that and i was told that it will do more damage than good (if any).

I will probably go with an OEM

 

Guy, just buy a replacement CAT at autozone or NAPA.. They have parts that meet or exceed OEM quality expectations. If you're not worried about emissions/inspections, then I would just hollow out your stock CAT, especially if you're planning to upgrade to a performance exhaust system. Don't get rid of the resonator though.

 

I see a lot of references about "hollowing out" the cat on the net, but I haven't found a good video on how to do this. By the way, is this trick even possible on my car which has 3 cats? I have one that is potentially bad in bank 2 (code P0430), right next to the engine. It can get pretty hot there so if I put a hole in that cat, the leakingheat might damage the surrounding components. Now if you're talking about taking the cat out completely and pierce a stick right through it... well... in that case I might as well put in a new cat. The trouble is getting the cat out in the first place...

I'm still waiting to try the Cataclean stuff (need to get my gas tank to 1/4...). But I have been wondering if a plugged cat could damage my engine.

 

A plugged CAT can DEFINITELY do damage to your engine!

Get it replaced, but if you are like me nad do everything yourself - take it off, hollow it out, then put it back on. If you are having trouble getting it off in the first place then just have it done for you, and at that point just replace it with a new one. To hollow out a cat you take it off the car, take a metal pipe, and jam it in there until the matrix inside gets so broken up that it all falls out the bottom. An alternative to this is buying something called a 'test pipe' which is pretty much a hollowed out cat, and installing that. Lots of options.. All depends on what you want to do and what YOU are capable of doing.

 

Could you please elaborate? How does it damage the engine? (I believe you, I'm just curious.)

 

If the cat was plugged up, your car would run like crap.

A totally plugged up catalytic converter would not allow the exhaust to flow out of the engine and build up pressure in the cylinders and exhaust. The clog would build extra pressure in your engine and something would have to give.

 

^ Bingo - the man right here speaks the truth. Think of it as a pipe that water goes through for example.. If enough resistance builds up, no matter how tough the pipe is, when it gets to a certain point it's going to burst. The area where it's going to burst if your CAT is clogged = your engine. You don't want that happening. Just some visual images for ya!

 

Ok ok I gotcha. That sounds pretty bad...
My engine has two converters connected to it. So, if the exhaust can't escape through the front, would it all go through the back? I'll eventually replace my cat, but I'm just curious.