While I've been trying to figure out my a/c problem another one has come up- check eng light came on a week ago so I stopped by Autozone and had them scan it. Here'e what they found:

TROUBLECODE OBDII (ALPHA) P CODE
TROUBLESHOOTING PO420
THE PCM HAD DETERMINED THAT THE CATALYST SYSTEM EFFICIENCY FOR BANK 1 IS BELOW THRESHOLD FOR THE CURRENT ENGINE OPERATING CONDITIONS. (bank 1 identifies the location of cylinder #1 while bank 2 identifies the cylinders on the opposite bank)

I'm guessing I need a new catalytic convertor? The car has been a little loud, but I thought it was a loose heat shield rattling, since the muffler & pipes are not leaking.

 

^btt^

 

great trouble code discription!

now how about you tell us what kind of car it is?

 

Sorry- I posted this one right after my other post about the a/c. It's a 96 Accord 4cyl. Thanks.

 

you still haveing the same problem code?

 

yep.

 

My wife's '97 LX sedan just threw the same P0420 code. I reset it per the manual just in case it was a fluke.

Did you have to replace your catalytic converter?

 

cat conv problem.. call the dealer they extended their warranty on this,,,, i think it went up to 80k,,,,,,,,,

 

At 222,000 miles we’re well past the 8-year – 80,000 mile warranty. I can buy a Honda catalytic converter for $452 or an after market unit for $105. My concern is that the after market unit will not take care of the code. My friend has a 2000 Odyssey that pretty much requires the Factory converter per the Odyssey message board.

Any suggestions?