- This topic has 7 replies, 5 voices, and was last updated 11 years, 8 months ago by
.
-
Topic
-
Hi All,
currently have a 2003 Honda Element 2.4L auto 4WD with 112k and sadly…..I need a new catalytic converter.
I have a price for an OEM from Honda and I think I need a loan. But that’s not why I’m here (well, kinda).
I’ve been looking online and noticed several for much cheaper, which I would usually nod and say yes, but the important thing:
Will the aftermarket part affect emissions testing (not in CA) or will I need a new one in about 6 months time?
I hope that the problem is much less than 1030.80 + core + tax + shipping + handling + first born.
Any help would be appreciated Guys and Gals.
Thanks.
-
Replies
-
First you can test your catalyst converter to see if It’s true.
[video]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9VZ5K8n5jj0[/video]
Then, an after marker can be good and bad. It’s depend on the brand. You can see the feedback on the website. The price It’s depend on amount of platinum in It. To keep your exhaust clean you can use Lucas upper cylinder lubricant whit injector cleaner on each fill up tank. That way, you will have also a clean catalyst.
Some aftermarket Cats will cause a P0420 right away, but will be doing their job.. Toyotas were known for this, so much so that they had to have their ECU’s reflashed so they wouldn’t be throwing an emission failure code so easily when the Cat was still working at 90% efficiency.
If your state does only ODBII emissions testing a P0420 will cause it to fail (even though you have a new aftermarket Cat). Some states have alternative testing if you believe that it is an ECU issue, not a true emissions issue.
That said, I bought a Catalytic converter for $179 on ebay that had all the pipes and muffler. It was a bolt on job that took around an hour to do. The hardest thing was removing the O2 sensor 😆
After I replaced it, no more P0420… Tuffy wanted $700 for the job, I believe the dealership wanted over $1400….
As also previously stated, ensure your diagnosis is correct, sometimes it is a bad downstream O2 sensor…
There are alternatives… Check Ebay…
Karl!
Much obliged Gentlemen. I did check the cata to be faulty (using rented tools and Eric’s video) as well as a check from a local Technician friend.
Looks like I’ll be hitting the google hard tonight.
thanks again folks.
Check this out.. Only $175.89
Get on Ebay and type in Honda element 2.4 catalytic converter…
If you have some jackstands and some decent tools, you can do this on a budget..
Karl!
There are a lot of posts on this very forum about using aftermarket catalytic converters and some specific to Honda. In my experience Honda’s don’t like aftermarket converters. As pointed out they can often set a P0420 right out of the box. That said, I think I’m going to try Scotty Kilmer’s method on my Subaru cats which are also bad. If I damage anything no big deal but at least we’ll know if his method works. Who knows? It just might.
- You must be logged in to reply to this topic.