New cat, now getting p0420 code

[Neomoon]

Hello, I recently purchased a 01 Firebird and found this message board via a recommendation from the guys at ls1.com.

Before I bought the car the local dealer had the cat replaced because he was getting the p0420 code and the car would not pass inspection with that code. After I bought the car I drove it without any problems for about 3 weeks before the SES light came back on.

I took it to the local auto parts store to get the code pulled and it turned out to be the p0420 code again. Now from what I've searched and pieced together there are many things that can cause the car to throw this code or cause the cat to go bad.

1. Installing a high flow cat will cause the car to throw this code. Installing a o2 sim can help this?

2. The car is running to rich (I don't know what this means) for some reason causing the cat to go bad.

The dealer told me he would replace the cat again since it was still under warranty, however he told me that since something is causing the cat to go bad he would only do this one more time. Any ideas on what could be causing my cat to go bad? Any help is greatly appreciated, if you need more information on my car I would be more then happy to provide it.

[kristen]

Re: New cat, now getting p0420 code

wait, is this a stock cat?

if it is, just get it replaced for free. why not. can't hurt. but if it's a high flow just get an 02 sim for the sensor behind the cat.

[v6mOtOrhEAdftOp]

Re: New cat, now getting p0420 code

man u always beat me to it :(

if you don't know whether it's a stock or hi flow, snapo a pic and post it on here and we'll let you know :)

[Neomoon]

Re: New cat, now getting p0420 code

Thanks for the quick response guys. I'll snap a pic of it tonight before I leave home from work (I backed it my parking spot in the parking garage so this should be really easy to take a pic of w/o getting dirty)

If my memory serves me right it's not the stock cat, from what I remember correctly the dealer mentioned that a completely new cat had been put in (but I could be wrong).

Last question, will driving around with a bad cat cause damage to the car/engine if I drive it around like that for too long?

[95redslp]

Re: New cat, now getting p0420 code

yes... if the cat becomes clogged your engine will build up backpressure and eventually stall out... you may backfire and foul your plugs as well as dirty up your o2 sensors... your catalytic converter is exactly what the name says it is... inside the cat is a honeycomb made up of a catalyst that reacts with the emissions and burns it off into the atmosphere making it cleaner to the environment... if you are running rich for a long time it can clog up your cat... or if you bottom out and crush the cat... like i did :( lol... you will notice when your cat is bad you will have a rotten egg like smell... you will notice a decrease in performance and if it was as bad as mine was you will eventually notice your engine bogging down adn then eventually it will stall from the backpressure

[zymose]

Re: New cat, now getting p0420 code

My guess is that the dealer is putting on the cheapest cat he can find, and it just isn't quite burning off all of the unused fuel. I would probably ask what brand of cat they are using. The post cat sensor doesn't effect how the engine runs and should be fine to drive with. That sensor is only there for emmisions.

If they are using a cheap cat or high flow cat then the 02 sim should fix the problem. They just simply tell the computer that everything is fine, even if you have the cat completely removed.

[stevethepirate]

Re: New cat, now getting p0420 code

cat can go bad if the cars running rich, iirc. highflows dont last long at all, they all go bad after a year pretty much.
not to mention the company that makes O2 sims stopped making them. there is still a way to get them, but its not common knowledge, and the guy who got me mine wont tell me where he got it from.

[FirebirdGT]

Re: New cat, now getting p0420 code

not to mention the company that makes O2 sims stopped making them. there is still a way to get them, but its not common knowledge, and the guy who got me mine wont tell me where he got it from.

Oh really?

http://www.zzperformance.com/grand_p...=179&catid=107

.

[FirebirdGT]

Re: New cat, now getting p0420 code

The dealer told me he would replace the cat again since it was still under warranty, however he told me that since something is causing the cat to go bad he would only do this one more time.

Then HE needs to figure it out, and FIX the real problem.

[Loochy88]

Re: New cat, now getting p0420 code

typically the only reasons a cat will go bad is if you are shoving extra fuel through the engine. a cat burns off extra fuel, so if too much is getting to it, you will overheat the cat. i doubt your cat would go bad this quick.

[stevethepirate]

Re: New cat, now getting p0420 code

Oh really?

http://www.zzperformance.com/grand_p...=179&catid=107

.

my bad. didnt know they had them on zzp.

[Neomoon]

Re: New cat, now getting p0420 code

man u always beat me to it :(

if you don't know whether it's a stock or hi flow, snapo a pic and post it on here and we'll let you know :)

Sorry I took so long, here are the pic of what I believe to be my cat (lol) Feel free to let me know if I am an ididot and snapped a pic of something else.

And back to my original question. Is this a high flow cat and could this be causing my car to throw the P0420 code

[Neomoon]

Re: New cat, now getting p0420 code

ttt, v6mOtOrhEAdftOp or anybody else able to tell me if this is a pic of a high flow cat?

[mattyacks]

Re: New cat, now getting p0420 code

ttt, v6mOtOrhEAdftOp or anybody else able to tell me if this is a pic of a high flow cat?

its not stock........

[FirebirdGT]

Re: New cat, now getting p0420 code

ttt, v6mOtOrhEAdftOp or anybody else able to tell me if this is a pic of a high flow cat?

It is definatly not a factory cat. It may just be an undersized, or cheap off-shore cat that was put in.