fishbowlcrew

Basically :
Car threw "check engine light code" --- P1259 (vtec malfunction ...I know sounds scary and expensive) and P0420 ( catalyst system below efficiency )

For the P1259, Code said vtec malfunction but that statement is so broad it could mean a wide variety of things so I did some research and it also amounts to low oil pressure..I did an oil change and topped off the oil ( my car has 165K and it burns oil )... .A veteran mechanic told me the most likely culprit of the code is the front O2 sensor on the exhaust manifold. I bought a new OEM one for about $100 bucks and replaced the old one. The old one was oxidized and corroded beyond belief. CEL gone!

For the P0420 CEL code. It needed a new catalytic converter. Try $1000 dollars. Seriously my car is probably worth 4K-5K. A reminder that my car is ULEV and not just LEV, so the emission requirements are a bit more stringent. I even had a hook-up at Honda for $700 bucks but it was still to much for me to pay for.
----first I called junkyards to find a used cat, but I thinks it's illegal in CA to sell a cat for cars that are 1998+
---- Then I called a professional cat rebuilting company and they said they don't rebuilt the cat for my car b/c of the ULEV and the higher standards.. but if they could, i would have costed around $400..
---Then I found an aftermarket catalytic converter, that was 49 state legal...excluding CA ?.. I thought to myself, if it works for the other 49 and not CA, internally the emission systems are not different because I read about a guy in Tennessee that has the same car and it also is catered for CA emissions.. So what if CA has stringent smog laws? Other states are requiring you smog your cars biennially just like CA. So if this cat works in WA, why not CA?
I took the chance ... and spent the $82.15 from a guy on ebay including shipping. .. the brand was EASTERN and the part #70272... google it, you'll find it.
** The cat came in, but it was only half the size of the original one..and its not bolt-on.
The problem is getting someone to weld it one. I went to 3 muffler shops/mechanic shops and all 3 denied services because the cat does not have an OBD-II stamp on it. This means it hasn't been approved for use, but again, I took the chance. .
I went to a performance shop and they did it.. Cost $100 bucks.
** Reset the CEL light code, drove for a week, and CEL stayed off.
* smogged it and passed. with flying colours.

Breakdown of expenditures.. ( $100 for O2, $82 for cat, $100 for weld, $40 for smog) = $322

Mechanic Shop Quote for repairs ( $200 for O2 parts and labor, $1150 for OEM cat and labor ) = $1350

Summary: So I saved about $1000 dollars, but I took risks. I'm not condoning that if you have the same exact problem, you ought to follow in my footsteps. The cat's illegal and is not approved by CA's air and resource pollution board (CARB). I would have not passed smogged if the smog technician properly and visually inspected the cat. 90% of the time they are too much on a hurry to actually climb under the car and look for that little OBD-II stamp. But I passed, and that's all that mattered.



Modified by fishbowlcrew at 1:01 PM 6/5/2006