i have a 98 honda accord 4cyl coupe and my check engine light has been on for awhile. I ran a diagnostic test on it at my work place(jiffy lube) and it read that i had a problem in which i erased. It then came back on in a few days. The tester read "catalyst efficiency below threshold (bank 1)" ..i know it has to do with the catalyst converter, but somebody else told me that it can also be the o2 sensor...can anybody give me any suggestions?

 

here's for Jiffy Lube

Rather alarming to me that you don't know how diagnostics or engine codes work (I blame that on Jiffy Lube not necessarily you)! Simply erasing the code doesn't fix the problem. Forget what the diagnostic said, what code is it flashing? Sounds like one or both of the oxygen sensors are screwy and the ECU is detecting that its carbon rich past the catalytic converter.

*My beef against Jiffy Lube is that they exploit women, the elderly, or anyone else who doesn't know much about cars and charge way too much for generally subpar basic service. In addition there are way too many horror stories. For example a former co-worker of mine quit working at JL as an assistant manager after he caught his guys putting windshield wiper fluid in people's transmissions (accident?, I think not!). Another friend of mine they didn't put the oil cap back on and refused to warranty his engine or pay to get it cleaned up. I'm not saying that's all shops, you, or your co-workers but that's been my experience with them through friends and constituents. Don't take it as a personal insult, I understand that a man's gotta make a living and its not you that does the hiring or makes policy.


Modified by Schmitey at 4:10 AM 11/15/2005


Modified by Schmitey at 4:12 AM 11/15/2005

 

OT
i cant remember if it was a jiffy lube or if it was another lil oil change place..but my friend had bought a new suzuki esteem and had his oil changed religiously at this one place..one day his engine locked up.
come to find out, they never changed his oil nor his filter. still had the factory filter.

and somehow..the place got out of it. i have no idea how, still dont understand how they did.. but the cars sitting in his yard and has for a couple years now.

 

you idiots, i just want to know about the check engine light alright! not about jiffy lube.. and on why i dont know how to use the diagnostic test because we do not use the tester anymore(discountinued) but i still had access to it ok! thanks anyways! anybody else can help?

 

Hey i said oxygen sensors and i still want to know what code it was reading, i'm trying to help not attack you "idiot." You do realize you can diagnose a car without a scan tool right?

 

no duh, i already diagnosed it and this is the reason im asking for advice because it keeps on coming back.

 

Whats the code !

Was it a p0420 or did you just flash the light?

These aren't questions for ***** and giggles they are to help us help you !

 

https://honda-tech.com/zerothread?id=682412

figure out which code you're throwing, read how to fix it.

it's that simple.

 

i ain't even gonna say anything...still just trying to help man

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by lorunner1213 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Whats the code !

Was it a p0420 or did you just flash the light?

These aren't questions for ***** and giggles they are to help us help you !</TD></TR></TABLE>

you are right on the money! yes it is the p0420 is the code...so now i have the code how do i know whats wrong or what to change and replace . finally im gettn somewhere with good information and no negativity ..thankyou please more help!

 

Well a P0420 means you need a cat. The question is this. Is the cat internally broken or melted?

If yes than you have a misfire condition that needs to be addressed or the new cat will be damaged again.

If not then you can get away with just replacing the cat. To tell wether the O2 in the cat is bda you really need a scanner to see what voltage its reading. It sould be pretty steady unlike the O2S1 which fluctuated from .1-.9 volts.

 

man that is some crazy stuff you just said. anyways when i listen to my muffler it sounds like a wet sound, like it has a leak. how do you check if its internally broken or melted? heres the deal someone told me i might just get away with changing the o2 sensor only, is that true? i also wanted to know if my car coming from the east coast have to do with anything???from having this cat problem?

 

A quick way to tell if its broken is to get under the car and hit the cat with your hand. If its broken you will hear the pieces rattling inside. To see if its melted you may have to unbolt the cat. Either way you still need a cat. Coming from the east shouldn't have anything to do with it. You can try an O2. first but nine times out of ten its the cat.

 

Hello Liem43

I live in Southern California. Well, at the time my Honda Accord 98 EX had 77K miles when my check engine light came on. The damm thing kept coming back even after clearing it with an OBD2 reader. I had the same code as you were getting....the exact same. This was 1 1/2 years ago.

At the time I tried everything to resolve including fuel and gas cleaners to high octane gas. Neither worked. O2 sensors only last upto 80K, but I really did not think this was the problem.

Turned out after replacing the cat converter did my problem go away, but it was challenging to have it replaced by the dealter. You see, by law, the cat converter is covered for 8 years or 80K miles on any car.

Dealer ripped me off. Honda Hollywood would not replace the cat. I took the car in and told them the code. However, when the mechanic got the car, he said it was not the code I specified. They charged me $80 to clear the code. expletive Honda Hollywood..wait it gets better.

The second time I took the car in, I brought with me an OBD2 reader and showed them the code when it returned. They said the cat was not under warantee. I quickly reminded him of the law and insisted to speak with the Manager. They quickly agreed to change the cat. I would not let them have the car unless it was agreed upon that the cat was to be changed and I would not be charged.

Since the cat has been changed, the problem has never returned. Warning! Do not have your car smog tested. Eventhough your check engine light is not on, the car will not pass smog because the car computer keeps a history and that will show up in the computer at the smog tester. The history will not clear until your drive the car for up to 3K miles. You will get charged and not pass smog.

Well, that was my problem. I did a whole write up on my experience and I do it time to time. Search on that code here in the archives if you haven't already done so. Oh, I only used regular Shell gasoline...nothing else. Car is running great at 90K miles. I really hope this helps you since I have recieved plenty of support here from H-T.

Sincerely

 

wow!! thanks for your help..you know whats weird tho! my check engine light has turned off for some reason and has stayed off. ahhaa i dont know whats wrong, but it was on for two straight weeks. hopefully it stays off and my car is fine. tahnkyou for all your help!

 

same exact thing has happened to my 5th gen. about 3 to 4 weeks ago, my CEL comes on, i get it checked out, and P0420 pops up. I've been wanting to upgrade to header and cat-back so i totally re-did my exhaust - header, catalytic converter, cat-back. Brand new cat from the dealership, CEL is still on. and hasnt gone off. It's been 2 weeks since i got the cat replaced and still no change. I'm thinking its the rear o2 sensor now. I had the front o2 sensor replaced back in May so it is fine. Can anyone explain exactly how to check the rear o2 sensor? using a multimeter?