dtaylor630

2004 Honda Civic LX, 174,000 miles. I bought this car to be my daily driver last December from a coworker for a great price, but now I'm worried it may be more trouble than it's worth.

I went to get the car inspected for our stupid state inspections. It's got a couple of issues that I know about (AC doesn't work, needs new battery before winter, CEL about the primary O2 sensor, and possible exhaust leak). The shop told me my cat converter needs to be replaced and failed my inspection. They want nearly $700 to replace it, which includes $550 for a Walker cat converter.

I'm not to sure this is the case, but I don't know too much about this part, so I have some questions. First off, I feel that's way too much. I'm going to a shop on Monday to get a quote from them, I've heard good things about this second place. Like I said, the CEL tells me my primary O2 sensor is dead. I unplugged the sensor from the converter and tested for the 120k ohm resistance with my meter and it showed nothing, so I'm pretty sure it is actually dead.

I think there's an exhaust leak because of the "putt-putt" noise it makes at low RPM and during acceleration. Also, you can smell a bit of exhaust under the hood. There are no visible cracks or damage to the cat converter on the top, and the O2 sensor sits and seals in there like it should.

My main concern is whether or not there is a bigger problem here. Is there something that can cause a converter to die, other than the thousands of miles? I worry that I'll pay to put a new one in, and the existing unknown problem will kill the new one. Should I worry about this?

I'm basically trying to educate myself as much as possible on this, in order to make the best choice and not get screwed by a shop. I live in a college town, so the shops are used to charging whatever they want and the kids just put it on their parent's credit cards.

Also, can anyone provide any links as far as basically the cheapest one to buy? And is there a significant difference between the bolt on versions and the weld on universal versions?

Any other tips or information would be great, thanks!

toyomatt84

iTrader: (1)

Actually, the stock manifolds on the D17A1 (which you have) are prone to failure due to a flawed design. Depending on where you live... (I'm guessing VT, based on your IP Address, but I'm not sure of it), you can use a Magnaflow manifold (model #50884) with the catalytic converter in it (same design as your stock cat/manifold). They're more resilient of a design, and they cost similarly to the OEM replacement. Just so you're aware, catalytic converters are expensive. That's the same on any vehicle.

When looking for cracks on the manifold, did you take the heatshield off of the manifold and look above the primary oxygen sensor bung along the collector shroud? That's where they typically crack.

NDNV

For the A/C not working, if the symptoms are it works for awhile then cuts out then you could check the A/C clutch. In my case, the A/C clutch had too much clearance over time and failed to engage the clutch consistently. $40 for labour at an A/C shop to remove a shim and clean the clutch and it was fixed. This is apparently a common problem over time with these systems. Dealer wanted to replace clutch and magnetic coil for $1,000.

I replaced my front and rear exhaust pipes with aftermarket BOSAL brands but the cat code came back after a year. I installed a spark plug anti-fouler on the secondary O2 sensor in the cat and solved the code. This may not work for your inspection though and is a Band-Aid fix.