ok i just bought my first 00 sh prelude and im smoging it i have a C.E.L (check engine light) for a P0420 low emissions code i know what i have to do to fix it thats not the problem. I have 2 problems #1 i cant figure out if my lude is lev or ulev im pretty sure its ulev cause its cali emissions now ive tried calling a honda dealer and theyre no help called my buddy at acura he did the best he could but couldnt figure it out and i checked under the hood for the emissions label and its not there also there is supposed to be a sticker on the driver rear quater panel window and thats gone as well soo im kinda stuck anyone please help. #2 now were i bought my car was from my work it was a repo the dumbass before had the cat replaced and im pretty sure he ****ed up and put the wrong one on there so to solve my problem i need to figure put if my car is a ulev or a lev any got any suggestions????

 

neither.. its a prelude.

 

yeah what he said.

though there is a 2.0L SOHC prelude in euro market that one could maybe look at as a LEV

 

Its true Preludes were neither LEV or ULEV from the the information I have(shopkey).

 

I don't live in CA, but I seem to remember reading somewhere that LEV happened around 2003 and ULEV around 2005 or 06.

I'm pretty sure that a 00 is neither. Mine is older (94) and I haven't heard of too low emissions - conceivably, it means that the second (rear most ) O2 sensor is reading incorrectly. I believe that the ECU is looking for a particular difference in the readings.... but I also think that you get an error that says something about a CAT failure.

 

yea its really wierd cause i figured the same thing but when i went to get a cat they asked me if it was lev or ulev cause the cats are different and priced alot different.

 

I have had the parts guys ask me all sorts of weird questions when I buy parts only because the stupid computer program they use asks these questions and won't let them continue till all questions are answered.

 

You should be fine with a good quality universal hi-flow cat (search around here for recommended brands). I'm assuming you only have to buy a LEV or ULEV certified cat if you have a LEV or ULEV certified car to keep compliant with the associated emissions standards, which you do not need to since the Prelude is not certified as either (as previously mentioned). If you want to keep it strictly legal, buy the OEM cat or another OBD2 certified cat, but it will cost about 3x as much. The other possibility is that the cat is fine and you have a problem with your rear o2 sensor, which is a whole lot cheaper to replace, so I would recommend doing that first.

 

Yea i understand but im just gonna get another cat off of another thats the same year and model and i already montiored the rear O2 sensor and its reading fine.