Over this summer, around august/sept, i put in a JDM ITR header and cat converter by smrp to fit my application. I havent had a problem until today this morning on my way to school my check engine light came on. after school i took it to a shop to pull the codes and he said its running rich and is either the secondary o2 sensor or my catalytic converter. simply put he told me its because of the high flow cat that is possibly burning up the secondary o2 sensor....is this possible? is aftermarket better fora replacement? i was told 250$ for a replacement o2 sensor.

 

Check out oxygensensors.com for replacement oxygen sensors for less than 1/2 that price.
I have a high flow cat too, and it sends a check engine light saying catalitic converter operating below efficiency threshold.

 

Should i got OEM or aftermarket with o2 sensors? i found oem sensors for 205$ at acuraoemparts.com but i found aftermarket sensors for 125(walkers products oxygen sensor) desno for 170, 160 for bosch, 120 for sng...couldnt find sensors for my applciation on oxygensensors.com


Modified by silentdeath12886 at 9:53 AM 2/13/2007

 

I had a Megan high flow exhaust and cat installed on my 97 GSR last winter. Everything was fine for several months, then the CEL came on and was showing a P0420 code. I had it erased at my local AutoZone and it stayed off for a couple months. Each time it has come back on since I just make a trip to AutoZone and get it cleared. Seems to happen every couple months. I replaced the primary O2 sensor when the new cat went on. So it could be the secondary O2 sensor causing my CEL too. So far it easier for me to make the trip to have it cleared for free rather than spend $200 or more on another sensor. Good Luck with yours....

 

well i am running rich now and i dont want the secondary o2 to mess up the effeciency.

 

yea. I do not think just clearing it is going to save you money. The oxygen sensor determines how much gas to put in your engine, and if it is telling your engine to put in a lot of gas because it think its not getting enough, its going to just kill your fuel economy and probably foul up your spark plugs and other things in your engine. Better to have a properly functioning O2 sensor.

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by profroopchan &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Check out oxygensensors.com for replacement oxygen sensors for less than 1/2 that price.
I have a high flow cat too, and it sends a check engine light saying catalitic converter operating below efficiency threshold. </TD></TR></TABLE>

I think I see OEM oxygen sensors on there (not 100% certain) but for my Accord, I think denso made the OEM honda O2, and you just look for the Denson one on there and its OEM (I think). Do a search to confirm this. When I was buying mine, I think thats what my searches lead me to conclude.

 

it didnt come up anything for my integra

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by silentdeath12886 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">after school i took it to a shop to pull the codes and he said its running rich and is either the secondary o2 sensor or my catalytic converter. </TD></TR></TABLE>

Neither the secondary O2 sensor, nor the catalytic converter will cause your car to run rich. Try checking the code yourself using the paper-clip method, and then you'll have a better idea of what the problem might be.

 

in terms of being rich he only said he smelled gas...he later told me the code was saying secondary o2 was messed up or the cat converter wasnt doing what it should be.

 

In that case, my suspicion would be the cat. High-flow cats sometimes trigger a CEL because they often do not scrub as well as the restrictive factory units. Try resetting the ECU to clear the code and see if it comes back. A CEL for the secondary O2 sensor is irritating, but it won't cause any problems other than staring at the orange light in the cluster.

 

ok thanks illtr y resetting the ecu, ill double check with the paperclip method tomorow since i got work now.