I will soon be troubleshooting a 5th gen prelude with some modifications done to it. Mods are unknown but he has taken it to 2 shops who tell him his aftermarket alarm wiring is causing it.

I don't see how this is possible Has anyone ever heard of an aftermarket alarm setup causing a car to go rich and eat up cat converters? Thanks All

 

Those shops are retarted. You've got a problem with your engine internally.

 

my turbo eats cats,and babies..lol

 

lol I owned a fox the other day

 

on a more serious note, my car melted a cat one time.... take the damn thing off

 

dont take your cat off, air pollution is bad enough as it is.. the way i look at it, its not worth it to gain a few HP by removing the cat.. it may be cheaper then finding the real problem, but if your car is destroying cats its not the cats fault it sounds like a more serious probem..

 

running rich likely. Super heating the catalyst so to speak heh

 

not possible. find someone competent.

 

take it for a spin and see if it gets extremely hot.. if thats the case you're probably running into coolant problem which is causing overheating issues which would melt your cat... get a replacement one, either a prelude one or another OEM honda one welded on.

 

I'm guessing you're getting a CEL with a code relating to the catalyst or O2 sensor. I would track that down first before replacing the cat. Even a cheap magnaflow is gonna run you around $50. No sense buying/installing it just to have it go out prematurely.

 

The guy is saying its not getting a CEL but it dosent even start. I'm wagering that it's running rich.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by accord2nrz &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">I will soon be troubleshooting a 5th gen prelude with some modifications done to it. Mods are unknown but he has taken it to 2 shops who tell him his aftermarket alarm wiring is causing it.

I don't see how this is possible Has anyone ever heard of an aftermarket alarm setup causing a car to go rich and eat up cat converters? Thanks All </TD></TR></TABLE>

You're the one who is going to do the troubleshooting and you dont know if an alarm is causing this problem? Id say you're in over your head and you should take it to a trusted shop....

 

If you read the thread you'd see that I said I dont see how its possible. I posted it here to gauge everyone elses opinion becuase I dont know everything. In all my experiences the two systems are never linked but you never know. And down here there are "No" trusted shops. Trust me tracking down superheating cat is cake for me. It can only be one of a few options.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by accord2nrz &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">If you read the thread you'd see that I said I dont see how its possible. I posted it here to gauge everyone elses opinion becuase I dont know everything. In all my experiences the two systems are never linked but you never know. And down here there are "No" trusted shops. Trust me tracking down superheating cat is cake for me. It can only be one of a few options. </TD></TR></TABLE>
Good try, but youre in over your head, bottom line. Save your self the headache and let it go. (gauge every one elses opinion ,huh???)

 

what is giving the indication that the cat converter is bad?

 

It will throw a code, that is what the second 02 sensor is for. It will see that the cat is not doing its job. The ECU will compare the first and second 02 sensors voltage readings and it will be too similar, meaning that the Cat is not doing its job.

from my experience, running rich is up there on the list of causes for catalytic converter failure. The excess fuel will burn up the cat. Toast! Coolant problems I highly doubt will cause your cat to keep on failing. The cat can withstand pretty extreme temperatures, it is the fuel plus heat that will destroy it. If your car is super slammed and the cat keeps bottoming out, that would also cause it to fail, too.


Modified by DVS Luder at 7:37 PM 10/16/2008

 

Look at your plugs to see if they look like the engine is running very rich. When's the last time the engine had a tune-up, ie. plugs, wires, cap, rotor.

If they're ok, suspect either the secondary O2 sensor or it's wiring.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by DVS Luder &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">.... Coolant problems I highly doubt will cause your cat to keep on failing....


Modified by DVS Luder at 7:37 PM 10/16/2008</TD></TR></TABLE>

Actually coolant in its gaseous form is very poisonous to the cat...

 

so ur suggesting the head gasket/head is leaking coolant into the combustion chamber and burning up the catalytic converter...


O.P. does the car smoke all kinds of white smoke??

I got a better idea to trouble shoot....unbolt the cat when u get the car, and see what it looks like inside. The catalyst material will kinda melt and look really funky compared to how it should look.

BTW running excessive amounts of fuel will kill a cat

 

Already fixed it, and it turned out the alarm system was the cause DCFIVER, no need to be an ***. Anyhow turned out the remote starter for some reason was wired into the injectors. Whomever did that caused a short in them causing them to stay open thus making the car run pig rich. Why It was done I have no idea. The first cat that was pulled was melted inside so i know it was running rich.

Who was in over his head now? Problem solved this thread can be closed. Thanks to those who actually contributed.

 

good job . keep your eye out for more shady wiring.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by accord2nrz &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Already fixed it, and it turned out the alarm system was the cause DCFIVER, no need to be an ***. Anyhow turned out the remote starter for some reason was wired into the injectors. Whomever did that caused a short in them causing them to stay open thus making the car run pig rich. Why It was done I have no idea. The first cat that was pulled was melted inside so i know it was running rich.

Who was in over his head now? Problem solved this thread can be closed. Thanks to those who actually contributed. </TD></TR></TABLE>
Wasnt trying to be an ***, was trying to save you a headache. good job.

 

aren't most alarms supposed to be wired near the ignition switch. and not the engine bay or ECU....but ok....

i hate shotty wiring jobs....especially when people have NO CLUE what they're doing

 

My guess would be they had a problem getting through the immobilizer system and had to wire around it somehow.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by accord2nrz &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">5th Gen eating cats</TD></TR></TABLE>

it must be hungry.. lmao!