Hello everybody, I'm contacting this forum because I have a Honda Civic 2002 EX that is throwing the P0420 code, the cat that came with car was not the oem one (and because of that the defouler trick doesn't work) As everybody know the cat is very expensive, so I'm looking for a different solution, can someone point me to the right direction please? Can someone tell me if the electrical O2 SIMULATOR works? (The one shown at the Acura integra Type R section) Is there a well known cat maybe on eBay that you know for sure that fixes the problem? I just want to get rid of the CEL, where I live there are no strict laws about emissions.


Thank you.

 

If you want to just get rid of the light, go to an autozone or a shop that will clear your CEL codes for free.

That or you could put some black tape over the spot where the check engine light shows up..

Whichever one works for you

 

Dude, with all due respect, what kind of answer is that? Seriously, only a dumb person would put black tape over the light, what happens if something else fails? Come on, even if the cel is cleared in autozone or any other car shop, the light will come up again. Save your precious time if you have nothing productive to share please.

 

The Ive know people who have a header on the vehicle that don't get a check engine light and they don't have a cat anymore. Disconnect your battery in your car overnight and then drive the car again. If the light comes back on with the same code the only rear proper way would be to just replace the cat. It really does suck that its expensive but don't go to the dealer. A cat from your regular parts store like autozone etc should work just fine. I have an aftermarket cat in my 98 civic and i haven't had any problems so far and i autox my car.

 

Thanks for the reply natsuke, unfortunately Honda Civics 2001 and superior do require an oem cat, aftermarket cats won't turn the CEL off (just a few specific ones from ebay but they are just a temporary solution). This is the reason why I'm looking for a well known electric workaround.

 

the defouler trick only works if the gap from the cat and oxygen sensor is wide enough if there to close the temperature will stay the same and the p0420 code will stay up. either make the gap larger or by a better defouler specially designed for this purpose. this is what i've been using for years.
http://www.robearracing.com/pd-megan...or-cel-fix.cfm
did you reset the ECU after you added the defouler ???

 

This is very useful information, thank you, so you are basically telling me that it doesn't matter what cat I'm using and that what really matters is the temperature of the sensor?, Should it be cooler I guess. Can the simulator be used even without a cat? Yes after installing the defouler the CEL was cleared.

 

Ive been running a aftermarket cat delete Manifold, and was using 1 angled defouler and 1 non angled . I was getting mis fires, Had to leave one of the censors unplugged, If I get another angled defouler will it work

 

you only need one defouler for the secondary sensor after the cat. you don't use one for the primary sensor on the header that would cause all kinds of problems. and lsv-1 no you don't need a cat in order to use the defouler you just need to have it installed somewhere downstream. i have no cat on my car.

 

Are you using the sensor with or without the metal gasket that is covering it? The one with little holes. Thank you for all your help.

 

metal gasket with holes ?? do you mean the crush gasket if yes then i yeah i definitely used the crush gasket.