i know my CEL comes on because of a small ding/hole, size of a dime on my header, its really small, and i had cheap sealant on it for awhile, but it eventually burned off due to extreme heat and etc, now i kno i heard u can repair the hole on the header(some say not to, some say u can jerry rig it), but i never came around to, cuz i bought a used one for very cheap anyway. thing is, emissions testing is due in 1 week, and i dont have time to install the header probably by than, will i pass emissions if the Check engine light is on??? someone told me, even if i am emitting an amount that is legal, if the check engine light is on, they'll fail me. i thought they just put that hose crap thing on ur exhuast and just checked to see the amount u were emitting, i FAST PASsed last time even, and i kno, my car runs fine, the CEL is just on cuz of the header problem, i kno, i've checked the codes. except for worse gas mileage, my car is fine. put in new spark plugs, cap, rotor, etc, and o2 sensors, nothing is wrong with the car, cat is fine.

btw, i am selling parts for a 1998-2002 honda accord 4 cylinder... everything is used, but with low miles, make me an offer

1) catalytic converter (bought it when i thought i had a cat problem, but my cat was fine, so im selling the one i bought)
2) o2 sensor on catalytic converter (same thing, bought an o2 sensor, but mines was fine)
3) oem header (selling the old one cuz i bought a new one)

thxs for the help in advance

 

go to a muffler shop. Tell them to spot-weld / seal the hole closed. They'll do it for like $5-10 bucks.

Disconnect your battery for awhile to clear your check light.

The exhaust exiting from that hole was causing your O2 sensor to become confused hence the checklight. Everything SHOULD be okay now....unless you've been like that for a long time...(damaged convertor, etc.)

 

I'd go and take the test anyway. I'm like 99% sure that the first retest doesn't cost anything extra. they don't pop the hood or anything.

you can reset the code by pulling the #13 fuse in the pass side fuse box for 10 seconds or more.

Id pull it and see how soon the CEL comes on. you may be able to just pull the fuse right before the test if the light doesn't come on for a few mins.

some high temp permatex may seal the hole long enough to keep the light off for the test. so might some JB weld.

 

they will fail you if its on atleast in maryland. i did that crap for about a week and it sucks so i quit(it was also the hottest week of the summer not cool)

 

its more like a little crack actually guys, so i think im gonna take the test, and hope to pass, but if ur right accord15, that SUCKS to be ME. im gonna put on the header afterwards if i fail ... btw guys, any1 want to buy any of those accord parts?

 

If it's just a little crack, put some JB weld on it. just let is cure for 24hrs and it should be fine for a while. that stuff is awesome.

 

i was talking about the check engine light they rarely pop the hood and look at stuff

 

HOW much worse? Your running rich. There's a likely chance you won't pass b/k your O2 sensor is telling the computer to "richen" the mixture to compensate for a false "lean" air/fuel reading.

That crack is improperly venting exhuast gases that should be running over the sensor...just get it fixed man! Don't waste your time going to the station just to fail. Aren't there other ways you could spend the 2 hours at the station and all the anxiety your wasting over all this?? Plus the cost of the gas your wasting?

 

RotaryBuzz, very very well said. yea, my friend who has a civic and his little brother who has hatch, they kno a lot about cars, have JDM type R and GSR motors dropped in them, that they swapped in themselves, told me im running rich after investigating my CEL, and they explained how its the crack that makes the CEL turn on, cuz im wondering, how does a car kno a crack is there, and they said the smallest even crack will disrupt the air/fuel crap. cuz extra air that could leak in, or the o2 can detect something i forgot what they said, basically what u said. but u can say that crap without even lookin at my car, diagnosing it, VERY impressive. thxs man, u make me feel better, cuz sometimes w/o having checked my CEL from honda people i get nervous, maybe, just maybe my CEL is due to something else, i kno it aint my cat, cuz i took it out, and me and my more knowledgable friends all saw how white it was in there, and clear. cuz the computer my mechanic had said, "inefiicient catalytic converter system below threshold" crap. i changed my o2 sensor for both the header and cat within the year after the CEL. so it cant be that, even tho, i admit, the first o2 sensor on my cat kinda turned a little black, so hopefully the 2nd isnt bad yet. ) but yea, ive been running on this CEL FOREVER! since like 50,000 miles, im at 75, 000 now. car runs fine, when my CEL first came on, was jerky and felt like the car was gonna fall apart and break down. but then did the sealant, and changed the o2 sensors. the header one was useless, my mechanic suggested it, it DID nothing, waste of $$$. NEVER EVER go to my mechanic now, go to my friends who kno more. but when i changed the cat one, did something, like they suggested. anyway, thxs rotaryBUZZ and EVERYone else, jweller, etc. i';ll try to change the header than b4 the emissions test. yea, when i sealed it the first time with this cheap crap, it made my car run smoother, and the CEL went off for awhile. like 1.5 months. prettty happy, but smelled like the sealant burning tho LOL.


[Modified by RKV, 12:44 PM 2/11/2003]

 

w/ obdII cars dont they just plug some plug thats behind your radio/console and test from there? if they do, and you've got a CEL w/ obdII i think youll fail, but im not quite familiar w/ obdII's.

but other wise use some jb weld or goto a muffler shop and have the crack welded.


[Modified by raceACCORDingly, 6:58 AM 2/12/2003]

 

update guys: passed emission, all OEM parts still available, selling cheap, email me for inquries and still had on the bad header


[Modified by RKV, 8:39 PM 2/26/2003]

 

parts for sale, oem catalytic converter, header, and o2 sensor for 98+ accord