I just bought a 96 dx hatch, less than one gas tank and 2 mechanic inspections later (my mom is paranoid, and now i know why) the engine light came on brought it to my mechanic who was doin the waterpump/ timing belt anyway, he says the code is bad catylitic convt, and its part of the exhaust manifold on this engine, so the part is like 580 new from honda + about 150 labor, i wanted to know if this all sounds right and what other options are can i just get a header and cat for cheaper, can i just replace the cat what's the range of choices from cheapest to highest performance for the money since im doin this junk anyway any help appreciated thanx btw these are prices on long island the most expensive friggin place ever so if your from like alabama plz dont be like "my pappy can do it for a nickel" cause thats of no use to me, thanx

 

I have and EG and I live in CA, flunked emissions when I took it for a smog test. Paid $80 for the diagnostic. Mechanic said it was the catalyst inside of the catalytic converter. I paid $480 to get it replaced.

 

Unless your cat is melted internally and is restricting the exhaust flow, I'd be more inclined to check out your oxygen sensor as it may be bad. Bad O2 sensors are responsible for more cat problems than anything else.

If your cat is melted internally you usually know by the cars performance being quite sluggish and if it's really bad the exhaust coming out the back of the muffler sounds like an air compressor hose leaking! A quick visual inspection of your cat by unbolting it from your manifold would tell you if it was melted.

You have a couple options.. if it's just a bad sensor, replace it and be on your way. If the cat is melted and you need a new one just call around to salvage yards looking for a used one, should be very easy to find. The final option is possible if you don't have emissions testing in your area and that would be to get an exhaust manifold/header from and EX (Si CAN) and bolt that on the car. That would move the cat location down under the car (use the EX cat or a resonator to keep sound down) and give your car a definite boost in performance. Good luck!