Code P0420: The Dreaded Diagnostics of Catalytic Converter Replacement and Oxygen Sensors
You just pulled a P0420 from a vehicle indicating the catalyst system efficiency for one of the banks is below threshold. What is next? Could it be just the oxygen sensor? Or, could it be the catalytic converter? These articles will help you understand why the OBDII code was set and what further test must be performed to determine the root of the problem like a coolant leak, oil blow by or other problems with the engine.
Tech Tip: Hyundai Check Engine Light Diagnostics
There are a couple of ways a Hyundai will find its way into your bay with a check engine light complaint. If a misfire is obvious, you may be tempted to get to work and start switching coils, checking wires or whatever, looking to diagnose the problem. But before you do, check the codes to see if more information is available.
Tech Feature: Getting The Most Data From Your Scan Tool
It’s more than likely that many technicians use their scan tools as diagnostic trouble code (DTC) readers rather than as the analytical and testing tools that they really are.
Tech Feature: Cooler ‘Heads’ Prevail – Pouring Over GM’s LT1 Engine and Reverse-Flow Technology
The LT1 engine was used in a variety of General Motors models, including 1992-’96 Corvette (Y-body), 1993-’97 Camaro and Firebird (F-body), and 1994-’96 Chevy Caprice and Impala (B-body), Buick Roadmaster and Cadillac Fleetwood (D-body).
Tech Tip: Wave Dynamics for Headers and Pipes
Depending upon the market to which an import shop might be catering, the term “performance exhaust” can have two different meanings. The first market actively seeks out the throaty rumble and chrome-plated look as part of the street-driving scene. The second market installs an exhaust system that produces the most horsepower for a performance application. Sometimes the two markets are identical and sometimes they’re not.
OBD II Engine Diagnostics: Not as Simple as it Seems
Anybody can plug a scan tool into a vehicle and read codes. But do they know what the codes mean, how to diagnose the fault or, most importantly, how to fix the vehicle? The problem with reading OBD II codes is that the code tells you only that a fault has occurred. It does not
Emissions Update: Understanding How Wide Ratio Air/Fuel (WRAF) Sensors Work
Instead of giving a simple rich/lean indication, wide ratio air/fuel sensors measure the “actual” air/fuel ratio. A WRAF sensor can measure mixtures that range from extremely rich to extremely lean (even straight air!). This ability allows the PCM to control fuel mixtures much more precisely, to handle much leaner fuel mixtures, to reduce emissions and
PCV Service: Helping an Engine Catch Its Breath
I’m certain that each and every one of you have, at some time in your life, experienced the horrific event of having the wind knocked out of you. If you can remember back to the first time it ever happened, before you knew that you would, in fact, breathe again, it was like you were
Catalytic Converter Diagnosis
The catalytic converter is probably the most important emission control device on a vehicle because it cleans up the pollutants in the exhaust. Thanks to fuel injection, oxygen sensors in the exhaust manifolds, and a feedback fuel control system, emissions are kept to a minimum. Even so, some pollution is still produced and must be
Mercedes: Addressing MIL Issues
‘Systems Operation’ Knowledge and Proper Equipment Saves Diagnostic Time and Speeds Repair Process It may not be a Mother-in-Law light, but the effect can be about the same. Just when you don’t want to see it, there it is! The Malfunction Indicator Light (MIL) has been around for more than 25 years, but since OBD
EGR Issues: Dealing with P0401 Codes
ht=”245″ alt=”” align=”right” /> As emission controls got tighter, and with the advent of OBD II, things started to change. We not only saw additional driveability complaints, but we also had the check engine light (CEL) telling the customer there was an emissions failure that had to be dealt with for the good of the
Mischievous Cats
By definition, a catalytic converter should last the lifetime of the vehicle. It can last this long because a catalyst is something that, just by being present, causes a reaction to other materials without itself being a participant in the reaction. However, real life has proven that the life span of a catalytic converter varies