P0430 code and getting a new cat to fix the problem
 

The code P0430, bank 2 cat below threshold. From what I understand, it's the precat at the front of the car.

My options are:

1. Get a new cat from the dealer, around $700.

2. Get 02 simulators and fake it for my past due smog check.

3. Get a 49 state smog legal OEM direct fit Eastman replacement pre cat from the internet for $189.00.

I opted for #3 and the only thing that I had to do was to have them ship it to my brother in Oregon who will then ship it to me next week. Kinda of a hassle but I felt that it's better than using the simulators.

Chime in if I did anything wrong or if someone has better options.

Could it be your o2 going bad? How many miles you have? I have p0430 too but it's always on and off. No smog for me yet so I'm not gonna worry about till then :p

Check to see if anyone is parting out a 2000-1 or put headers on their car and buy their used precats and replace both. If one is going out, the other is probably not far behind. I was getting a P0420 code, sometimes 50 miles within resetting it, other times I could drive 1000+ miles. Picked up a pair of precats from a fellow .org member who put headers on their car for $85 + shipping. Swapped them out and no more code. My original precats showed some pretty obvious deterioration so my car also runs better than it did.

If you can't find used, then the Eastman replacement is your best option.

I'm also inclined towards option #3. I'll be interested in knowing if that solves your P0430 issue. Please don't forget to post back with results.

Most P0430/P0420 are related to oxygen sensors. Cats are desinged for the life of the vehicle, proabibilty of it going down remote.

Perhaps the few that are not related to O2 sensors, are related to cats. From what I've read, problems like an unsolved misfire can ruin the cats, and some org members actually swear by replacing the ofending cat as the way to solve the P0430/P0420 issues.
When I got my car it had an ongoing misfire problem, and who knows for how long before that. The SES bulb was actually taken out. After I replaced my coils the misfire went away then code P0430 showed up and it's still on. Replacing the sensors on that bank did not fit the problem.

Replace the O2 first (must cheaper than a new cat), get a Bosch one from Autozone or Pep Boys as they are very cheap. It should clear after the O2 replacement. Wait on it and see if it reappears. If it does then you need to replace the front pre-cat. I would not buy this from the dealer. You can find new ones online for far less, or what others have suggested check for a Max at a junkyard and pull it.

Mine certainly didn't last the life of the car....

http://www.upshizzle.com/gallery/alb...09/precat1.jpg


Straight from the FSM:


On Board Diagnosis Logic

The ECM monitors the switching frequency ratio of heated oxygen
sensors 1 and 2.
A warm-up three way catalyst with high oxygen storage capacity
will indicate a low switching frequency of heated oxygen sensor 2.
As oxygen storage capacity decreases, the heated oxygen sensor
2 switching frequency will increase.
When the frequency ratio of heated oxygen sensors 1 and 2
approaches a specified limit value, the warm-up three way catalyst
malfunction is diagnosed.

Trouble diagnosis name:

Catalyst system efficiency
below threshold

DTC detecting condition:

Warm-up three way catalyst does not operate
properly, warm-up three way catalyst does not
have enough oxygen storage capacity.

Possible problems:

I Warm-up three way catalyst
I Exhaust tube
I Intake air leaks
I Injectors
I Injector leaks
I Spark plug
I Improper ignition timing

Scott, there are always the exceptions and urs might have been. But it is my understanding talking to HM car owners they haven't replaced their cats. Mufflers fine but cats seldom.

O2s get corrupted by bad coils, we had bad coils thx to Nissan. I replaced my coils at 60K, O2s at 80K (thx to stupid P0430/P0420) and I have 175K on the vehicle, no codes related to emissions. What is even more suprising is I like in CA and pass emissions in flying colors, the report clearly shows the cats/precats are doing just fine.

I didn't get the P0420 code until I changed the O2 to cure a P0139 code. Since I replaced the cats, no more codes. I've seen quite a few threads here about the 5.5 gen precats going bad, seems to be somewhat common. Maybe it doesn't happen as much with the 5th gens. :gotme:

This is some good info. I'm glad that I got a new pre-cat over the 02 simulator. Hopefully my performance and gas mileage will get better.

Ihava2kmax, I just replaced all my 02 sensors but that was the first of many codes that the car threw. I had like 8 codes and after the 02's were replaced, I am only left with the one P0430. I know it's the front, aka bank 2, pre-cat.

Love00, Bad o2 sensors don't usually give you a P0430 code. Bad 02's usually kick out: P0134's and the like.

Here are all the codes that my car kicked out before the changing out my 02 sensors.

P0134

P0135

P0140

P0141

P0154

P0155

P0161

I had all these codes come up at once along with the P0430. Now only the P0430 remains. Since I live in So cal, I couldn't get any of the online retailers to mail the Eastman cat to California. I had to have it mailed to my brother in Oregon who will forward it to me next week.

Stay tuned.

I also had the code. Replaced the O2 sensor and that did not solve the issue. Got the Eastern Cat and the code is gone. My cat looked just like the one in the picture...part of the edge was gone. Biggest cost was getting it installed....4+ hours of labor and many bits = $450. 3 bolts were so hardened that they snapped and had to be drilled out. The 2 on studs came apart without any problem and the botton 3 were easy.

I did option #3, 5k miles on the car since I've done it and no issue.

http://forums.maxima.org/5th-generat...xes-p0430.html

Living up north probably had a lot to do with the difficulty. My car was bought and has stayed in Texas, so a bit of penetrating oil was all that was needed. Took my mechanic a little less than 3 hours. After looking at the access to the bolts, and not having a lift, there was no way I was going to do it. I believe the final charge was $170 for the labor.

I had a p0420 code on a 2000 Max, replace front cat and code never came back.

Dealer said if its a p0430 codes, sometimes you might get away with reflashing the ECU with new data but the p0420 code almost guarantees bad cats.

good luck.

Bumping this thread because my bro just arrived with the Eastern cat. I'll be putting it in on Monday at the latest and will post up a DIY and anything thing that I may run across.

Ed,

Your DIY would be greatly appreciated. I am going to order and install the precat to see it resolves my p0430. Thanks to everyone in this thread. It has been a great help.

Dave

Alright, I just finished the install, cleared my code and will drive the car till I get a green light on the OBD 2 reader.

I took pics and can post up a DIY tonight. It's really easy and only took me 2 hours including doing an oil change. On the flip side, the workmanship of the Eastern cat is barely on par. One of the 3 bolt holes that secure the cat up top was too close to the heat shield. I had to bend the shield to get a socket around the bolt. Another issue is where the pre-cat bolts up to the main cat under the car. Once again, one of the 3 bolt holes was too close to the pipe weld which prevented me from getting the socket completely around the bolt. I had to use a box wrench for that one bolt. Other than these 2 little issues, everything else worked out good.

Good thing it was the front precat and not the rear. After looking at where all the bolts were and taking inventory of my tools and lack of a lift, it was easier for me to pay someone two hours of labor (actually took a little more than 3) to do the work. They had the front one done quick, the rear was a really PITA, especially getting the heat shield back on.

Hope it took care of your code.

Impressive. Here in the NE it's absolutely impossible to reuse a heatshield because they disintegrate the moment they're touched.

Has anyone had experience with any of the other aftermarket front cats like Davico, Bosal, Catco, etc? Given the fun that Edward had in getting the Eastern "direct fit" to actually directly fit, I'm curious if any of the other brands are much better in that regard. I need to do the same replacement and have been leaning towards the Bosal since it has a lifetime warranty, but I'm definitely open for suggestions at this point.

Based on Ed's difficulties with the Eastern Cat, I decided to give Bosal a try. The part is currently in the mail and I will report back when it is installed.

I had this same problem. I got a y-pipe and it fixed the problem. Best of both worlds. Gets rid of the problem while improving performance.

http://www.discountconverter.com/

This site has most direct fit replacements for a lot cheaper than the dealer.

I've been debating about where to go to get my pre-cat too, given the claims of of some sites that their product are "direct fit". Do you have any personal experience with any of those products and found out that it is a true direct fit? If so, which one?

I'm getting my non-Cali Bosal in today and planning on putting it in either tonight or tomorrow . . . should be able to report back on Sunday with how well it works or not.

My cat was from eastern. Direct perfect fit. Every bolt hole lined up.

Thanks. That's right, you did change your cat not long ago. I was wondering if you had any of the minor hiccups Edward had (from his comment above), or if you had no trouble at all.

Well, I'd love to report back that everything's working great and the Bosal works like a champ, but . . . .

I can't get my f$&*$g old precat off. Got all the bolts off (not at all easy; broke one of the studs holding it to the exhaust manifold), but I can't get the farking thing to come out. It seems to be able to give a bit more if I grab and shake the hell out of it to wiggle it loose, but my confidence in the jacks holding the front end up is not quite high enough to do that. PB Blaster does wonders, but apparently it is not a miracle worker.

I'm considering one of two options at this point:

1) Removing the exhaust manifold and pull the manifold/pre-cat beast out together so that I can attempt to pull them apart outside the car where I might have some leverage.

2) Unbolting/removing the Bank 1 pre-cat, on the assumption that I might then be able to have the room to then get the Bank 2 pre-cat out with less wiggling.

I'm leaning towards option 1 at this point, mostly because I can see all the bolts needing removal there and none look rusted at all (unlike the Bank 1 pre-cat, which looks to have some pretty cranky bolts). I'm getting some jack stands today too, which should help matters immensely.

Anyone have any thoughts/advice on the matter? Is there anything I should keep in mind/watch out for when removing the exhaust manifold closest to the radiator?

^^man, that's some struggle. I guess you live in one of the snow-prone states. I would probably remove the radiator when I do mine. Not meaning to be sarcastic, but how exactly id the Bosal "working like a champ"?

Haha, nope, me (and the Max) are Dallas homers. I had a job as a subcontractor for homebuilders for a couple of years that put some hard miles on the Max, so I think the undercarriage is a bit more aged than the 98k miles would typically suggest.

And yeah, that was some odd syntax - what I meant was that I wish that I could report that I'd finished this little project and the Bosal worked perfectly, but unfortunately it's still sitting in its box in my garage, wondering why the hell it's taking me so damn long . . .

hey does the bosal precat come with a gasket (or works with the OEM gasket?)


btw how do u know it works great when u haven't even taken the old one out yet:o

Didn't come with a gasket - honestly I haven't worried too much about that just yet since I still haven't even gotten the original precat off.

And like I said in my last post - I have no idea how it works. I was attempting to accentuate my frustration that I haven't even been able to get to the point of installing the Bosal, hence the statement that I wish that I could report that it was working great. My apologies if my attempt at translating my exasperation into text is confusing everyone.

andrew629, keep soaking the problem area with PB blaster or whatever else you have at hand and ocasionally lightly tap around the joint with a hammer or some other metal object. Sometimes that tends to release parts that are stuck together as a result of rust. Is it stuck on both ends or at leat one of them has come loose?

The end on the exhaust manifold seems to be the problem. I was going to attack it today after work, but I just didn't have the mental wherewithal to deal with it tonight. Had a beer and watched some TV instead :)

I used a pry bar to pull off the old front pre-cat. Getting the new one on there is going to be more difficult because you don't want to damage it in the process. I ended up lossening up my y-pipe to get it on.

In the end lossening up stuff will make it easiest.

That's the plan going forward. It's raining today, so I'm planning on attacking it tomorrow afternoon. The goal is to be done by Sunday, since it's gonna drop back to the normal mid-30 degree temps and this is a driveway project; it's 73 today and staying in the 60's through Saturday. Gotta love Dallas' rapid temperature swings!

Thanks for all the advice everyone, BTW. I've gleaned a ton of knowledge over the last couple of years from this board and never really posted anything of my own (Lurker!!), so once I'm done I'm at least planning a write-up of what NOT to do when replacing your precat :)

im confused from what scott said. to put headers or the pre-cat. I got just got the SES light today and am getting the p420 and p430 codes. whats best to do? im also thinking of getting performance parts instead of direct replacement (ive always wanted to make the 3.0 max sound like a Z)? Any suggestions????

What are you guys doing for a gasket on the Eastern precat. I've pulled the old one on a 2000 Maxima SE, Cali emissions, and I'm ready to put the Eastern in. The old cat didn't have a 5 hole flange gasket, it had a c-channel metal ring, 1/4" thick (kind of like a seal with a steel wool ring filler. It fit inside the flange and doesn't work with the Eastern. Is there a 5 bolt flange gasket available through a dealer or online, or do you make one out of high temp gasket material? Also, did anybody get a replacement bolt kit for the old rusted bolts?

is the precat the manifold catalytic converter? i have no idea but gas mileage is horrible and i know it shouldn't. had the same code a while back but want to fix something