Diagnosis and solution of P0420, please step in - video inside
07-15-2011, 12:13 PM
#1
Diagnosis and solution of P0420, please step in - video inside
First off, I would like to start with this video. This video was taken while sitting in my work parking lot, car was still running from the 35-40 minute drive in. The drive is 95% highway. It was extremely hot that day, 108 to be exact.
Other than this, maxipad was running just fine, strong as ever. It has done this maybe twice in the last 2-3 months. Otherwise, I have been blessed to rarely have an SES light in the time of ownership.
Here is the video, the loud whooshing sound is the A/C blasting. As you will hear, I was turning the A/C, along with other electronics off to see if it would have any effect on the engine RPM. The RPM's spiking above 3k are also myself revving, trying to see if it would come back down to normal idle range. the spikes between 1.5-2k towards the end of the video were the cars doing, not mine. The only time it has done this is at idle.
After the I stopped recording, I turned the car off, started it back up, and it ran perfectly at normal idle RPM.
So I as I was driving home from work, not the same day, but the day after the video, I get an SES. When I was driving home I was in the middle of my HWY drive, going through an area called Front street. Front st is where the main water treatment plant is for all of KC MO. Its and industrial area with train yards, paper mills and other plants with smoke stacks and what not. It sits right on the edge of the MO River, and it smells like straight a$$hole. If the wind is blowing right, you can smell it from miles and miles away. (Gross right? I know, I dont live near there). The smell of raw sewage smells unpleasantly similar to that of uncatalyzed fuel. This is the point I am getting at.
I got the code read, it was the Infamous P0420. I went ahead and cleared it. I've done searching on here, but with the countless amount of threads I cant seem to make a conclusion. The SES stayed off for the rest of the next day, running around town, on the way to work. Then on the way home, It strikes again. BOOM! Right as Im going past Front St, literally maybe 1/2 mile from where it came on in the first place. Just a coincidence?
From here, to be honest I am somewhat clueless on where to start. From what i've been reading, seems like it could be endless amount of possibilities (O2 sensor, precat, main cat). Just looking for a little advice before I start dropping $$ on how to solve this. Does the video correlate at all with the scenario? Does anyone have any experience? Thanks a ton in advance!
-Steve
Other than this, maxipad was running just fine, strong as ever. It has done this maybe twice in the last 2-3 months. Otherwise, I have been blessed to rarely have an SES light in the time of ownership.
Here is the video, the loud whooshing sound is the A/C blasting. As you will hear, I was turning the A/C, along with other electronics off to see if it would have any effect on the engine RPM. The RPM's spiking above 3k are also myself revving, trying to see if it would come back down to normal idle range. the spikes between 1.5-2k towards the end of the video were the cars doing, not mine. The only time it has done this is at idle.
After the I stopped recording, I turned the car off, started it back up, and it ran perfectly at normal idle RPM.
So I as I was driving home from work, not the same day, but the day after the video, I get an SES. When I was driving home I was in the middle of my HWY drive, going through an area called Front street. Front st is where the main water treatment plant is for all of KC MO. Its and industrial area with train yards, paper mills and other plants with smoke stacks and what not. It sits right on the edge of the MO River, and it smells like straight a$$hole. If the wind is blowing right, you can smell it from miles and miles away. (Gross right? I know, I dont live near there). The smell of raw sewage smells unpleasantly similar to that of uncatalyzed fuel. This is the point I am getting at.
I got the code read, it was the Infamous P0420. I went ahead and cleared it. I've done searching on here, but with the countless amount of threads I cant seem to make a conclusion. The SES stayed off for the rest of the next day, running around town, on the way to work. Then on the way home, It strikes again. BOOM! Right as Im going past Front St, literally maybe 1/2 mile from where it came on in the first place. Just a coincidence?
From here, to be honest I am somewhat clueless on where to start. From what i've been reading, seems like it could be endless amount of possibilities (O2 sensor, precat, main cat). Just looking for a little advice before I start dropping $$ on how to solve this. Does the video correlate at all with the scenario? Does anyone have any experience? Thanks a ton in advance!
-Steve
Last edited by MAXXED_816; 07-15-2011 at 12:16 PM.
07-15-2011, 02:07 PM
#2
In the FSM there is a step by step procedure to figuring this out. Why mot pay the diagnosis fee to the stealership and go from there? Or start by replacing the cheapest thing then working your way through. Check for exhaust leak, o2's coils, injectors, cats
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