Problems with Primary O2 sensors after header install
07-28-2009, 01:03 PM
#1
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Problems with Primary O2 sensors after header install
Hey guys. I posted on the 6th gen forum initially and several other org members and I have been trying to remedy our situation. I had the Cattman headers inatlled on my 6th gen about 6 weeks ago. The performance is there. However, so is the CEL with P1283 and P1274. My tech said that the rear primary O2 sensor is the one tripping off both. He also mentioned that since there is too much air passing through the system the ECU is not able to adjust the A/F ration enough and thus the CEL trips on. I've tried using an O2 sensor adapter but the problem still remains. The tech says my best bet is to get the ECU flashed so that it can work at the higher A/F ration without setting off a CEL. I'm running rich right now. A fellow orger pointed out the following link. Would this help? I've never heard about it until now. Thanks in advance.
http://www.myhotmaxima.com/O2-Power-...e-CHIP/17964/#
Here's a link to the original thread:
http://forums.maxima.org/6th-generat...imulators.html
http://www.myhotmaxima.com/O2-Power-...e-CHIP/17964/#
Here's a link to the original thread:
http://forums.maxima.org/6th-generat...imulators.html
07-28-2009, 09:07 PM
#2
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Which Y-Pipe do you have? Did you solder or crimp the the primary 02 sensors because they are very sensative. They read down to the thousandths and if they are getting the correct voltage they will not read correctly therefore causing your cel to come on and stay on.. alot of the Altima guys were having some issues with the cel light after their header installs but I talked to Brain about this and I was one of the few Alty owners that didnt have this problem.. But it all depends on how things were installed..
07-29-2009, 05:41 AM
#4
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My y-pipe is a Cattman as well. I was told to expect the secondary 02 sensors being the most common culprit but those have worked well with no issues. The wires were soldered to extend them. One of the sensors was switched out last year. The tech noted that if the soldering was the problem, then the ECU diag tool would picked it up as a failed sensor. However, the tool notes then A/F ratio is high and that both a re working fine. Two of the guys in the original thread switched out their problem primary O2 sensor only two have the problem reappear again.
07-29-2009, 10:45 AM
#5
Maybe you're just leaning out?
Do you have a wideband? The headers would give you more airflow and if the ECU is still giving you the same amount of fuel you'd be too lean. I don't think this is very common but maybe you were already pretty close to going lean.
Do you have a wideband? The headers would give you more airflow and if the ECU is still giving you the same amount of fuel you'd be too lean. I don't think this is very common but maybe you were already pretty close to going lean.
08-01-2009, 08:15 PM
#7
P1283 here... lean. Replaced the front primary a/f... it was totally trashed anyway. After that, I got a P1274 (rich)... unplugged the battery overnight, and I'm back to a P1283.. 
I am trying to track down a suspected intake/exhaust leak... I tightened things up a bit, sprayed some carb cleaner around to check the idle... and nothing... but I know there's a leak somewhere. I can hear it when I accelerate. It's not just the whiiiishing from the manifold spacers... it's more than that.
I even noticed it at the dyno:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GeKXIFzemeU
At about 22-23 seconds in... right when she goes full-throttle... you can hear the higher pitched noise.
Apparently the issue is too much air hitting the a/f sensors... athlon, do you still have your stock intake? Try running with that installed for a few days. I'm sure it's more restrictive than any aftermarket one I think you have installed... Worth a shot?
I am trying to track down a suspected intake/exhaust leak... I tightened things up a bit, sprayed some carb cleaner around to check the idle... and nothing... but I know there's a leak somewhere. I can hear it when I accelerate. It's not just the whiiiishing from the manifold spacers... it's more than that.
I even noticed it at the dyno:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GeKXIFzemeU
At about 22-23 seconds in... right when she goes full-throttle... you can hear the higher pitched noise.
Apparently the issue is too much air hitting the a/f sensors... athlon, do you still have your stock intake? Try running with that installed for a few days. I'm sure it's more restrictive than any aftermarket one I think you have installed... Worth a shot?
08-02-2009, 09:14 PM
#8
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P1283 here... lean. Replaced the front primary a/f... it was totally trashed anyway. After that, I got a P1274 (rich)... unplugged the battery overnight, and I'm back to a P1283..
I am trying to track down a suspected intake/exhaust leak... I tightened things up a bit, sprayed some carb cleaner around to check the idle... and nothing... but I know there's a leak somewhere. I can hear it when I accelerate. It's not just the whiiiishing from the manifold spacers... it's more than that.
I even noticed it at the dyno:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GeKXIFzemeU
At about 22-23 seconds in... right when she goes full-throttle... you can hear the higher pitched noise.
Apparently the issue is too much air hitting the a/f sensors... athlon, do you still have your stock intake? Try running with that installed for a few days. I'm sure it's more restrictive than any aftermarket one I think you have installed... Worth a shot?
I am trying to track down a suspected intake/exhaust leak... I tightened things up a bit, sprayed some carb cleaner around to check the idle... and nothing... but I know there's a leak somewhere. I can hear it when I accelerate. It's not just the whiiiishing from the manifold spacers... it's more than that.
I even noticed it at the dyno:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GeKXIFzemeU
At about 22-23 seconds in... right when she goes full-throttle... you can hear the higher pitched noise.
Apparently the issue is too much air hitting the a/f sensors... athlon, do you still have your stock intake? Try running with that installed for a few days. I'm sure it's more restrictive than any aftermarket one I think you have installed... Worth a shot?
08-02-2009, 09:27 PM
#9
Yeah... seems kinda silly to actually resort to restricting air flow, but if these headers really are opening things up that much (which has to be the case... those stock manifolds were like a choke hold!), it's worth a try... I really dont think any damage is being done with the codes for the primary sensors (assuming that your car is running fine as mine is)... but for emissions testing purposes, if this clears up the code after awhile, that'd be an easy fix.
Honestly I'm not too hopeful... Nissan and Infiniti people are getting these codes even without mods... but in our case, who really knows...
Honestly I'm not too hopeful... Nissan and Infiniti people are getting these codes even without mods... but in our case, who really knows...
08-12-2009, 01:34 PM
#10
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With my se-r I got those code after putting headers on and from the sounds of it you have the same issue. Cattman's headers were supposed to prevent that in our cars and for some it worked.. for others they were a really expensive set of normal headers that still cause the CEL.
08-12-2009, 02:02 PM
#11
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With my se-r I got those code after putting headers on and from the sounds of it you have the same issue. Cattman's headers were supposed to prevent that in our cars and for some it worked.. for others they were a really expensive set of normal headers that still cause the CEL.
Any word on whether anyone tried an O2 chip mod or reflashed the ECU to accept a higher A/F ratio?
08-12-2009, 09:16 PM
#12
Of course, of my P1283 code pops up again, I will update. I check with my code reader 2-3 times a day it seems. lol
MY CEL is still on, but only with the P0138 code which I really don't care about until it's time for emissions testing. I have a feeling grounding the o2 sim to the chassis may help. Just haven't had it on a lift lately to give it a try.
08-29-2009, 10:18 AM
#14
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I'm going to get the phenolic spacers put on as well as the the R2C intake before I get the car dynoed. I then plan on sending in the A/F maps with dyno and list of mods to Technosqaure and getting rid of these cods once and for all. Maybe I might get lucky and the R2C intake cures mine like it did yours.
08-29-2009, 11:36 AM
#15
Yeah... I just can't recommend the intake actually being a fix, seeing as I'm still running the pre-production model. They have been busy traveling for races and stuff the last week or so, so it's difficult to get a hold of them. But soon!
Just for the heck of it, have you tried a bottle or two of fuel injector cleaner? I got some "super concentrated" Gum Out stuff from AutoZone... not sure if that helped or anything, but someone on the Infiniti boards was throwing the same codes, and after 2-3 tanks of gas and 2 bottles later, the codes went away... as far as I know...
Just for the heck of it, have you tried a bottle or two of fuel injector cleaner? I got some "super concentrated" Gum Out stuff from AutoZone... not sure if that helped or anything, but someone on the Infiniti boards was throwing the same codes, and after 2-3 tanks of gas and 2 bottles later, the codes went away... as far as I know...
08-29-2009, 05:54 PM
#16
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Yeah... I just can't recommend the intake actually being a fix, seeing as I'm still running the pre-production model. They have been busy traveling for races and stuff the last week or so, so it's difficult to get a hold of them. But soon!
Just for the heck of it, have you tried a bottle or two of fuel injector cleaner? I got some "super concentrated" Gum Out stuff from AutoZone... not sure if that helped or anything, but someone on the Infiniti boards was throwing the same codes, and after 2-3 tanks of gas and 2 bottles later, the codes went away... as far as I know...
Just for the heck of it, have you tried a bottle or two of fuel injector cleaner? I got some "super concentrated" Gum Out stuff from AutoZone... not sure if that helped or anything, but someone on the Infiniti boards was throwing the same codes, and after 2-3 tanks of gas and 2 bottles later, the codes went away... as far as I know...
08-30-2009, 01:12 PM
#17
08-31-2009, 09:06 AM
#20
08-31-2009, 04:53 PM
#23
Well, it's been steady and on for a few months... I don't really care about the P0138... lol
When I read the codes today and saw 1283, I just kinda rolled my eyes and chuckled.
I've given up on it.
But was thinking of someone was brave enough to get a smallish cat welded onto the front header manifold somehow... lol
If anything, I may try putting the old stock front manifold with the cat back on, since that's the "easy" one to install... just to see what happens... but who knows if I'll even find the motivation, time, and a lift I can borrow for free to do it... Unless someone wants to try it...
When I read the codes today and saw 1283, I just kinda rolled my eyes and chuckled.
I've given up on it.
But was thinking of someone was brave enough to get a smallish cat welded onto the front header manifold somehow... lol
If anything, I may try putting the old stock front manifold with the cat back on, since that's the "easy" one to install... just to see what happens... but who knows if I'll even find the motivation, time, and a lift I can borrow for free to do it... Unless someone wants to try it...
09-01-2009, 10:29 AM
#24
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Well, it's been steady and on for a few months... I don't really care about the P0138... lol
When I read the codes today and saw 1283, I just kinda rolled my eyes and chuckled.
I've given up on it.
But was thinking of someone was brave enough to get a smallish cat welded onto the front header manifold somehow... lol
If anything, I may try putting the old stock front manifold with the cat back on, since that's the "easy" one to install... just to see what happens... but who knows if I'll even find the motivation, time, and a lift I can borrow for free to do it... Unless someone wants to try it...
When I read the codes today and saw 1283, I just kinda rolled my eyes and chuckled.
I've given up on it.
But was thinking of someone was brave enough to get a smallish cat welded onto the front header manifold somehow... lol
If anything, I may try putting the old stock front manifold with the cat back on, since that's the "easy" one to install... just to see what happens... but who knows if I'll even find the motivation, time, and a lift I can borrow for free to do it... Unless someone wants to try it...
03-14-2010, 05:16 PM
#26
A little update... A few months ago the P1283 (lean) went away on it's own, but I was running with P0138 for at least a year... finally got the rear sensors extended past the cat in the stock y-pipe hoping to pass emissions. I had the Cattman y-pipe installed originally... just had bungs welded onto the stock one etc.
Was fine for a day... no more codes from the rear sensors, so that all went well... but now I'm throwing both P1274 and P1283 (rich/lean respectively)... lol
I'm tempted to get bungs welded onto the Cattman y-pipe, and get some o2 spacers. It's just weird that my primaries weren't throwing a code the last few months with the Cattman y-pipe, but now they are with the stock y-pipe and cat. I have to figure this out by June. lol
***Also***
At least for me, having an '04 that I purchased in 2003, there seems to be two separate TSB's for both the codes:
Bulletin Number: 03067A
Bulletin Date: Oct 2003
Summary:
MALFUNCTION INDICATOR LAMP ON WITH DIAGNOSTIC TROUBLE CODE P1274/P1284 (A/F SENSOR BANK-1/2 RICH MONITOR). ( NHTSA ITEM NUMBER - 10003899 )
And:
Bulletin Number: 03067
Bulletin Date: Oct 2003
Summary:
MALFUNCTION INDICATOR LAMP ON WITH DIAGNOSTIC TROUBLE CODES P1274/P1284 A/F SENSOR BANK-2 (RICH MONITOR) STORED IN THE ECM (ENGINE CONTROL MODULE). 2004 MODEL. ( NHTSA ITEM NUMBER - 10004556 )
I'm due for a pretty big service soon, so I'll have them check if either of these TSBs have been applied... and if not, perhaps this would be a fix for the '04s at least. I won't hold my breath though.
Was fine for a day... no more codes from the rear sensors, so that all went well... but now I'm throwing both P1274 and P1283 (rich/lean respectively)... lol
I'm tempted to get bungs welded onto the Cattman y-pipe, and get some o2 spacers. It's just weird that my primaries weren't throwing a code the last few months with the Cattman y-pipe, but now they are with the stock y-pipe and cat. I have to figure this out by June. lol
***Also***
At least for me, having an '04 that I purchased in 2003, there seems to be two separate TSB's for both the codes:
Bulletin Number: 03067A
Bulletin Date: Oct 2003
Summary:
MALFUNCTION INDICATOR LAMP ON WITH DIAGNOSTIC TROUBLE CODE P1274/P1284 (A/F SENSOR BANK-1/2 RICH MONITOR). ( NHTSA ITEM NUMBER - 10003899 )
And:
Bulletin Number: 03067
Bulletin Date: Oct 2003
Summary:
MALFUNCTION INDICATOR LAMP ON WITH DIAGNOSTIC TROUBLE CODES P1274/P1284 A/F SENSOR BANK-2 (RICH MONITOR) STORED IN THE ECM (ENGINE CONTROL MODULE). 2004 MODEL. ( NHTSA ITEM NUMBER - 10004556 )
I'm due for a pretty big service soon, so I'll have them check if either of these TSBs have been applied... and if not, perhaps this would be a fix for the '04s at least. I won't hold my breath though.
Last edited by Oolatec; 03-18-2010 at 12:20 AM.
03-23-2010, 12:59 AM
#27
Stupid dealer (staffed with new service "advisors" that don't know crap compared to the old crew which was awesome... shame) said "We don't do TSBs". Geezus.
I have a few more things to try before my emissions in June... going to get bungs welded onto the Cattman y-pipe, and put on some angled o2 spacers.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/UNIVE...Q5fCarQ5fParts
I just don't get why I was code-free with my primary a/f sensors, but the lean/rich codes popped up when I put in the stock y-pipe with the cat and the extended secondary o2s. Perhaps the cat is pushing back some air into the primary a/f sensors and they are being thrown out of wack, and as a result, they are throwing P1283/1274.
I'll update in a week or so.
If all else fails, I'll pay my guy to put the stock headers back on and sell the Cattman headers. They are awesome, but if I can't pass emissions, I don't really have a use for them.
Then I may even part with the Max... :O I've been kinda window shopping, so we will see... But that's for another topic completely.
I have a few more things to try before my emissions in June... going to get bungs welded onto the Cattman y-pipe, and put on some angled o2 spacers.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/UNIVE...Q5fCarQ5fParts
I just don't get why I was code-free with my primary a/f sensors, but the lean/rich codes popped up when I put in the stock y-pipe with the cat and the extended secondary o2s. Perhaps the cat is pushing back some air into the primary a/f sensors and they are being thrown out of wack, and as a result, they are throwing P1283/1274.
I'll update in a week or so.
If all else fails, I'll pay my guy to put the stock headers back on and sell the Cattman headers. They are awesome, but if I can't pass emissions, I don't really have a use for them.
Then I may even part with the Max... :O I've been kinda window shopping, so we will see...
But that's for another topic completely.
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