|
blbboise -> 97 MPV CEL with P0420 Code (1/31/2008 10:41:17 PM)
|
Thanks for such a great forum. We bought a used 97 MPV 4x4 All Sport this October and have loved it. It has 110,000 and had been mechanically and imaculately maintained by the previous owner. This last Nov. just before leaving for Thanksgiving the CEL came on a day or two after a fuel fill up.
The sales person at Autozone did not show me the code when I had it scanned. He said that it was an easy one and the asked if I had just put fuel in the vehicle? Explaining that the gas cap was probably loose. Relieved that it was an easy fix. I tightened the cap and he cleared the code. We went on our trip up into the mountains for Thankgiving without any worries.
About a month later with a half tank left on another fill up the CEL came on again. Autozone scanned it again and another sales person reacted to the code "by the book" and printed off the receipt giving me the code, P0420. And proceeded to price out the possible components to fix it. She also explained that she could not reset the CEL light until there had been an attempt to fix the problem. I thanked her and took the printout home. The following is the description on the receipt.
Definition: Catalyst efficiency low-bank 1.
Explanation: The oxygen sensors monitor the catalytic converters ability to store oxygen. Possible Causes:
1. Catalytic Converter defective (failure possibly due to #2, 3, or 4)
2. Engine misfire or running condition.
3. Large Vacuum leak.
4. Engine oil leakage into exhaust-valuve guide seals, piston rings.
I disconnected the battery thinking it may be a fluke with the cap again. Well, another fill up and a half tank later the CEL came on again in January. I have not bothered to clear it by disconnecting the battery yet. I had mentioned this problem to the emissions technician at the first of January after I had received a passing inspection. He told me that he noticed something a bit abnormal during the test, but it appearently did not affect things enough to not pass the emissions test. At the time the CEL was not on and he mentioned to me that I could bring it back if the light came on and he would take a look at it.
I'm new to this vehicle and don't own the Chilton's manual yet, though I intend to buy one. I do alot of the work on my vehicles myself. Does anyone have suggestions where I should begin with a possible fix.
Research I have done online has told me about the loose gas cap, O2 Sensors are bad, or that O2 sensors usually never fail, and that the expensive Cat. Conv. needs replacement. And if I don't fix this, with the engine burning rich the Cat. Conv. will fail and there may be a possibilty for a fire in the exahust system on the side of the road some day. That sounds pretty bad....Don't want that to happen.
BabyHuey, I have appreciated your responses on this forum. Your advice and opinions of the older MPV's helped pursuade us that we were making a good purchase (My wife did not want a Minivan). Please help with any advice you or others might have on the P0420 code. We plan to keep this vehicle for a long time. We paid cash for it and love the idea that we hopefully would not be putting alot of money into future maintence and fixes. Our other mazda...A 1992 protege with 123,000 miles that we have had since new.... has never given us any major mechanical problems. (I think it needs a spark plug, rotor, fuel filter tune up. It has a rough acceleration, that is for another post though.)
Thanks in advance for any advice passed along.
|
|
|
|
