P0430 Code

[synyster]

Alright.....this just happened to pop on, on my way to my grandpa's wake. I stopped at Autozone and had it scanned. Basically narrowed it down to either the o2 sensor or cats....First question is how many cats and how many sensors are there? I believe there are 2 cats and 4 sensors but I'm only assuming. Second question is how to go about testing? Pyrometer? Scope? I dont really own any of the proper tools so....any tips or tricks on figuring it out without that stuff. Thanks ahead.

 

[swetrid]

bad cat

 

[synyster]

how sure would you be? i was told for sure it was a o2 sensor.....im not sure myself as its the middle of winter, i have no garage to do anything myself. and also...it seems im getting a whopping 7 miles per gallon....would either of those affect this?

 

[Car-Dog]

The bad mileage would make me lean towards cat not o2 sensor.

 

[waskly]

cat

 

[synyster]

what would be good? ford oem cat? or a high performance cat system?

 

[synyster]

today the mil went off...code is still present but the mil isnt on. idk gonna have to wait for this snow to pass before i do anything...... its kinda funny tho.. truck seems to be running good. didnt notice gas mileage this time tho....

 

[alexb2000]

Cat, I had the same codes over and over.

I just had two CA spec. Magnaflows put on and the third cat eliminated today.

Beware the cheap aftermarket cats they don't work worth a damn.

I paid $600 installed... oouch.

 

[imp]

The bad mileage would make me lean towards cat not o2 sensor.

Why would you say so? Unless a cat is clogged, it does nothing more than process exhaust products, not affecting amount of fuel burned. Now, O2 sensors, they "trim" the fuel mix, and CAN affect fuel burned, I believe.

If I'm wrong, please straighten out my thinking! imp

 

[Car-Dog]

When a cat starts to get plugged it causes a loss of power leading needing to have a "lead foot" which leads to bad mileage. On my dads ram he was getting 12 to 13 when the cats went bad, now he gets 17 to 18.

It could be an o2 sensor, and if they have not been replaced then definitely start with that their a heck of alot cheaper than cats.

Something I hadn't thought of before but might be possible is maybe a bad clogged cat could affect the reading that an 02 sensor gets and that is what leads to bad mileage? IDk

He should just take it to a reputable muffler shop and have them check it out. if it is a good shop they should look at it for free. then he would know for sure if the cats or a sensor.

I am still thinking cats but its impossible to be 100% from 3000 miles away.

Just wanted throw in here I am no mechanic this is just my .02 from personal experience

 

[Ridgeline]

Just had this myself it is a bad cat on bank 2 which I believe is the drivers side I just had mine replaced ford oem cat are stupid expensive I had a high flow cut and welded in place for $247.00 in Florida. The o2 would throw a different code.

 

[Bottom Line]

I had this code too. Truck was running fine. No fuel or performance issues. Went with a new O2 sensor and reset the code. Light was off for about three weeks but the other day light was back. Had it read and same code again. If the cat was bad wouldn't it have thrown the code sooner?

 

[Ridgeline]

Not necessarily depends on driving habits and a few other variables. .

 

[swetrid]

The car has to due a couple of drive cycles and see a certain amount of failures to set a code for cat efficiency. In my experience, if its shows those codes, the cats are bad not the o2 sensor. Most aftermarket cats will give you the same codes back because they are not as good/efficient as factory.

 

[synyster]

Well I cleared the code a few weeks back and so far it hasn't poped back on. maybe it was from the snow or something. Not sure but as long as it doesnt come back on Im fine. Gas mileage is back up to normal as well.